What is the worst present you have ever received?

[pooh bear]

In the thread about MILs, I mentioned that my MIL gave me two used dish towels as a present this past Christmas.

 

What is the worst present that you have ever received?

[Denisemomof4]

a bunch of pants that were waaaaaaaay too big, and all polyester, along with those polyester "dusters" and nylon granny underwear. All way too big, all way too old for me.

 

did I mention I got them from my MIL???

:D

 

any my sweet, SWEET dh got me a ski outfit and other winter clothing........ at a 16+ store when I weighed little more than a wet noodle. He thought it was AGE 16 and up. And he qualified for Mensa?

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

I still like to remind him of that one. :D

 

I'm sure many here will have better responses. :bigear:

[Mama Anna]

Just after my dh, dd and I returned from 2 years in Africa, my oldest bro. gave me a thumb piano and a CD of thumb piano music for Christmas. It was a really thoughtful gift, taking into account where we'd just come from and that we're both musicians. (Even though we were on the other side of the continent from where thumb pianos are usually played.) The corker was that when he tried playing it, it didn't seem to be "in tune." So he pulled out his handy-dandy pliers and re-tuned it to a major scale.

 

Oops. The indigenous music of cultures where thumb pianos are played don't actually use the major scale. :tongue_smilie: And now I don't know what scale to tune it to!!

 

Not a "worst," but definitely a "Doh!" (Bless his heart! :))

 

Mama Anna

[Avila]

Corduroy hot pants, two sizes too large from MIL back when DH and I were dating. ((Shudders just thinking about it))

[Carol in Cal.]

She reminds me giving birth to me was the absolute worst experience of her life, a message that she instilled very early and terrified me of childbirth so much that I almost never had children.

 

That is the worst gift.

[Heather in Savannah]

That is a dreadful legacy to leave a child. Glad to hear that you proved her wrong...having baby's is not a picnic, but it is worth every effort!

Heather

She reminds me giving birth to me was the absolute worst experience of her life, a message that she instilled very early and terrified me of childbirth so much that I almost never had children.

 

That is the worst gift.

[patchfire]

One year my grandmother gave dh & I a joint gift - of a large Rubbermaid container. It was so large it didn't fit in any of our storage spaces, so we gave it to my mom & dad eventually.

 

MIL gives me really bad cookbooks. I love to cook, but they tend to be bargain-table specials that use a lot of processed food - even though she knows we try to avoid processed food and eat organic & local as much as possible.

[Heather in Savannah]

from my dh. Don't remember which Christmas that was, but it was the only gift I received. Pretty embarassing when people ask you what you got for Christmas:ack2:

[Denisemomof4]

I just remembered a worse one!

 

Dh's RICH friends gave us a housewarming gift. It was a whole series/Christian study on marriage and family life. I was thrilled to start with hubby!

 

That night after they left we went to bed and started to skim the pages. The study had all been written in. Like we wanted to read their personal business.

[joannqn]

When I was in my early teens in the 80s, my grandmother gave me a pair of rust colored, hip-hugger, bell bottoms with funky back pocket stitching for Christmas. I didn't dare wear them to school.

 

As an adult, someone gave us the loudest and ugliest table-top fountain that I've ever seen. It was hard to be thankful for it considering we were so poor that we didn't have a table to put it on.

[Hillary in KS]

Last Christmas we were at my husband's brother's house. Everyone in the family had a gift to open, except me.

 

This year, I got some math books I was borrowing from my SIL.... wrapped up to look like a present.

 

The kids all got Bionicles. Used Bionicles. In fact, they were the same Bionicles that we had bought THEIR kids 2 Christmases ago. :glare:

[TXMomof4]

Last Christmas we were at my husband's brother's house. Everyone in the family had a gift to open, except me.

 

:glare:

 

A few years ago MIL decided to have the adults in the family draw names instead of buying gifts for each person. Originally, the present(s) had to fit in a shoe box - but there was no price limit. Of course I drew MIL. I ended up spending an outrageous amount trying to make it fun, exciting, thoughtful for her. DH's grandmother drew my name. I had nothing. Six months earlier she had used the fabric I had leftover from curtains I made to make me a table runner. She said that was my present. :glare:

[pooh bear]

Last Christmas we were at my husband's brother's house. Everyone in the family had a gift to open, except me.

