Disappointing/weird/inappropriate christmas gifts

jemb

Frugalbride wrote: »

I was given a booze gift set by my cousin - I'm 4 months pregnant, she's aware of this and is a nurse! I will enjoy it eventually though.

Snap, and I'm 37 weeks pregnant!

fed_up_and_stressed

the worst pressie this year was tesco value shower gel from b-i-l ...it is well known in the family i have severe allergies (frequently hospitalised with them) and can only use prescription based stuff.

Normally the dogs get a pile of cat based presents from OH's distant relative. .. I actually missed not getting /receiving / opening the cat tat this year. Wondering what random oddness she buys is one of the highlights of christmas for me...

Not christmas but one birthday OH gave me my own shoes wrapped up. His reason ? "I knew you liked them". He obviously gets it from his mum. Most birthdays I get a bottle of washing up liquid from her ..except one year when i got ONE rubber glove.

~Beanie~

Presents received over the last few years from my OH include:

- Crate of Stella Artois
- Set of wheel trims for my car
- A kettle
- A scraper (to remove ice from car windscreen)

The Stella didn't go unused, the wheel trims were needed as someone had knicked my others and he couldn't use my old kettle as it had no gauge on the side to tell you how much water was in it.

All were things that I probably needed but surely Christmas should be for nice things you want rather than stuff you probably do need but could probably buy yourself at another time!

Any

TopQuark wrote: »

I know this thread is meant to be a bit of a light-hearted laugh and all that, but I can't help feeling a teensy bit uncomfortable with some of the content and intent all the same.

If someone has bothered to spend their time and possibly also money acquiring, wrapping and delivering a gift, no matter how seemingly bizzare, I personally feel it's in bad taste to mock and criticise it.

How would you feel if one of your well-intentioned* gifts was derided and laughed at on the internet? Or perhaps some people believe their own taste and judgement to be so impeccable that any gift they select for another couldn't possibly be met with anything other than squeals of delight and joy?!

As an example, my [our] house is decorated with various rugs, pictures, furniture etc from our time spent living in Asia. We have a lot of dark wood and brightly-coloured pieces. I would never dream of having anything beige/duck egg/sage/shabby chic etc as it's not my style. If someone gave me a gift in this style, I probably wouldn't display it prominently, but I would be thankful of it all the same.

My sister bought me one of those little hand warmers that work by exothermic reaction when you flip a small disk inside. I've had loads of these things and they always end up as junk after a few uses, something I've mentioned to her before. I know this one will be no different, but she probably thought she was doing me a favour by getting me a new one. She knows my hands get cold skiing, so she was trying to be thoughtful.

Maybe people should take a step back and be a little more grateful that they received anything at all? Getting cool/expensive/matched-to-your-own-personal-style gifts at Christmas is not a right after all.

*I make an exception for gifts that are not well-intentioned and are deliberately offensive or rude to the receiver, as these are obviously not in the spirit of giving.

Thanks, you saved me writing it...
EXACTLY this... some of the presents are really not that difficult to see what has been intended and why the giver would have thought it is a possibility?

Apart from the recycled, nasty, plastiky or market stall ones...

Any

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

My vote would go to the person who received a Tesco's Value shower gel! I mean, that's got to be taking the !!!! surely?! :rotfl:

You can use that! Just coz it is Value range doesn't mean it is off. Just says the person is tight bum.
My vote goes to the kitten picture.. that is garish!:-)

kiss_me_now9

My Nana got me - for my christmas present when I was 14 - a set of three lacy thongs. She got my sister and my mum a set as well (though my sister got G strings and my mum got granny knickers) so that we all matched "because she couldn't give them to one of us and not the others."

For my 17th birthday I got from her a Ronan Keating concert video. We had no video players left in the house by that point, and I used to like Ronan Keating when I was 11, not so much when I was 17.

Georgiegirl256

Any wrote: »

You can use that! Just coz it is Value range doesn't mean it is off. Just says the person is tight bum.
My vote goes to the kitten picture.. that is garish!:-)

Oh come on lol! :rotfl: yes you can use it, but to me it screams that someone really couldn't give a toss and put no thought whatsoever in to their present buying or thought for you. Would you not be offended that someone thought so little of you that they got you a 19p shower gel?

Whilst I wouldn't have the kitten picture in my house, it is maybe one of those things that's it's so bad that it's kitsch! It reminds me of that waterfall version Jack and Vera Duckworth had in their house! :rotfl:

Ames

I think my vote goes to the dechocolatised almonds.

iwilldoitthistime

for my 18th birthday I was given a one of those toilet roll holders my granny used to have which is usually a lady with a long skirt which covers the toilet rolls - except it was a mouse in a bonnet with a long old fashioned dress.


very useful as I lived at home at the time.....????

Any

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

Oh come on lol! :rotfl: yes you can use it, but to me it screams that someone really couldn't give a toss and put no thought whatsoever in to their present buying or thought for you. Would you not be offended that someone thought so little of you that they got you a 19p shower gel?

Whilst I wouldn't have the kitten picture in my house, it is maybe one of those things that's it's so bad that it's kitsch! It reminds me of that waterfall version Jack and Vera Duckworth had in their house! :rotfl:

I don't know, I would be offended by both I think!! Though there is particular 99p (when on offer) shower gell I adore and I would prefer it to Lush (vile) or even Molton Brown (who needs/wants to spend money on such an expensive soap??? It is a soap for crying out loud!! :eek::rotfl:. But then I have such a massive collection that I am a bit bah humbuck about smellies. I feel sort of sorry using up something so expensive, not sure why! But this year I decided I will NOT buy another shower product until I use them up. I will even start using all the body butters I have instead of my usual lotion and stuff)

The dechocolised almonds.. not sure what to say to that one.. on one hand I think it is sooo funny, on other it makes me wanna throw up!!:rotfl: