Weird gift thread

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I was just folding beach towels, and folded the lovely matching pool towels that

MIL found at an estate sale and bought for us. They were probably nice once, but were kind of faded and threadbare when she gave them to us . . . and embroidered with the names Phil Perlstein and Ethel Perlstein on them. Since, I'm not above using some dead person's towel, I said thanks and threw them in the pool towel basket. I always wonder where the Perlsteins went swimming when we use those towels.

 

Anyway. . . thought I'd post a thread for everyone's amusement about strange gifts you've received.

[missmoe]

This is quite funny!

 

Long Live the Perlsteins' memory!

[radiobrain]

I get random things in the mail from my dad.

 

The latest was a plunger. I assume it was from him, but really, I don't know. I never actually asked. :confused:

 

The oddest use of packing materials was when he sent random books about chaos theory, sculptural origami, some random papers he had published somewhere, and a half-eaten bag of generic raisinets. :tongue_smilie: I asked him about that and he said he needed some extra padding, and thought we might like raisinets. :confused: Like I want your who knows where these came from and how long they've been there candy rejects. Thanks, dad.

 

But hands-down the best weird one ever was when I recieved a very old wooden box, full of cobwebs and stuff. I didn't get it at all. My dad ended up saying, "Oh! I got that off ebay! It's from Maya Angelou's basement!" WHAT? Thanks dad, I really want an old box from Maya Angelou's dirty, cobwebby basement. I also like that it has zero documentation, so we all know it didn't come from her basement, and even if it did, so what? <BTW, I have never read anything by her, either....so it's not like I am a fan.>

 

However, he did send me this excellent 27" imac I use for all our school stuff and watching movies. So, I must endure the eccentricities for the goodies. :D

[elegantlion]

Oh, my goodness, how funny! I'd make an alter-ego with those towels and write a story!

 

My weird gift was the dainty handkerchiefs my grandmother gave me and my sister when we were kids. Grandma was an alcoholic and probably picked them up at the end cap of the dime store, she was not dainty or overtly feminine herself. We thanked her with our best manners and who knows what happened to them after that.

 

I used to think it was weird that relatives gave me dolls when I never played with them. I was into Hot Wheels and Tonka toys.

[Marie in Oh]

We had 2 spinster sisters as neighbors growing up. They gave me these frilly, ruffly, lacey sets of twin sheets and qualified them as "for my hope chest." Who gives twin sheets for a hope chest? Not very hopeful imo. . .

[radiobrain]

Oh my word. Is he bipolar? Sounds like something my dad would do on a manic high. :tongue_smilie:

 

He's something, alright. ;)

 

He follows whims. Sometimes I think he must accidentally put my address in, instead of his. He also forgets how old my kids are so sometimes I will get a toy for like, a 4 year old. :confused: Or buy something multiple times. Can I tell you how many idalia onion microwave cookers I have?

 

Oh wait! I forgot he sent me a weird old pot of singing flowers. I think they dance to "When the saints go MArching in." He said he loved it, and wanted me to have it as it meant so much to him- as it was so whimsical. He knew I would understand. Ok, Dad. Thanks for sending me more of your odd clutter.

[TheReader]

Oh how funny!!!

 

This past Christmas my MIL, who I love dearly, gave me 2 nightgowns. Not long, flannel nightgowns. Satiny, slinky nightgowns. Long enough (just barely) that I can actually wear them at home, with a robe, in front of my boys. Not long enough that I would ever wear them when visiting other people's houses or anything. Spaghetti strap, v-neck, lace edging.....it was weird. Not the gift itself, but the occasion and that she was the one giving them, ya know?

 

My SIL was pregnant and MIL actually said "now you two (dh & I) can work on having another one!!!" Yes, even though we all open gifts together. Me, dh, the kids, SIL, her husband, their son, MIL, her husband....yep. I think I was beet red for a while after that.....oh, and, she wrapped them separately. So I got to open that *twice* and be appropriately thankful during.