 

My used dish towels were the first "gift" that I have received form any of dh family in 10 years.

[elegantlion]

My grandmother was an alcoholic and about the only family we had around for the holidays. Holidays were about learning about grace in my house. She gave some whoppers, although I think I have blocked most of them, except the dainty handkerchiefs she gave me and my sister. I was probably 10 and a tomboy.

[Renthead Mommy]

My grandmother was an alcoholic and about the only family we had around for the holidays. Holidays were about learning about grace in my house. She gave some whoppers, although I think I have blocked most of them, except the dainty handkerchiefs she gave me and my sister. I was probably 10 and a tomboy.

 

In 1979, I was in 4th grade, also a true tomboy. My grandmother (who was always completely sober!) bought me a suit. It was polyester, with pants, (hey she tried, at least it wasn't a skirt), vest, jacket, with ruffled collar and ribbon tie. Oh and it was a bubble gum pink! I hate pink.

 

It was my 'good' outfit. I had to wear it for stuff. It was painful on SO MANY levels!

[nova mama]

In the thread about MILs, I mentioned that my MIL gave me two used dish towels as a present this past Christmas.

 

 

It's not that I think any of you are dishonest, but these are MIL stories are UNBELIEVABLE!!! There are usually at least two sides to every story--each person feels justified. How on earth are these MILs justifying this dreadful behavior to themselves? I JUST.DON'T.GET.IT!

[Nakia]

This thread is really something. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. :001_smile:

 

I don't really remember getting a bad gift. I mean nothing that compares to the ones you all have mentioned.

[melhouse]

Years ago, the first Christmas I spent with the ILs, my dh received what seemed to be the worst gift ever. We were engaged to be married the next May, and I had not been around his family too much. DH opened his gift to find out it was a book on divorce!! I was truly slack-jawed. I didn't say anything, but my future-mil did see my expression. Upon further investigation, we realized it was a two-in-one book by Lewis Grizzard: the other side was a book about marriage. My mil had not realized this when she bought it and had only seen the marriage part. She thought I over-reacted when, in fact I said nothing, just was truly in shock. I still can't imagine buying a book without looking at the back, but different strokes... She has also been known just to buy books on the clearance table and wrapping them to give to whomever - didn't matter who got what book. Just seems odd to me.

 

Fun thread,

Melissa

[Miss Marple]

Oh, man, those pants would be prized by many teens today. They would be so totally cool!!!

[ncmomo3]

a Snuggie :scared:

[Blueridge]

Once a long time ago, my bf gave me a birthday present...a large box of...hold your breath...WHOPPERS...yes, the cheap candy from a gas station. :001_huh: It wasn't even wrapped, but I guess that would have added insult to injury! I had made the mistake of mentioning once that I liked them, so he thought he had really done something! Not.

Ginger (who hasn't had much appetite for Whoppers since college)

[OrganicAnn]

You ask how the MIL justify not giving anything to their DILs. I think they may have grown up in a time when you didn't give as many presents as today. My mom said that when she was growing up the kids got only one present. No adults in the family gave or got presents. Occasionally and aunt or uncle with give some candy or oranges. Maybe they aren't thinking or they never received anything from their MILs. My FIL calls me his favorite daughter in law (out of 5, but who knows he could be telling all of us that) , but this year was the first year I've ever even recieved a birthday card (I think his wife is really the reason I got the card).

 

My worse gifts include 1) my grandmother didn't seem to remember to get me a present one year so she told me the cardboard christmas decorations for the windows that she had brought were my presents. 2) same grandmother told me that she didn't realize my brother would be home for Christmas so instead of giving me $20 she was going to give me $10 and him $10. 3) my sister bought me the ugliest christmas vest in size 26 the year after I had my baby and I was still a little chubby maybe 18 or 20 but not size 26... made me want to cry.

[Retired]

no kidding, a plug in bug sapper, you know the ones you plug up outside and it kills all the bug with in a mile

 

those camper patio hanging lights (I didn't own a camper or have a patio)

 

a hideous green ball shaped oil lamp

 

I get the feeling she wanted me to sleep outside

[Miss Marple]

Humor me...I'm really not very up to date...what's a snuggie?

