Weird gifts you've gotten: you can't make this up... (Add yours, just for fun!)

[Halftime Hope]

A church member arrived in my office today, armed with tiny gift bags for all the ladies in the office.  My bag had a small printed wooden gift tag on the outside with a cute design including the inscription, "It's the most wonderful time of the year."  Inside the bag, a cute pair of tweezers.  Luckily for me, I had just lost a good pair of tweezers on a trip, so I thanked the gift-giver graciously, all the while doing mental gymnastics to think of a situation in which I might be emboldened to give a pair of tweezers to an acquaintance. 

I have a Far Side sense of humor, as does a friend.   We had a good text thread going a bit later during my lunch break: 

Her:  You've been wearing a mask over your nose and chin for 9 months, so it can't be that your whiskers are showing. 

Me:   bwahahaha!

Me:   What misguided merchandiser at Target Corporate thought tweezers were good stocking stuffers?!?

Her:   The Grinch needed a job in 2020, so he hired on at Target. I knew it would be bad. 

Me, sending her a picture of the tweezers next to the wooden gift tag that says "It's the most WONDERFUL time of the year.":   I figured it out; she's trying to tell me that Tweezing Day is right up there with the New Year Bath -- it's the most wonderful time of the year!!  You said you're too busy for lunch on Jan 8 or 9.  How about Sunday the 10th? I'll still be happy, relatively clean, and recently tweezed.  Shall we put it on the calendar? 

Her:   you're on; it'll be historic! 

 - - - - - 

What is the weirdest gift you've gotten recently? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 23, 2020 by Halftime Hope

[MercyA]

Are they a good brand, like Tweezerman, or just like generic tweezers? I am curious!

Maybe she figured, hey, everyone can use tweezers. 🙂 

[MercyA]

Okay, here's a weird one: shortly after we were married, a close relative gave my husband (not the two of us; just my husband) a rather feminine-looking Christmas ornament and a book of activities to do with your kids. We didn't have kids and weren't planning on having any. 😒

[Halftime Hope]

14 minutes ago, MercyA said:

Okay, here's a weird one: shortly after we were married, a close relative gave my husband (not the two of us; just my husband) a rather feminine-looking Christmas ornament and a book of activities to do with your kids. We didn't have kids and weren't planning on having any. 😒

He picked up the wrong gift bag?  LOL! 

[Kareni]

Quite a few years ago, I received false eyelashes from my (ETA: then five year old) niece. Just for the record, I haven't worn makeup in decades!

Regards,

Kareni

[Shoeless]

Two years ago, my MIL contacted my father and asked him to send her photos of me as a child, so she could give them to me for Christmas.  She didn't tell anyone this was her plan. I had no idea what was up until I opened the box and saw my face staring back at me.  

I could see some people thinking this was a sweet gesture, but my MIL and I aren't close like that. It seriously sent me into a panic when I opened the box. 

 

Edited December 25, 2020 by MissLemon

[gardenmom5]

A magazine subscription.  And the bill to pay for it.  It was supposed to be a 'gift' (the person intended to pay for the subscription, but didn't have the money.  ever.), it wasn't supposed to be a prank.

[MercyA]

49 minutes ago, Halftime Hope said:

He picked up the wrong gift bag?  LOL! 

That's what I thought! But, the giver didn't say anything to that effect, so...? 

It was odd. But I think that relative was one who also tried to get my husband to hold babies, apparently thinking it would stir up paternal feelings and magically convince him to want to have a child. (We were both perfectly happy being childless at the time.)

Edited December 23, 2020 by MercyA

[Drama Llama]

My grandmother used to buy presents for some of the grandchildren, and then forget others, and then give the one she forgot some random item that she had bought in the year that appealed to little old ladies.

Like one year my older sibling and I got roller skates and my 6 year old brother got a pine scented embroidered pillow like you would tuck in the arm of the sofa.  

[SounderChick]

I used to get underwear every year from my grandmother's dog.  No idea why. 

 

[wathe]

9 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said:

My grandmother used to buy presents for some of the grandchildren, and then forget others, and then give the one she forgot some random item that she had bought in the year that appealed to little old ladies.

Like one year my older sibling and I got roller skates and my 6 year old brother got a pine scented embroidered pillow like you would tuck in the arm of the sofa.  

I have a kid who got a watch from a granny that was obviously a promo freebie.  Branded Viagra.  With a slogan on it that seemed innocent literally but clearly had a double meaning in context.  I can't remember what exactly, but something like "savor the moments".  Kid was about 5.  I don't think granny quite realized.