 

Very, very odd, at least to me.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

We had 2 spinster sisters as neighbors growing up. They gave me these frilly, ruffly, lacey sets of twin sheets and qualified them as "for my hope chest." Who gives twin sheets for a hope chest? Not very hopeful imo. . .

 

Now that is funny!

 

Radiobrain, at least your dad is thinking of you! I've received exactly one gift from my dad in the past 43 years.

[Miss Marple]

LOL! That's a precious memory. If it weren't for seeing this sort of thing as humorous, our lives would be so boring :)

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Oh how funny!!!

 

This past Christmas my MIL, who I love dearly, gave me 2 nightgowns. Not long, flannel nightgowns. Satiny, slinky nightgowns. Long enough (just barely) that I can actually wear them at home, with a robe, in front of my boys. Not long enough that I would ever wear them when visiting other people's houses or anything. Spaghetti strap, v-neck, lace edging.....it was weird. Not the gift itself, but the occasion and that she was the one giving them, ya know?

 

My SIL was pregnant and MIL actually said "now you two (dh & I) can work on having another one!!!" Yes, even though we all open gifts together. Me, dh, the kids, SIL, her husband, their son, MIL, her husband....yep. I think I was beet red for a while after that.....oh, and, she wrapped them separately. So I got to open that *twice* and be appropriately thankful during.

 

Very, very odd, at least to me.

 

:lol::lol: She just really wants another grandkid!

[Miss Marple]

LOL! Sounds like an interesting man.

[elegantlion]

We had 2 spinster sisters as neighbors growing up. They gave me these frilly, ruffly, lacey sets of twin sheets and qualified them as "for my hope chest." Who gives twin sheets for a hope chest? Not very hopeful imo. . .

 

:lol::lol::lol::001_huh:

[acablue]

Not too weird a gift, but I was actually telling someone about this today. A few years ago, when I told my mother that we'd decided to homeschool, she immediately went out and bought me a remedial handwriting book. :glare:

 

As for weird gifts, I remember one of my great uncles giving each of us an orange for every single holiday and birthday. Just an orange. Wrapped. Like a practical joke. Except it wasn't.

[elinnea]

My dh had a great-aunt who was very well-to-do but stingy. The first Christmas after dh and I married the family went over to her house to exchange gifts. Normally she'd hand out money in envelopes to everyone but since I hadn't "qualified" as a member of the family she rummaged around in a cupboard and presented me with a box of chocolates. I love chocolate so it would have been a great gift, had they not been RANCID.

 

This aunt, on other occassions, also tried to give me old worn out shoes that were two sizes too big, a moth-eaten fur coat, and various expired foodstuffs.

 

My MIL also operates along the same lines. She is very overweight and back when I was quite thin she'd try to pass her old clothes off to me saying we were "about the same size". :mad: She also gave me some underwear claiming she'd "only worn them once" and a pair of pajamas that had also only "been worn once" that had a huge stain on them.

[vonfirmath]

We had 2 spinster sisters as neighbors growing up. They gave me these frilly, ruffly, lacey sets of twin sheets and qualified them as "for my hope chest." Who gives twin sheets for a hope chest? Not very hopeful imo. . .

 

For your kids' beds!

[Rebel Yell]

....

 

As for weird gifts, I remember one of my great uncles giving each of us an orange for every single holiday and birthday. Just an orange. Wrapped. Like a practical joke. Except it wasn't.

 

Was your uncle born around the 20s? (about age 90 today) In his day, an orange was a major treat- they were in season at Christmas time, and were at the time an "exotic" fruit, not often seen in the Northern US states.

 

My step-dad always gave people oranges at Christmas. Even last year- his last Christmas- he had my mom go out and get a bushel of oranges and pass them out for him. It was a big deal to him, even as sick as he was.

[ksr5377]

Not too weird a gift, but I was actually telling someone about this today. A few years ago, when I told my mother that we'd decided to homeschool, she immediately went out and bought me a remedial handwriting book. :glare:

 

As for weird gifts, I remember one of my great uncles giving each of us an orange for every single holiday and birthday. Just an orange. Wrapped. Like a practical joke. Except it wasn't.