[TXMomof4]

alright, this wasn't *my* gift - it happened to a friend. It truly is the most awful present I've ever heard of though - even used dish towels would be better, IMO.

 

This dear friend of mine was divorced in the fall. She went to see her grandmother (which in itself was an act of grace) and her grandmother gave her a present. She was a little shocked, didn't expect anything. So she opened it. It was a box of coasters, but all except one had been taken out. GM said, "well, you're all alone now, what do you need 4 coasters for?" :blink:

 

My sweet friend told her she didn't think it would get much use at her house, just to keep it - and left. I almost cried for her when she told me that!

[Mom-ninja.]

My darling husband (whom I love very much - just sayin') gave me a vacuum for my birthday one year. And that's all. Nothing else.

 

 

 

Now see I would be thrilled to get a vacuum as a present. Well, not just any vacuum. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

She reminds me giving birth to me was the absolute worst experience of her life, a message that she instilled very early and terrified me of childbirth so much that I almost never had children.

 

That is the worst gift.

 

Our moms must be friends. I think it's my mom's way of trying to have me be thankful and grateful for everything she's done as a mom. Funny thing though that since I've had one c-section and two homebirths, she doesn't mention how hard her deliveries were anymore.

 

I've got a good one from a friend of mine. Her MIL gave her a gift certificate to Walmart with a balance of $7 and some change. A used gift card. *snort*

 

 

As for me I've received my share of bad gifts, but one of the worst memories ever was Christmas my senior year. It was Christmas Eve and I went with some friends to midnight Mass as my parents said I could. When I arrived home, everyone was in bed, and I saw that they had opened their presents while I was gone. Apparently, my mom decided after I left that she wanted to open presents. When I confronted my parents as to why they would open Christmas presents without me, I was yelled at, and grounded. Nice. Needless to say that summer I moved out.

[Ginevra]

I'm telling you all, my mother is a lovely person in many respects, but she has got to be the world's worst gift-giver. For starters, she is big on yard sales and thrift stores. Not that I have anything against used items; I buy many used things myself. But I think there is a certain etiquette that goes with giving something that is not new. You shouldn't act like you're passing off a second-hand gift as new.

 

For my 16th birthday, I received a mug filled with one-dollar-bills. Maybe added up to $20. But that's not all! I also got several yards of green faille material. When I looked up with a no doubt puzzled look on my face, my mother explained, "I thought you would like that to make a pantsuit." Uhh...okay. :confused:

 

She gave me a vest, in a wild Aztec print, that was a size 10. Not only was this a print, style and pattern that could never conceivably be mistaken for something I might wear, but at that point in my life I had never weighed more than 115 lbs on my 5'7" frame.

 

For my wedding, she passed of a used tiffany-style mirror as new, because it was still in the box. I would have liked that a lot, had it not been shattered into a bazillion peices. When I told her it was broken, which took a fair amount of courage in and of itself, she seemed disappointed, but never offered another gift or made up for it in any way.

 

The number of "like-new-in-the-box" but actually broken or dysfunctional gifts I or my kids have gotten from her alone could be one chapter in a book. A candle-plate - broken in thirds. A picture frame, with no "arm" on the back to prop the picture. A batman game with a zillion ridiculous pieces. Clothing that "just needs a button" or had a busted zipper or wants hemming. I'm sorry, but I'm not so desparate for one more dress for dd that I want to fiddle around putting a hem into something that was supposed to be a gift!

 

She gave my husband a stuffed duck. A stuffed duck! It's not even that he hunts, or is fond of ducks or anything similar. She's given him extra-large socks numerous times. My husband is 5' 8". How big does she imagine his foot to be? My dad, however, is 6' 4" and does require extra-large socks. Adding to my suspicions that she gives him a spare pair of socks whenever she's run short on ideas.

 

My sister was the same way, God rest her soul. I have another chapter for the book of strange things she has given me, my kids, or my husband. Although I admit, after her unexpected death, a lot of the strange things have taken on a certain charm. I even have some band-aids she gave my kids and it makes me chuckle.

