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Have we had a thread about weird, bad, inappropriate gifts this year?

OrganicAnn

By OrganicAnn,
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Desert Rat

Desert Rat

Posted
Posted

No weird gifts this year, really. MIL pulled through on Christmas Eve and a box was delivered with 4 packages of socks. And money for each boy. We got a bag of candy, which we like. But, no gifts for dh and I which is not typical.

I guess our gift was her moving 3,000 miles away in August. :laugh:

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Mom-ninja.

Mom-ninja.

Posted
Posted
Geez, why didn't she just be really blatant, and give you a jug of bleach, a shot glass, and a note saying 'bottoms up!"? Sorry, Kleine :grouphug:

 

Well, I'm not taking it personally. She gave the same thing to each family member. She just made up big batches of homemade treats and divided it up for each basket. She probably didn't even consider if I could eat it or not. Besides I'm just an extention of my dh as far as his family is concerned. It took just over 10 years before they started talking to me directly instead of through dh. They are, um, a clanish group.

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Susann

Susann

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Posted

I shared this in another thread, but 26yo son in the Army drew his 13yo brother's name and got him....a dehydrated alligator head. Yes, a real one! Ds 13 thinks it's cool and is going to put it on his wall.

 

When the kids open their sibling gifts, they start with the youngest and the recipient guesses who it might be from. Even though 13yo went first, EVERYONE knew who gave the alligator head.

 

Am I the only one that thinks this is a really cool gift-especially since a 13 yr old boy got it?!?!

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BigMamaBird

BigMamaBird

Posted
Posted

Last year my brother bought me this electric "S'mores Maker" which basically just spun impaled marshmallows over an electrical heater. This was two months after we bought a house with a fireplace and had told everyone we'd been making s'mores in the living room. This year he asks he how I liked it so I was honest and told him we never used it because we actually have a fireplace. The twit had the audacity to get snippy with me. I was not in the mood so I told him where he could stick his marshmallows.

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violamama

violamama

Posted
Posted

My SIL put this leather unicorn mask on her Amazon list and she got TWO of them, including the one my husband bought her! Hilarious, weird and totally her. She is in her 30's and has no kids...

 

http://www.amazon.com/Accoutrements-12283-Magical-Unicorn-Mask/dp/B0070QMUFA/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356829353&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=leather+unicorn+mask

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Starr

Starr

Posted
Posted

My SIL put this leather unicorn mask on her Amazon list and she got TWO of them, including the one my husband bought her! Hilarious, weird and totally her. She is in her 30's and has no kids...

 

http://www.amazon.co...er unicorn mask

 

 

 

From the amazon description, I love the, vaguely disturbing. :laugh:

 

 

 

  • Latex

  • Realistic fur mane

  • Latex

  • Fits most adult heads

  • Vaguely disturbing

  • Made in China

 

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PeacefulChaos

PeacefulChaos

Posted
Posted
My SIL put this leather unicorn mask on her Amazon list and she got TWO of them, including the one my husband bought her! Hilarious, weird and totally her. She is in her 30's and has no kids... http://www.amazon.co...er unicorn mask

I had one of those 'spit out my drink' moments when I saw that.

OH.MY.GOODNESS. :lol: :lol: :lol:

From the amazon description, I love the, vaguely disturbing. :laugh:
  • Latex
  • Realistic fur mane
  • Latex
  • Fits most adult heads
  • Vaguely disturbing
  • Made in China

:lol: :lol: :lol:

HA! I just can't get over it...

 

 

As for us, we didn't get any gifts this year - we had the ILs stop buying for us a few years ago and we bought a Keurig as our gift to each other (DH and I). My grandparents got us stuff but my Grandma rocks at Christmas presents. B) Not all 73 year olds do, but she certainly does!

 

ETA: Oh, I do have a funny one - at least to us. MIL got a gold ice bucket from someone one year (not us) - not a tasteful gold ice bucket. A gold ice bucket that looked like it came from a motel in the 70s. No tongs included, and scratches all over the inside. Wrapped in a box from Kroger that said something like, 'pineapple slices' or something to that effect. MIL did VERY well when she opened it, but we laughed about it for days.

Then I took it to a party where we exchanged bad gifts. It was hysterical. :D Many that night were, actually. :lol:

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Rivka

Rivka

Posted
Posted
My SIL put this leather unicorn mask on her Amazon list and she got TWO of them, including the one my husband bought her! Hilarious, weird and totally her. She is in her 30's and has no kids... http://www.amazon.com/Accoutrements-12283-Magical-Unicorn-Mask/dp/B0070QMUFA/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356829353&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=leather+unicorn+mask

 

OMG, read the Amazon reviews! :lol:

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jallison25

jallison25

Posted
Posted

My In-laws got me a gift card to Red lobster, even though they KNOW i hate seafood...and put in the card "well, sounds like you have at least one seafood lover in the house" (which is my 7 year old son) ummmm...so you are telling me you KNOW i hate seafood? and got me the card anyway? thanks???