 

I wonder if he thought it was still wonderful to have oranges all the time? My grandpa used to talk about what a wonderful Christmas gift oranges used to be, as they were somewhat expensive and only available for a short time.

[acablue]

Was your uncle born around the 20s? (about age 90 today) In his day, an orange was a major treat- they were in season at Christmas time, and were at the time an "exotic" fruit, not often seen in the Northern US states.

 

My step-dad always gave people oranges at Christmas. Even last year- his last Christmas- he had my mom go out and get a bushel of oranges and pass them out for him. It was a big deal to him, even as sick as he was.

He would've been older than that. Maybe born around 1905? We just always found it a little funny compared to my grandparents and my other great uncles gave us. I do (now) appreciate the sentiment, and I put oranges in the kids' stockings. :)

[PrairieSong]

For a wedding gift, we received a very large machine that was a meat slicer. It was HUGE...to slice big slabs of meat. :confused: I mentioned to my mother that I didn't know when I'd ever have a need for that. She said, "Oh, you'll use that A LOT." It stayed in our basement a few years until we got rid of it.

[PrairieSong]

He would've been older than that. Maybe born around 1905? We just always found it a little funny compared to my grandparents and my other great uncles gave us. I do (now) appreciate the sentiment, and I put oranges in the kids' stockings. :)

 

My mom always put oranges in our stockings, and now I do the same. Not sure where it started though.

[ElizabethB]

Sometimes my tutoring students and their parents give me odd things...the thought is always nice.

 

Weird shirts, interesting crocheted projects, a briefcase that was totally not my style.

 

I've gotten earrings....

 

 

 

 

I don't have pierced ears.

 

My best present from a student was a very funny thank you card with the words all misspelled on purpose! The mom informed me that it was really on purpose, she wasn't so sure about it but I loved it.

Edited July 11, 2012 by ElizabethB

[BatmansWife]

The last time my MIL visited, just a few months ago, she give me this big bag full of bottles of shampoo, body wash, lotions, etc. Each one had written the last name of a lady with black sharpie. Turns out, they all belonged to my SIL's mother (my MIL's other sons wifes mother, if that makes sense....and no I'm not about to try to figure out how to properly write sons wifes because I don't know. :lol: ). Anyway, SIL's mother was in a nursing home and recently died of cancer. These were the lotions, body washes, etc that the nurses used on her. :001_huh: After MIL had left I looked through them all (there must have been a dozen bottles). I actually ended up keeping, and am still using, some. I was a bit hestiant about it....only because it seems kinda weird. But, the ones I kept were the really nice Bath & Body Works (1 body spray, 2 lotions, & 1 body wash) and they looked like they had never even been used; they were full to the top. My oldest dd still thinks it's weird that I kept those though.

 

 

Oh how funny!!!

 

This past Christmas my MIL, who I love dearly, gave me 2 nightgowns. Not long, flannel nightgowns. Satiny, slinky nightgowns. Long enough (just barely) that I can actually wear them at home, with a robe, in front of my boys. Not long enough that I would ever wear them when visiting other people's houses or anything. Spaghetti strap, v-neck, lace edging.....it was weird. Not the gift itself, but the occasion and that she was the one giving them, ya know?

 

My SIL was pregnant and MIL actually said "now you two (dh & I) can work on having another one!!!" Yes, even though we all open gifts together. Me, dh, the kids, SIL, her husband, their son, MIL, her husband....yep. I think I was beet red for a while after that.....oh, and, she wrapped them separately. So I got to open that *twice* and be appropriately thankful during.

 

Very, very odd, at least to me.

 

My MIL did something similar when dh and I were newly married. I was shopping with her and we walked past these racks with lacey satiny lingerie (is that how you spell that). She was looking at different ones and then held two up and asked me what color I thought she should buy. I picked the light blue. I didn't give much thought to it. As we were walking to the car she shoved the bag with the nightie in it into my hands and said, "Here, this is for you". :001_huh:

 

My dh had a great-aunt who was very well-to-do but stingy. The first Christmas after dh and I married the family went over to her house to exchange gifts. Normally she'd hand out money in envelopes to everyone but since I hadn't "qualified" as a member of the family she rummaged around in a cupboard and presented me with a box of chocolates. I love chocolate so it would have been a great gift, had they not been RANCID.