 

The topper was one time when I got, on different occassions, the same lame thing from both my mother and my sister and it's not out of the realm of posibility that it was the very same gift! My mother first gave a book to my kids. I loathed it. It was a giant, oversized book, which made it impossible to look at in any logical way. It also had fold-outs that made it even more unwieldy. The only possible way to look at it was to lay it on the floor and kneel around it's idiotic proportions. I sent it packing to Goodwill. A few months later, my sister gave my kids the identical book, which I have no doubt, she bought at Goodwill. Very probably the exact book I had already banished! I seriously considered burning it after that!

[Hillary in KS]

The kids all got Bionicles. Used Bionicles. In fact, they were the same Bionicles that we had bought THEIR kids 2 Christmases ago. :glare:

 

I feel I need to clarify. My BIL and SIL gave my kids the same Bionicles that we gave their kids 2 years ago. Their kids found all the pieces, assembled them as best they could (some pieces were missing), and put them in boxes for our kids.

 

I understand giving *gently used* gifts sometimes, but this seemed over-the-top to us.

[Chris in VA]

Oh, I'm laughing so hard at these--not because I want to take advantage of your discomfort, but the way some of you have worded these experiences tells me you have probably moved on and laugh at them yourselves.

 

My only worst isn't that bad--it was a "teacher gift"--One of the moms in my 3 yr old class gave both me and my assistant a personalized...sippy cup. I still don't know what she was thinking!

[Carol in Cal.]

That is a dreadful legacy to leave a child. Glad to hear that you proved her wrong...having baby's is not a picnic, but it is worth every effort!

Heather

 

And, actually, I was feeling very strong and proud of myself after giving birth. Quite a turnabout, I would say!

[Mekanamom]

I can't recall any truly awful gifts I have received, unless you count the matching vests my grandmother made for all the grandkids... out of carpet remnants.

 

But that doesn't count, because my mother never made me wear it. :tongue_smilie:

 

The worst gift I have ever seen, though, was when that same grandma gave my mother a toilet brush, all wrapped up in paper and a big beautiful bow...

 

That was a bad gift. Even as a kid, I knew that was a baaad gift.

[Carol in Cal.]

I think it's my mom's way of trying to have me be thankful and grateful for everything she's done as a mom.

 

Not in my mom's case...not so benign. More like 'and that's why we will never be close.' Years later I found out that I was my mom's one unplanned pregnancy, and suddenly a lot of things in our relationship started to make more sense, in a sick way.

[mcconnellboys]

Well, one of the worst had to be the year my mil decided that she didn't like Christmas, thought everyone received too much at Christmas, and so she was going to put us all on an austerity program. I got a plain, unadorned black cotton sweater vest; a plain white cotton blouse; and a pair of pantyhose, LOL.

 

They generally made sure to only give me things that were really for the house, in the form of landscaping, house updates, furniture, things like that. Things they thought that my husband could claim when he finally divorced me, LOL.

 

My sister in law, considered the perfect one, got thinks like Ann Klein wool suits (multi-piece), 6mm, 30" pearls and other such niceties.

 

Aw, well, buy yourself a present and/or pamper yourself a little whenever unkind people try to get you down. What else can you do? You can't make people love you - no matter how deserving of it you might be....

[OrganicAnn]

...the matching vests my grandmother made for all the grandkids... out of carpet remnants.

 

Wow. I hope you took a picture of them for your grandkids to see one day.

[Tree House Academy]

The worst present I ever received was when my ex-h got me potato chip clips from the dollar tree (among other dollar tree items) for Christmas.

 

Now...wanna know the best gift? It is one and the same. Of course, I was 22 at the time and thought it was terrible and made a big deal about it until he went and spent some money (that we didn't have) on me. However, now that I am older, I look back on that as one of the most SPECIAL things he ever did for me. I actually hurt to think of the selfish and rude person I was back then. We were poor...very poor and we spent ALL of the Christmas money buying for our son (my oldest ds who was the ONLY from that marriage). We had agreed not to buy for each other. However, he didn't want to get me "nothing," so he went to the Dollar Tree (which he HATED) and he was there for over 2 hours picking out little things he thought I might like. I still have most of the little items. And yes, I still use the potato chip clips. :)

[Garga]

How about an un-gift. My dh didn't get me anything for my first mother's day. Or anything for me for Christmas that year. (Yes--DH didn't get his wife a Christmas present!) And then 5 days after Christmas on my birthday, he didn't get me a birthday present.