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dakarimom5

dakarimom5

Posted
Posted

Last year my brother bought me this electric "S'mores Maker" which basically just spun impaled marshmallows over an electrical heater. This was two months after we bought a house with a fireplace and had told everyone we'd been making s'mores in the living room. This year he asks he how I liked it so I was honest and told him we never used it because we actually have a fireplace. The twit had the audacity to get snippy with me. I was not in the mood so I told him where he could stick his marshmallows.

 

This made coffee come out of my nose.

 

One year my DH bought me a black polyester robe with huge red flowers on it and size 12 womens briefs. I am not a size 12 panty wearer, in fact I don't wear them unless I'm wearing jeans. And I'm allergic to polyester, it swells my eyes shut.

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myfunnybunch

myfunnybunch

Posted
Posted

Nothing this year. Everything was at least appropriate, even the things that weren't a hit. I need to work on a small list of inexpensive gift ideas for people--everyone gave me girly scented lotion sets this year, which I don't really use. But I take the blame for that, since I wasn't exactly giving good hints/ideas this year.

 

Last year, my MIL gave me a book on birdwatching Bed & Breakfasts.....on the east coast. We live in the PNW. "I know how much you like birds." There are no birds in the book, just b&b's, which one could tell immediately if one actually opened the book. Plus I haven't the time or the money to travel to the east coast for birdwatching. I figure she picked it up at a yard sale for a dollar and stashed it away, then needed something to wrap for me on Christmas Day, so she gave me the book and the chocolates her friend had given her. She's mostly a lovely woman who's a little nutty. And VERY obvious about who her favorites are--it shows with her gift-giving. She always goes all out for dh and our oldest dd, my stepdaughter. We straightened her out, mostly, so that it's not glaringly obvious with the kids, but it's still kind of hit or miss from year to year with me and sometimes with my dd, her stepgranddaughter. *shrug* It used to bug me, but now I just roll with it. She tries.

 

Last year, she also gave our exchange student a personalized notepad. With MIL's name on it. "It's got my name on it so you'll remember me!" LOL

 

Cat

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swellmomma

swellmomma

Posted
Posted

I shared this in another thread, but 26yo son in the Army drew his 13yo brother's name and got him....a dehydrated alligator head. Yes, a real one! Ds 13 thinks it's cool and is going to put it on his wall.

 

When the kids open their sibling gifts, they start with the youngest and the recipient guesses who it might be from. Even though 13yo went first, EVERYONE knew who gave the alligator head.

 

 

I have want a gator head for my nature collection forever, heck it is actually written at #86 of my 100 item bucket list lol cool brother.

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swellmomma

swellmomma

Posted
Posted

My parents gave us 50lbs of popcorn seeds last year. That got a weird reaction from a few until we explained a running tradition we have of a weekly movie night with popcorn. This will last us YEARS upon years!

 

 

My mom got me kernels this year, thankfully not 50lbs. I am not sure why she did when I told her I got rid of the air popper months ago because we do not eat popcorn, the kernels get stuck in the kids dental work. So I have this container of popcorn kernels, apparently I will be oil popping them on the stove. Which is funny, since she told me after xmas dinner she knew I wanted to go on a diet and popcorn is a good diet snack. Okay I know I am fat but I have not spoken to her about dieting. Your comment reminded me of that lol

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funschooler5

funschooler5

Posted
Posted

I received a basket of food from my mil. Food I cannot eat because it all has gluten in it and I have celiac. My dh ate it all. The basket did have hand towels in it too that she had embroided. The thing is that I have about a thousand hand towels.

 

This reminds me of Christmas last year, right after DH got diagnosed with liver disease. He had to start a very low sodium diet right before the holidays, which was very hard for him, considering we were surrounded by the usual holiday food.

 

So what did MIL get him for Christmas? A giant bottle of seasoning salt!

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Mom2pandc

Mom2pandc

Posted
Posted

My DH and kids got me dry erase markers and an eraser

1. I just bought some new liquid ones and an eraser which they all know.

2. They didn't just get one package. They bought 4 packages. Broad (I never use), skinny, and two identical packages of retractable ones.

Seriously we use the marker boards a fair amount. But who needs 35 dry erase markers? Apparently I do.

 

35 new fancy pens I would have loved though ;). I love pens. But alas I have more dry erase markers than I will ever be able to use.