The watch was a very fetching shade of blue though.

[lmrich]

My aunt and uncle gave me one leg warmer and my sister the other. And they were orange striped and made of polyester. Later we saw that they were part of an outfit... that our cousin had. (and no my aunt and uncle were not poor)

[math teacher]

When I was a late teenager, my mom gave me three yards of white fabric. I worked for a place that required white shirts.

[Emba]

An aunt gave me and my sister (approx ages 14 and 11) paper grocery bags full of old romance novels, because “you like to read”.

 eta: this was at Christmas, I believe.

 Same aunt, different year: moose hats 

Edited December 23, 2020 by Emba

[alisoncooks]

This year, my DH gave me one of those giant 1 pound Reese's cups.

I have no idea why. I --at no point-- have hinted or stated a desire for this. 

[itsheresomewhere]

Growing up my grandmother had this idea that the age of the kid is what size a person would wear.  She did this for years and no you couldn’t get her to change this.  So you knew that you were really getting stuff to donate after Christmas. 
 

My mother knows I collect some China and searched all over many garage sales for a set of tea cups. My teens and I have tea time together.   Sounds great but the cups were hysterical.  It was clearly meant to be a gag gift from the pictures on the cups.  It was two ladies having a grand time with each other naked.  Each cup got a bit more graphic. How she missed the pictures of what it was still cracks me up. 
 

 

 

Edited December 23, 2020 by itsheresomewhere

[I talk to the trees]

A few years ago, from my IL's, I got a vegetable peeler ($1 tag still on it) and one of those thin, blue plastic scrub sponges (no wrapper, so I guessed it was from a multi-pack MIL had open.) When dd was young, MIL gave me one of those smocked tube top things that was obviously meant for a child. When I casually said that it looked a little small, she said, “Well [DH] will like it when you wear it!” A very long and awkward silence followed!

[Garga]

For my 18th birthday, my parents bought me a cane. And that was all. Just the cane.

I am not lame. And I am not Mr. Peanut.

It was a wooden cane with a brass duck head on top. My mom said, “You can take it work and stuff!”

 

Oddly enough, I still have it stuffed in the back of a closet. (I’m turning 48 in a few days) I’ve never once taken it to work or anywhere else.

Edited December 23, 2020 by Garga

[athena1277]

The worst gift I ever received wasn’t for Christmas, but it was bad enough.  A guy I was dating in high school went on a trip to Mexico with his family.  He brought back small souvenirs for all his friends, guys and girls.  Nice, but not expensive things.  For me, he brought a blowfish.  A used to be alive, but is now “stuffed” blowfish.  To this day I have no idea what he was thinking.  It did become a bit of a joke among some friends for a while.

[JFSinIL]

First Christmas after we were married, MIl gave me a wrapped bottle of Heintz apple cider vinegar.  I did not know what to make of it, so said nothing.  Couple years later, cleaning cupboards, found it again and then noticed two raspberries in the bottom of the bottle.  OK, so she was NOT making a statement by gifting me Heintz vinegar, but had made (or attempted to make) flavored vinegar.  But keeping the Heintz label on the bottle was taking thriftiness a tad far, I would have at least slapped a homemade gift label over the Heintz label noting "Raspberry vinegar".

 

I do not remember if the vinegar was wrapped or still in a shopping bag - MIL tended to not bother with wrapping paper.

 

I feel compelled to note, MIL was a great and gracious lady, they just were not a gift-giving family, really.  Hubby takes after her - yet this year he WON Christmas.  I am into 1000+ piece jigsaw puzzles during the pandemic, and asked for several on my gift list.  One of the many I got was one hubby had the idea to have made by Shutterfly from a collage of photos of my kids!  He had one dd help select and arrange the photos, but she swears the idea was all his. 

Edited December 26, 2020 by JFSinIL

[Katy]

Mine is wonderful compared to everything listed here, but one year my sister and I those lead crystal Christmas ornaments, the kind that appear to be crocheted, when we were little kids.  Way too small to handle lead crystal little kids.  My mom snatched them out of our hands “for safety” almost immediately. No other gifts or actual toys from this one weird relative. I only remember because DH & I were going through which Christmas stuff we should donate and I found them. 

[katilac]

3 hours ago, math teacher said:

When I was a late teenager, my mom gave me three yards of white fabric. I worked for a place that required white shirts.

Did you at least sew? 