 

This aunt, on other occassions, also tried to give me old worn out shoes that were two sizes too big, a moth-eaten fur coat, and various expired foodstuffs.

 

My MIL also operates along the same lines. She is very overweight and back when I was quite thin she'd try to pass her old clothes off to me saying we were "about the same size". :mad: She also gave me some underwear claiming she'd "only worn them once" and a pair of pajamas that had also only "been worn once" that had a huge stain on them.

:lol:

Edited July 11, 2012 by ~AprilMay~

[BatmansWife]

He would've been older than that. Maybe born around 1905? We just always found it a little funny compared to my grandparents and my other great uncles gave us. I do (now) appreciate the sentiment, and I put oranges in the kids' stockings. :)

 

See....and someday your kids will put oranges in their kids stockings and so on.... That's sweet. You'll have to try that thing with oranges. I'm not sure what you call it. But, you push cloves into the orange...all around like in a design. You can dust it with a little cinnamon too. You can also hang them from ribbon. The orange will eventually get hard and keep forever. It's kind of a cool to do, I did it once with the kids.

[LarlaB]

My FIL overbought at Victorias Secret and gave me (and his 4 daughters) thong underwear for Christmas one year....

 

This was 2 weeks after I had given birth to my DD.

 

:eek::blink::crying::cursing:

[catz]

This thread is a hoot! The twin sheets had me spitting out coffee!

 

My SIL gave me a tea set. Which in itself is kind of weird, because I drink tea, but I have plenty of dishes and coffee cups. It looked like something someone who collected tea sets might want. But more strangely, it was a tea set that had biblical quotes on all the pieces. I'm not Christian, nor is my SIL. :001_huh: Didn't come out of the box.

 

My MIL gives me weird stuff all the time. Like totally level-inappropriate workbooks for homeschooling. She has no clue with the kids do for school but I'm not sure how to break that to her.

[Laura in NC]

For our wedding, my mom's friend gave us a Christmas bell to hang on our Christmas tree. We opened it and it was tarnished and had 1986 inscribed on it. We were married in 1999. We still giggle about it whenever we see it on our tree.

[ElizabethB]

What a high complement to have a student put that kind of thought into a gift. :001_smile:

 

:iagree:

 

He was a cutie, too. Very smart and funny, quite mature for a 9 year old. His mom said he was always talking about Latin roots and reasons for spelling after the class.

[stripe]

I liked when my son was about 4, and my grandma brought along some tiny baby shoes (dirty, no less). I gently pointed out that they were too small for him. She insisted I keep them anyway.

 

It was truly hilarious. I love my grandma a lot.

 

We had 2 spinster sisters as neighbors growing up. They gave me these frilly, ruffly, lacey sets of twin sheets and qualified them as "for my hope chest." Who gives twin sheets for a hope chest? Not very hopeful imo. . .

I think in some eras even married people had twin beds, didn't they? Or was that just on tv?

Edited July 11, 2012 by stripe

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

These are all pretty funny.

[Ghee]

Since, I'm not above using some dead person's towel, I said thanks and threw them in the pool towel basket. I always wonder where the Perlsteins went swimming when we use those towels.

 

 

 

This had me :lol: I love it!

 

Oh how funny!!!

 

This past Christmas my MIL, who I love dearly, gave me 2 nightgowns. Not long, flannel nightgowns. Satiny, slinky nightgowns. Long enough (just barely) that I can actually wear them at home, with a robe, in front of my boys. Not long enough that I would ever wear them when visiting other people's houses or anything. Spaghetti strap, v-neck, lace edging.....it was weird. Not the gift itself, but the occasion and that she was the one giving them, ya know?

 

My SIL was pregnant and MIL actually said "now you two (dh & I) can work on having another one!!!" Yes, even though we all open gifts together. Me, dh, the kids, SIL, her husband, their son, MIL, her husband....yep. I think I was beet red for a while after that.....oh, and, she wrapped them separately. So I got to open that *twice* and be appropriately thankful during.