 

It was a rough year. Having our baby really shook up the marriage that first year. Thankfully I hung in there through it, you know: in sickness and health, good times and bad times and all that...

 

And after the first year, he went back to being a thoughful, sweet, generous man. I swear he went temporarily insane that first year with a colicky baby and losing my salary for me to stay home.

[PiCO]

The topper was one time when I got, on different occassions, the same lame thing from both my mother and my sister and it's not out of the realm of posibility that it was the very same gift! My mother first gave a book to my kids. I loathed it. It was a giant, oversized book, which made it impossible to look at in any logical way. It also had fold-outs that made it even more unwieldy. The only possible way to look at it was to lay it on the floor and kneel around it's idiotic proportions. I sent it packing to Goodwill. A few months later, my sister gave my kids the identical book, which I have no doubt, she bought at Goodwill. Very probably the exact book I had already banished! I seriously considered burning it after that!

 

This is a great story! My father and his mother are terrible at gift-giving, so I have received many goofy gifts over the years. One year I got a giant Pikachu stuffed animal. No, it wasn't for one of my kids- they had separate gifts. Pikachu was wrapped for me. Grandma was always pawning off yard sale crap as family heirlooms. To this day I don't know what's what. We always just joked about this as a family.

 

My mil usually gives gifts to only the kids. Fil gives us a check every year, one year mil reminded me that the money is really for the kids. I guess this would bother some people, but it really doesn't bother me. I know the money is for her grandchildren, and I know both my in-laws love me. Some people are just quirky!

[LunaLee]

Umm.. one year for Christmas, from one of my in-laws, dh and I got a can of Slim Jim. Seriously. You know, like the kind the sell at the liquor store.

[Crissy]

My birthday is coming up.

Last weekend when I visited my parents my mom gave me a check and a page she tore from a catalog. I'm supposed to deposit the check and buy this for myself because I'll "look so pretty in it."

 

Where will I ever wear something like that?!

I haven't told Mom yet, but I put the money towards a new camera. :D

 

 

ETA: LOL! I just notice that the inseam is 29". That would look like a double-breasted capri pant suit on me!

Edited May 19, 2009 by Crissy

[Carol in Cal.]

deposit the check and buy this for myself because I'll "look so pretty in it."

 

Where will I ever wear something like that?!

I haven't told Mom yet, but I put the money towards a new camera. :D

QUOTE]

 

Very 'where were you in '72?'

[elise1mds]

I once got an Eiffel tower shaped lamp... honestly, it wasn't like it was horrid, but it so wasn't me and they know that... it was the style of the people who bought it, who thoroughly expected that we would give it back to them because we'd hate it. So I had to deliberately disappoint them and kept it and sold it in a garage sale a year later.

[scrappyhappymama]

I think the worst gift I've gotten was at a baby shower. My parents have friends at church who are VERY well off. They are also very frugal, which I have no problem with at all. One can be frugal and still thoughtful, right?

 

Anyway, their baby shower gift was a couple of 99cent t-shirts from the local closeout discount shop, which were size 3T and 4T and had been made in some overseas sweatshop and had poor imitations of Disney characters on them with the names spelled wrong. :confused: There was a good reason they were only 99cents!

 

Honestly, she could have kept her $2 and the $2 it cost her to drive to the store and just written me a nice note wishing us well.

 

I know it's the thought that counts, but when it is painfully obvious that no thought went into a gift, it really lets you know how much you count to them!