[Junie]

Oh, I just thought of one.  Although on the surface it doesn't seem weird.

My step-mother gifted my sister and me with winter coats.  They were pretty (but not dressy) and they were the right sizes.  But, we weren't allowed to wear them except at her and my father's house.

So, my dad had visitation rights on Saturdays.  We would wear our regular winter coats.  Then during the day on Saturday if we went out with my father and step-mother, we were supposed to wear our new coats.  Then, before we went home, we had to switch back to our regular winter coats.

These winter coats were nicer than the ones that we usually wore, but we were only allowed to wear them if we were with her.  They were not to be worn to school or to play in our own yards.  It seemed that she didn't buy them so that we could have nice coats but rather so we would look nice while we were with her.

 

Edited December 23, 2020 by Junie
edited to change I to me. Because grammar.

[history-fan]

Wedding present from my moms BFF. I still don’t know what it is, my mom had no clue and didn’t want to as her BFF. A large clear glass orb with glass loop and fishing line strung through so it’s a decoration to hang- but it is larger than a basketball- between basketball and giant watermelon size. It’s been in a box for 25 years.

my sil gifted me at my wedding shower 2 boxes Mac n cheese, pack paper plates and a new toilet scrub brush. Don’t know how they’re connected. We never got along.

Edited December 23, 2020 by history-fan

[teachermom2834]

When I was newly married, 22 yo, I was working as a cashier in a grocery store. My manager, a woman in her fifties brought a Christmas gift for me. It was a weird lamp that was a bear that's stomach lit up when you turned on the lamp. It wasn't cutesy or funny. It was just weird and dead serious. And she was dead serious. I didn't know what to make of it. Years later I regifted it in one of those white elephant exchanges that you are supposed to bring weird gifts. 

I don't remember how I reacted or what I said but I have never forgotten that weird bear lamp. At 46 yo I feel like if I got something weird like that I would tactfully try to dig a little about the thought process. LOL. I do think it was a case of a lady who felt like she had to have a gift for everyone she saw in the weeks around Christmas and she had a big stash of dollar store and flea market finds. 

[Pippen]

2 minutes ago, teachermom2834 said:

When I was newly married, 22 yo, I was working as a cashier in a grocery store. My manager, a woman in her fifties brought a Christmas gift for me. It was a weird lamp that was a bear that's stomach lit up when you turned on the lamp. It wasn't cutesy or funny. It was just weird and dead serious. And she was dead serious. I didn't know what to make of it. Years later I regifted it in one of those white elephant exchanges that you are supposed to bring weird gifts. 

I don't remember how I reacted or what I said but I have never forgotten that weird bear lamp. At 46 yo I feel like if I got something weird like that I would tactfully try to dig a little about the thought process. LOL. I do think it was a case of a lady who felt like she had to have a gift for everyone she saw in the weeks around Christmas and she had a big stash of dollar store and flea market finds. 

I really like quirky lamps but even to me that sounds odd.

[Spryte]

@Junie That’s a weirdly painful one.  Yikes.  Stepfamilies can be strange.

 

I can’t think of anything quite as odd as all these, but there is one family that knows that we have massive food allergies here, and always manages to give a purchased food gift that’s covered in nuts and other deadly-to-our-kids items.  We just regift it, or pass it along somehow.  If we didn’t know that they know about the allergies, it wouldn’t be weird.  But they know!

Edited December 23, 2020 by Spryte

[Pippen]

1 hour ago, athena1277 said:

The worst gift I ever received wasn’t for Christmas, but it was bad enough.  A guy I was dating in high school went on a trip to Mexico with his family.  He brought back small souvenirs for all his friends, guys and girls.  Nice, but not expensive things.  For me, he brought a blowfish.  A used to be alive, but is now “stuffed” blowfish.  To this day I have no idea what he was thinking.  It did become a bit of a joke among some friends for a while.

Because nothing says "I really like you" like a stuffed blowfish!

Actually...I would have liked a stuff blowfish. 

I once got a case of gift wrapped motor oil for my birthday from a boyfriend. I broke up with him after that, but did wind up marrying him later.

 

[ktgrok]

My ex husband and I got married a few days after valentines day. For valentines he gave me the free shirt a stripper gave him at his bachelor party the night before. 

worst gift ever

[Zoo Keeper]

This thread is making me feel so much better about my craptastic gift buying abilities.  Hey, at least I didn't give ______!

It's also been very helpful since DH's gift (which I ordered early!) is still not here yet.  I might not have ____, but at least I'm not giving him _____!