 

Very, very odd, at least to me.

 

Oh, my. My MIL gave me a nightie and matching panties last year. No tags :tongue_smilie: and about 10 sizes too big. I'm still not sure what her intent was....to foster intimacy or a very quiet "You may be thin but you look like a fat cow to me." I unwrapped them in front of male inlaws, my children, God, and everybody. I wanted to sink through the floor. I'm still squicked about the tags...they appeared to be about MIL's size. Purell, Purell, Purell!!

 

My FIL overbought at Victorias Secret and gave me (and his 4 daughters) thong underwear for Christmas one year....

 

This was 2 weeks after I had given birth to my DD.

 

:eek::blink::crying::cursing:

 

You win. Even the used panties above weren't thongs. And from your FIL? That's, um, "special".

[Trilliums]

My mother sent my son a ~5 inch bone for his last birthday present. It is shaped in the same letter as his first name--really quite striking actually. DS did find it a bit odd though.

 

For my other son's birthday, she sent an old noodle cutter.

 

She loves that we homeschool and that the kids are interested in so many things. I think she found these things interesting and figured her grandsons would be the ones most likely to appreciate them.

[TheReader]

Oh, my. My MIL gave me a nightie and matching panties last year. No tags :tongue_smilie: and about 10 sizes too big. I'm still not sure what her intent was....to foster intimacy or a very quiet "You may be thin but you look like a fat cow to me." I unwrapped them in front of male inlaws, my children, God, and everybody. I wanted to sink through the floor. I'm still squicked about the tags...they appeared to be about MIL's size. Purell, Purell, Purell!!

 

oh ick!! At least mine had tags, LOL! Never thought I'd find a reason to be grateful for that gift --- thank you!!

[Mommyfaithe]

I don't have any to share....but this thread makes me lol...:lol::lol:

[3browneyedboys4me]

We had 2 spinster sisters as neighbors growing up. They gave me these frilly, ruffly, lacey sets of twin sheets and qualified them as "for my hope chest." Who gives twin sheets for a hope chest? Not very hopeful imo. . .

 

lol...too funny!!!:lol::lol:

[Amber in SJ]

Dead frogs.

 

My FIL & his new wife went to Mexico on their honeymoon before Christmas. That year everyone got something they bought in Mexico. One family got a great handmade rug, another got some chunky pottery vases and the unmarried daughter got some beautiful silver jewelry. Each member of our family got a real (dead) bullfrog that had been inflated in some way and varnished so it was standing up on a block of wood, each about 8" tall. Each frog was holding a different musical instrument, a couple wore sombreros, one had a matador style jacket and another short embroidered trousers. All together we had a dead frog, mostly naked, mariachi band.

 

My children were completely freaked out. The little nails through the froggy feet were particularly upsetting.

 

Amber in SJ

[Reeciecup]

One Christmas my sister gave me an ornament that "Oldest child, mom's favorite" and addressed the gift to the child I gave up for adoption at birth.

[Tap]

I used to work in a pharmacy in downtown Portland, Or. There is definitely a unique clientel in Portland, so nothing really surprises you after spending time there. LOL

 

One of my coworkers caught the eye of a customer. She started receiving gifts from him. One, was the wrapper to a candle. JUST The plastic, removed from the candle, stuck in a gift bag. LOL :lol::lol::lol: I guess he really liked the smell of the candle LOL

 

Her opening that gift, was one of my favorite days of my 4 years at that store.

Edited July 12, 2012 by Tap, tap, tap

[ElizabethB]

Dead frogs.

 

Oh, I completely forgot...we got those same dead frogs one year for Christmas. This was before we had kids, my husband and I each got one. Somehow, they got lost in the move. That is one good thing about moving a lot!

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

One Christmas my sister gave me an ornament that "Oldest child, mom's favorite" and addressed the gift to the child I gave up for adoption at birth.

 

I'm sorry. That's awful.

[Sparkle]

Dead frogs.