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Cinder

Cinder

Posted
Posted

Ha! I'm sure I've mentioned in another post the stained, torn underwear my kids received from my in-laws.

 

Ewwww! :blink:

 

 

My In-laws got me a gift card to Red lobster, even though they KNOW i hate seafood...and put in the card "well, sounds like you have at least one seafood lover in the house" (which is my 7 year old son) ummmm...so you are telling me you KNOW i hate seafood? and got me the card anyway? thanks???

 

Pass it off to some random stranger at RL and then head out to someplace you'd actually like to eat at. :D

 

This reminds me of the time someone gave us a $10 gift card (as a thank you for pet sitting) to an expensive steak house. We had just been talking about where we like to eat out and they liked going there but I told her we didn't go there because it's expensive and I have two teen boys who eat more than I do!

 

Now I'm wondering if your gift card is enough to actually cover a good portion of the meal or if it was like mine and could just pay for the tax?

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melissad2

melissad2

Posted
Posted

My In-laws got me a gift card to Red lobster, even though they KNOW i hate seafood...and put in the card "well, sounds like you have at least one seafood lover in the house" (which is my 7 year old son) ummmm...so you are telling me you KNOW i hate seafood? and got me the card anyway? thanks???

 

I believe RL gift cards can also be used at Olive Garden.

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Impish

Impish

Posted
Posted

Going back several yrs, when I was pregnant w/Tazzie, Wolf bought me jammies.

 

Ugliest. Jammies. Ever.

 

They were teal satin, w/a pattern of huge flowers (blue and pink ones) on it, and green leaves. On a teal background. *shudder*

 

I was able to avoid them, since Tazzie was due in Feb, they didn't really fit...and can I tell you, attempting to wear satin jammies while holding a baby should be an extreme sport? Made the baby a bar of wet soap, slipping and sliding.

 

Since then, it's been drunken polar bear flannel jammies, polar bears on a date jammies...this yr, I was kinda hoping for the 3rd act, polar bears w/cubs, but nope, I actually got nice, comfy jammies w/out any weird print.

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bzymom

bzymom

Posted
Posted

I may see that bear/baby in my nightmares for years to come. :scared:

 

My poor husband nearly didn't make it through our first Christmas together. An exercise bike, which is lovely if you have asked for one, don't live in a teeny apartment, and need some more exercise.

 

And a farting stuffed bear. Ya' know, for laughs. :thumbdown:

 

That was when I knew I had my work cut out for me.

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Belacqua

Belacqua

Posted
Posted

 

Last year, she also gave our exchange student a personalized notepad. With MIL's name on it. "It's got my name on it so you'll remember me!" LOL

 

Heh. My grandmother did that one year. She was a ballet teacher and got all manner of dance-themed gifts from her students. One Christmas she regifted to my husband (who has never evidenced the slightest interest in dance) a pair of decorative, pink satin pointe shoes filled with dried flowers. "So you'll always think of me."

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Cindyg

Cindyg

Posted
Posted

This was actually a thoughtful gift, but I'm not sure what to do with it. My dh bought me one of those chocolate fountains. I love chocolate, and he knows that. But you have to melt TWO BAGS of chocolate chips at a time to run it. We're a family of 3, and I'm the only one who likes sweets. Plus, I've seen those things in action. They can cover a room in chocolate in very little time. I think I'm going to take it back, but that will hurt his feelings. :(

 

When my dad passed away, the one thing my mom could part with was some of his used underwear, which she gave to my dh. LOL!

 

If you haven't read the reviews on the unicorn mask, you really should.

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Mrs. Darinski

Mrs. Darinski

Posted
Posted

Oh my word! Your 'unusual gifts' are cracking me up! This was just what I needed to hear today as I think I am a bit depressed and suffering from 'Christmas Let Down'. Suddenly, I don't feel so alone, especially after our 'interesting' Christmas get together with extended family/in-laws. :willy_nilly:

 

