Forget-Me-Not Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Have you ever given a gift that had unforeseen consequences? Last year I gave my two older kids daily calendars in their stockings--you know the kind where you tear a page off each day? One had puppies, one had kittens. What I didn't foresee was that my kids thought the pictures were so cute that they were reluctant to throw any of the pages away, resulting in stacks and stacks of papers in their bedrooms. This year they are getting WALL calendars :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Oh. I think that will be this year. My mom is getting both boys tablets. I think we're letting the genie out of the bottle on that one. Past gifts? Playmobil for my younger son. He took apart all the guys, lost their hair and swords and was upset when we couldn't find all the pieces. I know there are lots of people here who adore Playmobil. Me? I sold the lot of it on ebay this year and was so thrilled to get it out of the house. Had I known that's how he would play with it, it would never have come in the house to begin with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Well, sort of... Several years ago, I gave my sil a gift card to Robinson McNally. I was curious to know what she would buy and she said that she ended up buying a popular marriage advice book with it. When she divorced her dh, she mentioned that the advice book was what gave her the guts to do it. So... ya know.... :001_unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Well, sort of... Several years ago, I gave my sil a gift card to Robinson McNally. I was curious to know what she would buy and she said that she ended up buying a popular marriage advice book with it. When she divorced her dh, she mentioned that the advice book was what gave her the guts to do it. So... ya know.... :001_unsure: That was "spit out my soda" worthy. Sorry. I know it isn't something to laugh over. Maybe it was the way you worded it... lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 Well, sort of... Several years ago, I gave my sil a gift card to Robinson McNally. I was curious to know what she would buy and she said that she ended up buying a popular marriage advice book with it. When she divorced her dh, she mentioned that the advice book was what gave her the guts to do it. So... ya know.... :001_unsure: Oh no! Not the intended result I'm guessing :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 OMG Audrey you win :lol: I once bought my DH a pair of house shoes. He complained daily about a horrible odd back ache. Then one day he didn't wear the shoes and didn't have a back ache so insisted it was those stupid leather shoes. Whatever. I bought my dad a pair of jeans 5 years ago now. They were the size I always rememberd him wearing. Well I guess he put on some weight because they REALLY didn't fit. He jokes to this day that I made him lose 40 pounds because I bought him pants. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Audrey's story definitely wins. My dad and his wife are so hard to buy for. They are always refilling plastic water bottles so I thought I'd get them nice Sigg bottles instead. I've never heard anyone sound so disgusted with a gift. I still don't know what was wrong with it, but I know they never used them. :bored: I definitely feel like I'd have been better off not getting them anything, which is basically what I did this year. I had the kids make them something, but I have to say, I feel very uneasy about sending anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Have you ever given a gift that had unforeseen consequences? Last year I gave my two older kids daily calendars in their stockings--you know the kind where you tear a page off each day? One had puppies, one had kittens. What I didn't foresee was that my kids thought the pictures were so cute that they were reluctant to throw any of the pages away, resulting in stacks and stacks of papers in their bedrooms. This year they are getting WALL calendars :D Yup. Gave DS same such calendar last year with the same results. I really need to watch the amount of paper he takes into his room. (He likes to keep maps and brochures from every place we have ever visited.) Oh. I think that will be this year. My mom is getting both boys tablets. I think we're letting the genie out of the bottle on that one. Past gifts? Playmobil for my younger son. He took apart all the guys, lost their hair and swords and was upset when we couldn't find all the pieces. I know there are lots of people here who adore Playmobil. Me? I sold the lot of it on ebay this year and was so thrilled to get it out of the house. Had I known that's how he would play with it, it would never have come in the house to begin with. Playmobil was a major loser in our house. We bought the huge zoo set one year. It took DH and I two bottles of wine to get the stupid thing put together. It took DS about two hours before the whole thing was taken apart, never to be reassembled ever again. We hate Playmobil! Well, sort of... Several years ago, I gave my sil a gift card to Robinson McNally. I was curious to know what she would buy and she said that she ended up buying a popular marriage advice book with it. When she divorced her dh, she mentioned that the advice book was what gave her the guts to do it. So... ya know.... :001_unsure: You win. :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Audrey's story definitely wins. My dad and his wife are so hard to buy for. They are always refilling plastic water bottles so I thought I'd get them nice Sigg bottles instead. I've never heard anyone sound so disgusted with a gift. I still don't know what was wrong with it, but I know they never used them. :bored: I definitely feel like I'd have been better off not getting them anything, which is basically what I did this year. I had the kids make them something, but I have to say, I feel very uneasy about sending anything. That sounds like a nice, useful gift. I'd love to have some! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Audrey, you win! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 Yup. Gave DS same such calendar last year with the same results. I really need to watch the amount of paper he takes into his room. (He likes to keep maps and brochures from every place we have ever visited.) Oh my goodness, I think we are parenting the same kid! LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSong Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 One of my grandmas was a real character and gave us all sorts of odd things. When I was a teenager she gave me a teal green button front shirt with matching shorts that were WAY too big for me, kinda like bloomers. She said it was a "gym suit". I had already taken the required gym class, and we had to wear the suit the school had approved. Not quite as bad as the bunny suit on A Christmas Story but it was odd nonetheless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender's green Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 When my husband and I were dating, our respective parents figured they had better get something for each other. My mom digs a block of cheap store-bought toffee from last year out of the freezer and re-gifts it to the in-laws. It had freezer burn. My mother-in-law makes toffee for my parents, from scratch, puts it in a special little holiday tin with cute tissue and bows and everything. A radically different level of thought and care went into their respective gifts of toffee. I was a little embarrassed. My in-laws were gracious about it, but I don't think they've made gifts for acquaintances since that. I think they reached the point of "why bother." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Have you ever given a gift that had unforeseen consequences? Last year I gave my two older kids daily calendars in their stockings--you know the kind where you tear a page off each day? One had puppies, one had kittens. What I didn't foresee was that my kids thought the pictures were so cute that they were reluctant to throw any of the pages away, resulting in stacks and stacks of papers in their bedrooms. This year they are getting WALL calendars :D Thanks for the warning--this would be my dd! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Yep. That very first "Cute Grandkids" photo calendar I made. I did not realize I was setting myself up for an expected, annual tradition from then unto eternity. -sigh- last year I stalled until Feb when they made me do it even though it was late. I have told DH this year it's his turn or his sister's turn (we include her kids, the gift goes to their parents, and his sister, and I do not get my own copy). This year we were horrible about taking pictures and I don't even have pics of my own kids for every month needed. I am hoping we break tradition. It is definitely that thing I'd go back and undo if I could.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksr5377 Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Yep. That very first "Cute Grandkids" photo calendar I made. I did not realize I was setting myself up for an expected, annual tradition from then unto eternity. -sigh- This is me, only it's coffee mugs. DH and my parents, every. single. year. The one year I tried to break tradition DH was really upset. So I guess the kids will never get to surprise any of them with a gift, ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Yep. That very first "Cute Grandkids" photo calendar I made. I did not realize I was setting myself up for an expected, annual tradition from then unto eternity. -sigh- last year I stalled until Feb when they made me do it even though it was late. I have told DH this year it's his turn or his sister's turn (we include her kids, the gift goes to their parents, and his sister, and I do not get my own copy). This year we were horrible about taking pictures and I don't even have pics of my own kids for every month needed. I am hoping we break tradition. It is definitely that thing I'd go back and undo if I could.... Yep-except in my case, it's the "cute kid art calendar". I made one ONE YEAR using some of DD's pictures, and now it's expected every...single...year... Except that even though DD draws a lot of art, a lot of her art, now, has moved away from cute, cuddly kitties and bunnies and into cobras EATING cute cuddly kitties and bunnies (she's really, really into reptiles right now), which isn't quite what you want to send to great grandma to show her friends in her retirement community! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 This isn't Christmas but I tripped on a birthday gift once. Dh's sister married a few months earlier than we did. On my honeymoon, I picked up a book of questions for newlyweds. Lots were silly and random, but there were some serious ones in there. I really enjoyed this book. It was fun to just ask each other questions and talk and talk. I bought a copy of this book for his sister. Since she was newly married I thought she would enjoy it as much as I did. Dh was skeptical. I should have listened to him. She was deeply hurt that I bought her a book to help "strengthen your marriage." I guess she was having a tough first year. I knew a little about this, but not enough to interpret her as being sensitive to a gift meant to be fun (not a marriage help book). It didn't help that I tried to backpedal when I saw the look on her face and tell her that it was all in fun and not for self-help. Really I should have kept my mouth shut. I'm lucky SIL is classy enough that she accepted it and never said a word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 That would be the toy guitar. They all liked the oldest son's so much that I eventually got one for everyone. They fought constantly over those guitars---it's seemed no matter which guitar they had they always wanted to play a different one. I parked them on top of the fridge for awhile and took them out again with the exact same result. That's when I loaded all three of them up in my van and dumped them in the Goodwill donation box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Playmobil. Expensive mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I think Audrey has the "unintended consequences" award locked up. I may have a SOLID bid in for the "What were you thinking, or did you even think, you numbskull???" Award. My brother and his family took a placement of two foster kids. I will avoid repeating their stories here for privacy reasons, but I will say that at 3 and 5, these two had already bounced through too many foster homes to count. When invited to come and meet them, all I knew about little girl 3YO was that she loved pink, Hello Kitty, was very 'girly' and I had about 5 minutes in a discount store to shop. Spotting "the perfect gift for a little girl" I snagged it and hit the checkouts then we headed for my brother's. It would be an understatement to say that the pink "Hello Kitty" child-sized rolling backpack for all her belongings did not go over very well with this child who was accustomed to being told to pack up and go live with a new family every couple of weeks. Full scale panic attack was more like it! I felt like the most insensitive bozo on Earth long after the screams had