 

My FIL & his new wife went to Mexico on their honeymoon before Christmas. That year everyone got something they bought in Mexico. One family got a great handmade rug, another got some chunky pottery vases and the unmarried daughter got some beautiful silver jewelry. Each member of our family got a real (dead) bullfrog that had been inflated in some way and varnished so it was standing up on a block of wood, each about 8" tall. Each frog was holding a different musical instrument, a couple wore sombreros, one had a matador style jacket and another short embroidered trousers. All together we had a dead frog, mostly naked, mariachi band.

 

My children were completely freaked out. The little nails through the froggy feet were particularly upsetting.

 

Amber in SJ

 

Oh my! How...interesting. And creepy. It reminds me of my friend, who collects armadillo figurines. One year, her boyfriend at the time gave her a real taxidermied armadillo for her birthday. Shudder. I recall she dumped the guy not too long after that, and I don't recall seeing the armadillo ever again either.

[Sparkle]

One Christmas my sister gave me an ornament that "Oldest child, mom's favorite" and addressed the gift to the child I gave up for adoption at birth.

 

Ouch! :grouphug: That was tactless, to say the least.

[Manamana]

Weird gift threads are the funniest. I remember the thread about odd anniversary gifts from last year (?) that had me laughing so hard I was in tears.

 

One Christmas, MIL gave us my husband's baby teeth that she had collected and saved. Ewwwww.

[Kirch]

For a wedding gift, we received a very large machine that was a meat slicer. It was HUGE...to slice big slabs of meat. :confused: I mentioned to my mother that I didn't know when I'd ever have a need for that. She said, "Oh, you'll use that A LOT." It stayed in our basement a few years until we got rid of it.

:001_huh:

 

 

Dead frogs.

 

My FIL & his new wife went to Mexico on their honeymoon before Christmas. That year everyone got something they bought in Mexico. One family got a great handmade rug, another got some chunky pottery vases and the unmarried daughter got some beautiful silver jewelry. Each member of our family got a real (dead) bullfrog that had been inflated in some way and varnished so it was standing up on a block of wood, each about 8" tall. Each frog was holding a different musical instrument, a couple wore sombreros, one had a matador style jacket and another short embroidered trousers. All together we had a dead frog, mostly naked, mariachi band.

 

My children were completely freaked out. The little nails through the froggy feet were particularly upsetting.

 

Amber in SJ

:lol:

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

For Christmas a few years ago my husband's 92 year old grandmother gave me her "lingerie"/ see-through-ish, puffy shoulders, granny lace at the neck something or other. :ack2: Her husband had just died and she said she never wore it much. I know I have a reputation in the family for being old fashioned, but she said she thought my husband (her grandson!) would like it! Umm, no.

[Alphabetika]

One Christmas my sister gave me an ornament that "Oldest child, mom's favorite" and addressed the gift to the child I gave up for adoption at birth.

 

Oh. Oh my goodness. This makes me :001_unsure::blink:

[Susan in KY]

I wonder if he thought it was still wonderful to have oranges all the time? My grandpa used to talk about what a wonderful Christmas gift oranges used to be, as they were somewhat expensive and only available for a short time.

:iagree:We forget how it was back when food was only available seasonally, and are too young to remember when it was a special treat to have "exotic" fruit like oranges. :) It was like that with bananas in Korea up until 25 years ago. I remember they were soooooo costly!

[sassenach]

For Christmas a few years ago my husband's 92 year old grandmother gave me her "lingerie"/ see-through-ish, puffy shoulders, granny lace at the neck something or other. :ack2: Her husband had just died and she said she never wore it much. I know I have a reputation in the family for being old fashioned, but she said she thought my husband (her grandson!) would like it! Umm, no.

 

:lol:

 

The lingerie theme on this thread is quite entertaining.

[SpecialClassical]

My aunt and uncle rarely paid much attention to us kids, let alone acknowledged our birthdays in any way. However, on my 16th birthday they sent me a package with a red teddy inside. I was perplexed and since I had no intention of wearing it, my mom put it away for "later". WEIRD.