Free therapy. 🙂    Thanks!

[ieta_cassiopeia]

The worst gift I've ever been given is not one I want to discuss, but the worst gift I've ever given was when I was looking for a souvenir for my parents of a holiday to France and thought I'd found a pair of great blue salad bowls for Mum. When I got home, she took one look at them and said, "Ieta, these are giant colanders". I'm not sure they got much use...

Edited December 23, 2020 by ieta_cassiopeia

[katilac]

4 minutes ago, ieta_cassiopeia said:

The worst gift I've ever been given is not one I want to discuss, but the worst gift I've ever given was when I was looking for a souvenir for my parents of a holiday to France and thought I'd found a pair of great blue salad bowls for Mum. When I got home, she took one look at them and said, "Ieta, these are giant colanders". I'm not sure they got much use...

Oversized colanders are actually so much easier to use! dd came home from college with a huge colander, easily 3 times the size of the one I'd used for a quarter of a century. I laughed at her . . . then used it once, and claimed it forever! So I would like someone to give me a pretty blue one from France. 

[EKS]

There was this guy in college who had a thing for me.  He also had access to a shrink wrapping machine.  He left a gigantic shrink wrapped yam in the middle of the patio outside my front door so that I would stumble upon it the next morning because he had just learned in his anthropology class that some guy, when being interviewed by an anthropologist about the nature of God, said:

"God is going out in the morning and finding a big yam."

Note that all of this occurred years before either giant yams or the shrink wrapping of produce were common sights.

[OH_Homeschooler]

I know this was accidental so it's not a "strange" gift, but it was pretty funny to us. My mom visited from out of town and just brought some small gifts with her. She had this small stuffed animal for my youngest child. But our dog got up and started sniffing it and trying to take it from my mom before she gave it to my kid. This was strange behavior for this dog. She'd be happy if you gave her a toy but she wouldn't normally get up and try to remove it from your hand, But my dog decided it was hers. So we looked closer and sure enough, it was a dog toy. We have no idea how my dog knew it was a dog toy before any of us people did. I don't think it squeaked. Maybe it had a certain smell that appeals to dogs? She got to keep the toy, and the kid didn't mind. 

 

RE: The tweezers, am I the only one who thinks tweezers would be a fine stocking stuffer? I mean in our family that's mostly just me giving stuff to my kids, and grooming supplies aren't unheard of for that. But that is definitely not the same as giving them out to a casual acquaintance as a gift.

RE: Underwear from the grandma's dog to the kids, my mom would do something like that. Lame but practical gift? Blame it on the dog! 😄

[math teacher]

2 hours ago, katilac said:

Did you at least sew? 

 No, I did not, and she didn't pay to have them made. I kept the fabric for a few years, then donated it to a 'Christmas play.

[teachermom2834]

6 hours ago, math teacher said:

When I was a late teenager, my mom gave me three yards of white fabric. I worked for a place that required white shirts.

My mom was a talented seamstress and a procrastinator. Christmas morning was frequently boxes of fabric and promises 😂 But just the fabric without the promises would be very strange indeed!

Sometimes  it got made into what was promised but not always. I didn't love that as a gift and I've been careful not to give promises on Christmas morning. One time I remember she gave my uncle a box of corduroy and explained that it was a sportscoat. He just couldn't understand at all. While we were used to opening fabric on Christmas I'm sure that would make his list of strangest gifts. I really am not sure if my mom ever actually made the coat. I don't remember that part. 

[Pippen]

2 hours ago, ieta_cassiopeia said:

The worst gift I've ever been given is not one I want to discuss, but the worst gift I've ever given was when I was looking for a souvenir for my parents of a holiday to France and thought I'd found a pair of great blue salad bowls for Mum. When I got home, she took one look at them and said, "Ieta, these are giant colanders". I'm not sure they got much use...

I can't take full credit for the worst gift I was in on, because I was a sidekick shopping with my friend for her mom's birthday gift. We found a pretty flower arrangement that we were sure would look nice with the decorative pillows her mom and dad had on their bed. We wrapped it up and were so excited to give it to her.

Well, she opened it up and it didn't go how we thought. All the grownups burst into laughter, but her mom laughed so hard she was in tears. It turned out the pretty flower arrangement was a Memorial Day grave pillow. As you would expect a good mom to do, she gamely displayed it on her bed for years. 

 

 

[Gobblygook]

Our first year of marriage, my DH apparently procrastinated because I got a polo shirt with his employer’s logo on it, purchased from the company store. He’s not known for his gift giving. 