subsided, but I am sure she felt worse than I did. It is now years later and she has long forgiven Aunt Jen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Not Christmas. But one of my cousins married a Jewish man. I forget the term, but we were at an event for there baby. Not a christening, but a something else. My Mom had thought she bought the baby a fancy star of David. Turns out she bought him a satanic star. Opps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetandSimple Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I think Audrey has the "unintended consequences" award locked up. I may have a SOLID bid in for the "What were you thinking, or did you even think, you numbskull???" Award. My brother and his family took a placement of two foster kids. I will avoid repeating their stories here for privacy reasons, but I will say that at 3 and 5, these two had already bounced through too many foster homes to count. When invited to come and meet them, all I knew about little girl 3YO was that she loved pink, Hello Kitty, was very 'girly' and I had about 5 minutes in a discount store to shop. Spotting "the perfect gift for a little girl" I snagged it and hit the checkouts then we headed for my brother's. It would be an understatement to say that the pink "Hello Kitty" child-sized rolling backpack for all her belongings did not go over very well with this child who was accustomed to being told to pack up and go live with a new family every couple of weeks. Full scale panic attack was more like it! I felt like the most insensitive bozo on Earth long after the screams had subsided, but I am sure she felt worse than I did. It is now years later and she has long forgiven Aunt Jen. These stories are helping me to remember that most "bad gifts" are given with good intentions. One year my mother-in-law gave me a Weight Watchers scale for Christmas. I was not a Weight Watchers member, and I wasn't even dieting right then, though I always felt self-conscious about being a little bit overweight. I opened that gift in front of at least 30 extended family members! I had to try hard not to cry in front of everyone. My mother-in-law was a wonderful lady, though, and I know that she just didn't really think that one through very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 I meant gifts given any time, not just Christmas :) It would be an understatement to say that the pink "Hello Kitty" child-sized rolling backpack for all her belongings did not go over very well with this child who was accustomed to being told to pack up and go live with a new family every couple of weeks. Full scale panic attack was more like it! I felt like the most insensitive bozo on Earth long after the screams had subsided, but I am sure she felt worse than I did. It is now years later and she has long forgiven Aunt Jen. OH NO! You must have both felt so bad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Audrey's story definitely wins. My dad and his wife are so hard to buy for. They are always refilling plastic water bottles so I thought I'd get them nice Sigg bottles instead. I've never heard anyone sound so disgusted with a gift. I still don't know what was wrong with it, but I know they never used them. :bored: I definitely feel like I'd have been better off not getting them anything, which is basically what I did this year. I had the kids make them something, but I have to say, I feel very uneasy about sending anything. Uh oh. We did the same thing for dh's parents this year, only we got silicone-covered glass jars. They also are always filling up plastic bottles. I thought they would appreciate the glass as more hygienic and more pleasant to drink from. I guess we'll see! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 My dh and I got married 6 months before our friends who had been dating for many years. We found a humorous book about having fun (and TeA) on the honeymoon and, as newlyweds, we thought it was hilarious. We bought the book and slipped it into their car for them to read on their honeymoon. A year or so later we found out the couple was divorcing and had never consummated the marriage due to physical and/or psychological issues with TeA. Remembering our gift, we were a bit embarrassed. Fortunately, they never mentioned the book. Oh, and there was that drum kit I bought my teenage son that he plays almost every. single.day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamzanne Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Yep. That very first "Cute Grandkids" photo calendar I made. I did not realize I was setting myself up for an expected, annual tradition from then unto eternity. -sigh- last year I stalled until Feb when they made me do it even though it was late. I have told DH this year it's his turn or his sister's turn (we include her kids, the gift goes to their parents, and his sister, and I do not get my own copy). This year we were horrible about taking pictures and I don't even have pics of my own kids for every month needed. I am hoping we break tradition. It is definitely that thing I'd go back and undo if I could.... This is exactly me down to the year. Last year I had to give my mom one for her birthday in February because she complained so much about not having one for Christmas. This year, I had a total of 4 appropriate pictures so my daughter and I had a photo shoot last week complete with wardrobe changes and driving all over town. I can't wait for the comments that her hair is the same in every picture. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 This is exactly me down to the year. Last year I had to give my mom one for her birthday in February because she complained so much about not having one for Christmas. This year, I had a total of 4 appropriate pictures so my daughter and I had a photo shoot last week complete with wardrobe changes and driving all over town. I can't wait for the comments that her hair is the same in every picture. :laugh: oh my gosh, I should so do that!!! With boys, who will notice the hair?? LOL!! Thanks for a fun laugh and an idea that might just save this (wish it were doomed) project for me! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathy_overman Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 So funny. I bought my bird loving son a Page a Day bird calendar. Unfortunately, he is also my little hoarder. Several days after I bought the calendar, I thought ... 'oh no, I am never goign to get him to throw those out'! The secret cleaning fairy will have to strike again, I am sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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