I am trying to keep a good perspective on things in an attempt to be grateful and realize people 'tried' to do something nice for us, when they really didn't have to do anything at all. But I don't think I am being very successful. I would love to say it was the thought that counts, but I am sure it is more like dementia taking over. After all, it was kind of narcissistic-like MIL, who claims she knows her son so well, to get DH a very LARGE box of licorice all sorts, when he actually hates them and has made it a deliberate point to NEVER eat them at any time she has had them out. Yep, thoughtful. And it was so kind of her to ask DH in front of everyone there, after we had just arrived, if she could FINALLY serve dinner. :toetap05: Yep, nothing like making you feel welcome! I, casually, told her to suit herself and serve it whenever she liked... :leaving: And it was more effort than necessary on the part of MIL and SFIL, to go so far out of their way to get DS6 a Furby. Really, they honestly could have saved themselves the trouble of getting one of the last two on a shelf! A mindless, annoying, noisy toy. They KNOW we don't like noisy toys as we have discussed this with them before. I guess they thought the poor child is homeschooled and, therefore, doesn't have any friends and this could be a replacement! Who needs to speak in full sentences anyway! :banghead: Oh! And did I mention DS was 6 years old? So the baby toy nightlight from them designed for a 3 year old (says so right on the package) given to DS who has no issues with the dark, but needs LESS distractions at bedtime NOT more, was well, um,...thoughtful, sort of. And the snide comment about him wearing pants that finally fit? Um, yeah, that. All his clothing needs are WELL met, and especially as we got him more jeans that he actually likes and that fit. As opposed to the half drunk, non-relatives that he addresses respectfully but does not have to call them by a title they do not have, who got him clothes that were not his size. Oh well. No one asked what was needed or wanted......but they all tried.

 

The gifts we gave that were actually what people wanted, needed, and (some)were home made, were glossed over. Yep, no communication issues here. :nopity:

 

Whew! Did I acutally say all that out loud? :D Thanks for listening. Sorry to hijack. :rant: Rant over. Please return to your relularly scheduled programming of 'unusual gifts'. :thumbup: And thanks for the therapy. My cheque is in the mail. :thumbup1: (AND.....I like smileys. :p )

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Melissa in Australia

Melissa in Australia

Posted
Posted

Well this is kinda cheating since it's not from this year, but it's so awesomely bad I feel compelled to share it on occasion. I might delete this in a bit since it's just too identifiable.

 

 

My dad's extended family is large so they do a rotating gift exchange- they draw names and only buy for one family a year.

So I opened my gift from one of my aunts (I was 16 at the time remember) and saw that it was a teddy bear all folded up in the box... I thought, well, I'm pretty old for stuffed animals but hey, I hardly know this lady and she's sending me a gift so who am I to complain really...... But then I pulled the bear out and....

 

......

.....

.......

 

 

 

 

.......

 

.....

 

.....

 

 

.....

 

......

 

 

oh sweet heaven'a'mercy, what has been DONE to this bear?!!?!

 

 

chuckie2.jpg

 

The poor thing's face had been gutted and transplanted with a ceramic doll's head.

 

chuckie3.jpg

 

I'd never seen anything like it before or since... I think it was supposed to look like a kid wearing a bear costume but the proportions are just not quite right, so to me it looks like a bear that bit off a bit more than it could chew... and the little dear's face is all we see after the rest has been enveloped in the gaping ursine maw.

 

chuckie1.jpg

 

I still have it actually, I've kept it all these years, almost half a lifetime ago, through at least a half dozen moves. It's just too precious to bring that thing out to show guests, cradling it over my shoulder, then whip it around to reveal the horror that lies on the other side.

 

What's worse, the glue that held the eyes into the head wore out and they fell back into the skull, so now there are blank holes where the eyes should be. Don't have a pic of that yet. I should dig it out of the basement and take one.

Hay, My sister had one of those

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lamppost

lamppost

Posted
Posted

Hay, My sister had one of those

 

I'll venture a guess that hers wasn't homemade. And I bet the face was more cherubic than Chuckie.

 

Whenever I see this thing I imagine her taking a knife to the poor bear's face. I wonder if she saved the bear faces for some other project? Maybe she grafted them onto baby dolls for the reverse effect? *shudder*

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hsbeth

hsbeth

Posted
Posted

Several years ago my BIL gave me a large poster of himself. It was an ad photo he had done for his job made into an almost life sized poster. I think it was meant to be a joke, but it was all handled very awkwardly and inappropriately. I was rather embarrassed, but my dh was pretty ticked. I think my poor SIL was unaware of it prior to the "big reveal". She looked almost as shocked as I was.

 

The kicker was that I "forgot" to bring it home and it was re-delivered to me at my house a couple of weeks later.

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Dmmetler

Dmmetler

Posted
Posted

Another questionable one-my mother sent us a very nice pack of assorted spreadable party cheeses. Except DH is on a low fat diet, DD won't eat most cheese (sensory issues), and I've been trying to lose weight! I understand her reasoning-we'd been reminiscing, and one thing I'd mentioned was the annual fundraiser the band used to do where we'd sell various cheese balls, summer sausage, and other party-type foods right before the holidays, so I guess she was piggybacking on that, but meanwhile the cheeses are taking up space in my freezer, waiting for the next time I need to bring something to a party :).

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