Edited December 23, 2020 by Gobblygook

[Drama Llama]

25 minutes ago, Gobblygook said:

Our first year of marriage, my DH apparently procrastinated because I got a polo shirt with his employer’s logo on it, purchased from the company store. He’s not known for his gift giving. 

There have been many Christmases when the dog suddenly needs to go out for a walk (we have a yard) sometime after midnight mass and Santa has come.  I'm sure it was a coincidence that, on those years, my gift was something that could be bought at the 24 hours CVS near my house.  

[Bambam]

I got an electric nail file from my dh one Christmas. The next year he asked if I wanted these electric socks (came with a battery pack). I turned down the electric sock offer. 

[Drama Llama]

2 minutes ago, Bambam said:

I got an electric nail file from my dh one Christmas.

Like the thing they make for dogs?  My dog is terrified of that thing.  Maybe I should try it on myself. 

[Melissa in Australia]

My In laws gave us a framed photo of their house for our wedding present. Along with a verbal message that the photo was expensive. 

 

[cjzimmer1]

When my Dh and I got married, his grandparents gave us a lovely handmade chest with my DH's first, middle and last initials carved into. Ok ,kind of weird since no where was I really included on this gift.  At Christmas that year, his brother got a matching chest with his (brother's) initials carved.  Grandfather had made them to give them for Christmas but for some reason decided, hey grandson is getting married, I'll give this personalized engraved gift to both grandson and his wife.

[Guest]

8 hours ago, math teacher said:

When I was a late teenager, my mom gave me three yards of white fabric. I worked for a place that required white shirts.

My mom, the queen of bad last-minute gift inspirations, did this for me (or was it to me?) when I was sixteen. She gave me several yard of light green crèpe de chine. And when I opened and no doubt looked puzzled, she said, “I thought you could make it into a jumpsuit.” 

I’ll say one thing: it was unique. I’m sure none of my friends got a wad of green fabric. 🙄

[Guest]

57 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said:

There have been many Christmases when the dog suddenly needs to go out for a walk (we have a yard) sometime after midnight mass and Santa has come.  I'm sure it was a coincidence that, on those years, my gift was something that could be bought at the 24 hours CVS near my house.  

I feel you on that.

I have taken a page out of @Garga book of advice and I buy my own Christmas gifts now. Dh may or may not turn up with some additional gift, but either way, I have what I wanted; I ordered my own gifts a month ago. 

[Drama Llama]

2 minutes ago, Quill said:

I feel you on that.

I have taken a page out of @Garga book of advice and I buy my own Christmas gifts now. Dh may or may not turn up with some additional gift, but either way, I have what I wanted; I ordered my own gifts a month ago. 

I am really not that into getting gifts that I mind.  It's important to me that my kids see my DH giving me a gift, but I usually can't think of something that I want, so the what of the gift doesn't really bother me.  But it does make me laugh that he thinks I don't know what he's doing.  

I'm sure it's also good for the dog to feel useful.  

[Bambam]

47 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said:

Like the thing they make for dogs?  My dog is terrified of that thing.  Maybe I should try it on myself. 

I have no idea as I have never seen one before or after. But that might make some sort of sense! 

[Garga]

29 minutes ago, Quill said:

I feel you on that.

I have taken a page out of @Garga book of advice and I buy my own Christmas gifts now. Dh may or may not turn up with some additional gift, but either way, I have what I wanted; I ordered my own gifts a month ago. 

DH has graduated to actually buying the gifts for me, mostly because they’re a click away on amazon.  So, I send him the link and he clicks on it.  🙂  In the past, I’d go out and get my own stuff, or would have clicked on the link myself, and he was completely out of the loop.  But he’s finally at a point where I can trust him to click on the link, as long as I send it to him.

I don’t take it personally anymore. Having a child with ADHD opened my eyes to how to handle having a husband with ADHD. 

Edited December 23, 2020 by Garga

[Ditto]

16 hours ago, rebcoola said:

I used to get underwear every year from my grandmother's dog.  No idea why. 

 

For some reason I find that incredibly charming.   Definitely odd, but sweet too.

[Ditto]

When I was a high school senior,  a guy I knew gave me a HUGE painting of my senior picture (you know, the one in the yearbook).  I was horrified!  I have no idea why he did it.  We hadn't dated and were casual friends (he wanted more but I did not).  That giant painting freaked me out so much I made my parents hide it.