[Impish]

Hmmm...lemme think. Its kind of a toss up, really. The box of junk my SIL threw in a shoe box for me and wrapped as an Xmas gift? I mean junk, btw. Half used lipsticks, used nail polish, tangled yarn...Or would it be the mummu that was Jabba The Hutt sized when I was 7 mths pregnant with Tazzie (another Xmas gift, same SIL)? I stuffed that over dh's head and took a picture before it went in the trash :lol: Or would it be the travel size container of wipes from my MIL at my baby shower? Literally, that was her gift to us. All the other folks stared at her, then at me, then to her again waiting for the joke, like she would have something big hidden away..nope. Travel size wipes, I think there were 25 or 30 wipes in the pkg. That one was probably the worst, because of the humilation factor.

[elegantlion]

In 1979, I was in 4th grade, also a true tomboy. My grandmother (who was always completely sober!) bought me a suit. It was polyester, with pants, (hey she tried, at least it wasn't a skirt), vest, jacket, with ruffled collar and ribbon tie. Oh and it was a bubble gum pink! I hate pink.

 

It was my 'good' outfit. I had to wear it for stuff. It was painful on SO MANY levels!

 

That makes me cringe simply thinking about it. I remember 1979 very well. :lol:

[elegantlion]

Here's one more. I've never really gotten a straight answer, so I'm not sure it's a lousy gift.

 

I got a Garfield Chia head for Valentine's Day this year from my dh and ds. I never did get a straight answer on WHO picked it out. If it was ds, okay that's kind of cute. If it was from dh...:glare:. We did not grow our Chia head right, it got moldy and died. We're going to try once more but who thinks of a Chia for Valentines? I had never expressed desire for a Chia. but again if it was ds that really wanted to buy it was cute.

[jojomojo]

Mine would have to be a used snowman Christmas ornament (grime in the creases, paint was used to cover previous name). It was for our wedding.....in June.

[RoughCollie]

I have not gotten any bad gifts, but a friend of mine did, and it was given in a totally loving spirit.

 

A platonic guy friend of hers knew she loved cats. I will describe the decorative plate he gave her, because I don't know what to call it.

 

Take a large white dinner plate. Glue to it a totally real looking 3D stuffed, furry, actual-sized cat head (it was not real). Put a spherical piece of glass over it (like on a picture frame, only bubble-shaped to cover the cat head).

 

It looked so realistic, like the guy had given her a head on a plate from a real, formerly alive cat.

 

He was very proud of his gift and said her it was for her to hang on her living room wall.:D

[BeachGirl]

I have not gotten any bad gifts, but a friend of mine did, and it was given in a totally loving spirit.

 

A platonic guy friend of hers knew she loved cats. I will describe the decorative plate he gave her, because I don't know what to call it.

 

Take a large white dinner plate. Glue to it a totally real looking 3D stuffed, furry, actual-sized cat head (it was not real). Put a spherical piece of glass over it (like on a picture frame, only bubble-shaped to cover the cat head).

 

It looked so realistic, like the guy had given her a head on a plate from a real, formerly alive cat.

 

He was very proud of his gift and said her it was for her to hang on her living room wall.:D

 

 

I am afraid I just cleared out my sinuses reading that one. I was unfortunately drinking water at the time. Thanks for the laugh.

 

My worst was a t-shirt from a concert I had not attended that my boyfriend decided to give me. I hated the band. He asked me to wrap it and I refused. I didn't want any part of the present for whomever the sucker was who he was inflicting that ugly shirt on. He proceeded to wrap it in duct tape. He balled it up and wrapped it entirely in duct tape. No wrapping paper. Do I have to tell you what kind of residue duct tape leaves on clothing? :glare:

When I saw it under the tree with my name on it I was appalled. I had to open it in front of his entire family (28!! people). He was very proud of himself. It took me four minutes to open. His family was laughing so hard. Our child looked at him like he had lost his mind. We broke up soon afterwards. He still thinks it was a great present and asks why I never wear the shirt. I threw that sucker out at home as soon as I could!

[gardening momma]

Umm.. one year for Christmas, from one of my in-laws, dh and I got a can of Slim Jim. Seriously. You know, like the kind the sell at the liquor store.

I wouldn't look at it that way, equating it with a liquor store. I wouldn't think of it coming from a liquor store--I've never been in a liquor store--you can get cans of Slim Jim at any grocery store or convenience store.

[lvbnhome]

mil and sil love to eat..thought it would be great - it was for them..

bad for a new mom...yuck!!