Disappointing/weird/inappropriate christmas gifts

mcja

My MIL bought me a set of towels and a bath mat for christmas this year. All black....my bathroom is, and always has been, blue. On the plus side, she left the receipt in (just so I know what she paid).

mum26

I got dusters, which is a running joke between me and my mum (they are Cath kidston ones and are appreciated, also makes me chuckle when I use them) and a Jodi Picoult book. Now that really is not my kind of author at all, I don't do weepies or misery lit at all ( my other books this year are Bill Bryson, Terry Pratchett, Benn Aaronovitch etc) I think it was part of a multibuy with a panicky buyer lol!

When dd1 bought her own presents for the first year I had to tell her not to buy her dad some just for men dye!

daisiegg

My department secret Santa at work was an eyebrow raiser this year. It was a mug, with pictures of oranges on it. Inside the mug was a jar of marmalade (not special or hm or anything - bog standard supermarket marmalade). On closer inspection, the bottom of the mug says 'marmalade festival 2011'! Clearly a recycled gift. I don't mind recycled gifts at all but this is just odd....I am not a fan of marmalade and I never drink hot drinks at work, so the mug makes little sense either. We are a very close department so it is odd. Plus, I am incredibly easy to buy for. I love smellies and bath stuff and candles and anything to do with baking and stationery and anything with cupcakes on it or even, failing any of that, wine!

I think the department secret Santa actually showed how tired and strained we are this year....one lady got given one of those gift sets with a mini box of cava and some chocolate truffles. Lovely, except that she doesn't drink (which is common knowledge) and one of the chocolates was missing!! We are only a department of 11 who all share an office, know each other well and socialise a lot outside of work so really we should do better.

tatabubbly

I bought my OH a kettle for his new love of coffee and he gave me a gillette fusion razor so I'd stop nicking his!(the lady ones are useless!)

We love goofy pressies though and always try to do it every year. Something to laugh over if nothing else!

Okydoky25

I got 2 box sets of soap & glory from DH. Both have similar stuff in and worse all I still have clogging up the bathroom from last year which he is well aware of.

lostinrates

Cottage_Economy wrote: »

An AGA cookbook.

I don't have an AGA.

When you do have one you get multiple copies of aga cookbooks. :rotfl:

I would have love the lentils, blue peas or the facecloth and soap gifts.

Re things that 'people know about us' I think when buying its easy to forget things like allergies when you consider the parts of the friend that impact on you more, the aspects of their personality. I actually forget these thins about myself!


I ask for NO gifts, I'm fussy and cranky, I'd rather my friends bought someone for them selves or saved the expense with the money they might have spent on me, or we shared a coffee together instead.

DH however, almost always gets my gifts perfect.

System

I gave my daughter a traffic cone. She has been complaining about me taking her space on the drive (I'm normally relegated to the road), so I got her a cone as a joke to put in place while she is out

Georgiegirl256

Okydoky25 wrote: »

I got 2 box sets of soap & glory from DH. Both have similar stuff in and worse all I still have clogging up the bathroom from last year which he is well aware of.

Ooooo send them over this way, I love Soap & Glory story! Was most disappointed that by the time I got to the sales at Boots, all the good gift sets had gone. Luckily I'd got the big gift set that was half price before Christmas though!

Georgiegirl256

Among us adults (me, DH, his 2 brothers and partners and MIL) we do a secret Santa, so we don't have to buy for everyone. It's meant to be secret, but people usually find out who's got who!

This year the DH middle brother and his wife had me, and me, DH and MIL not so secretly groaned, because she has no idea of style for someone in her 30's (me) and gives gifts for someone in her 50's/60's (more her age) which wouldn't be so bad, if it wasn't clothing on accessories! :eek:

One year she got me this handbag (which I can't really slag off as I regifted it to my Mam, and she uses it all the time and loves it!) and as I opened it, even the MIL's face spoke volumes, ie that is not a bag that you would like, and she was right!

This year, the BIL phoned up for my clothing size and shoe size, so I assumed (and you should never do this, it leads to disappointment!) that they were perhaps getting me pajamas and slippers? Nope, it was this horrible black Lycra/nylon top with white flowers on the front, from Next, but looks like it would do my Gran. I couldn't even regift this one as it's a size 10 and my Mam and MIL are bigger.

I always like to try and be grateful for gifts, sometimes even cheap gifts mean more to me than expensive ones, it's not about the cost, but the thought, but honestly, anyone who knows me, knows I wouldn't wear stuff like that, my first words were "I'm offended she thinks I would wear something like that!" Maybe she's trying to get me to dress like her!

Aphrodite_x

My OH got me air freshner. For my car. Wrapped up.

Cherry jelly bean ones! I love them