Just for Fun - WORST Holiday Gift Thread

[DaisyFace]

Just for laughs, I thought we could share some of the worst gifts here...

it can be something you received this year - or if it's REALLY bad...something from years ago.

My worst gift this year? A nightshirt (which doesn't sound too bad) except it was handed to me with the explanation that the buyer purchased the extra EXTRA large size because he knew anything smaller would be just SKIN TIGHT on me. {So you think I'm too fat for a "regular" sleep shirt? Thanks! How thoughtful!}

Of course, nothing beats the year Grandma showed up with underpants from the second-hand store for each of my children. We took them home from Grandma's house and threw them right in the trash - ugh!

That's mine...

So what did you get (but wish you hadn't) ?

 

[shellyd67]

For many, many years, my Grandmother and my Aunt both used to buy me horrible nightgowns. Flannel with lace up to the chin.

Mind you, my Grandma and Aunt were both well off and these nightgowns came from Lord & Taylor or Neiman Marcus but still... LOL

I used to return them and get about $50 store credit for each ...

 

[Shari]

Ok, this isn't MY gift, but I was kinda a part of it, and its hysterical, soo...

Last year, husband's nephew got married.

A few weeks before, I was in town, and Two Brooms called me and asked if we had the silverware she gave husband years ago. I said yeah, somewhere. Then she asked me if I knew where it was. Yeah, I could get to it if I had to. Then she told me to go get it. I told her I wasn't home. She said to call me when I got home. (She then called me several times before I got home).

When I got home, I called her. She told me to count the forks. So I did. I told her how many. Then count the spoons. I did, gave her the result. Then count the knives. I see where this is going, so I tell her I will count it all and call her back. So I do.

I call her back and tell her how much of each piece is in the set. She replies "good, I need 2 forks, a serving spoon, and ..." I can't remember what all. I said "that's fine, come get it and take what you need" to which she replied that I was awful for saying that, she gave that silverware to husband and he should appreciate it. uh....ok.

By this time, it was 11:30 pm and she wanted to come get it right then. I said I was headed to bed, but she was insistent (and already half-way to my house - a shock since we though she was at the lake). She told me to wash it.

So I did, and met her in the driveway with the silverware.

Turns out, there was a shower for the bride the next day. She had purchased the same set of silverware for nephew when he was about 3 and had stuck it away (she does this) for his wedding gift, and had lost some pieces.

She was replacing the missing pieces so she could give nephew's bride the silverware as a wedding gift! And taking the missing pieces from husband's set! (and lemme tell ya, its hideous silverware - GAUDY).

We have laughed hysterically about this.

And for Thanksgiving this year, I dug out that silverware just for nephew's wife's benefit... (and yes, she knows..when she told me about the awful silverware she got, I couldn't resist telling her where a good chunk of it came from!)

 

[InsaneCdn]

Maybe the best part of nephew's wife's present was... a good family story to pass down "forever".

 

[AnnieO]

*snicker*

I dunno. It's a tossup between the fruitcake and the $200 of Estee Lauder products I can't use...

I've also gotten (same giver) a see-through, chin-to-wrists-to-ankle-length nightgown - not sexy, but couldn't wear it in front of the kids without clothing underneath - pieces for the Wii Fit because I "liked to exercise" (in what alternate universe?!)...

Even my Grandma, who gave me a quilted silver purse one year, does better...

 

[Steely]

This year was a water proof pouch to put my ipad in when I go kayaking..........hmmmm..........I don't have a kayak, I have been kayaking only a handful of time and it was in Arizona, and if I was to go kayaking here in the 40 degree rain, I sure as hell would not take my ipad??? Yes, I am paddling my rear off, in my rain suit, while perusing the internet, uh huh. Sounds blissful.

Of course these are the obtuse (thanks TM for reminding me of that word ) Aunt and Uncle that also got Matt and his difficult child friend hunting knives for Christmas. They must have "forgotten" our presents and made a mad dash into an outdoor store's last minute gift section.

 

[DammitJanet]

One year Jamie and his first wife gave me a keyboard for my computer...only it was a plug in computer for a mac. I have only ever had easy child's and he got it on clearance at some store they have up there so I wasnt able to return it. It went into a goodwill box...lol.

 

[gcvmom]

husband is KING of PROCRASTINATION.

The week before Xmas I booked airline tix to Mardi Gras and told husband that would be our combined Xmas gift (even though I'd already bought some small items for him, and I'd bought myself a pair of cute chicken pj pants and gave them to husband back in October to wrap and give to me for Xmas (I really wanted these and knew if I didn't grab them, they'd be sold out)).

True to form, husband never went shopping for me, even before I told him about the tix. And at 3am Christmas Day he woke me up making so much noise rummaging around our room for tape and paper to wrap the pj pants that were sitting on the floor of our room in a Target bag for months. But that wasn't the worst part.

The WORST part was that out of what I'm only assuming can be guilt, husband gathered up a bunch of random items from our room and bathroom, wrapped some, left others bare, and tossed them into my stocking. Imagine my confusion and surprise when he hands me the stocking later that morning, encouraging me to open the REST of my "gifts" from him! And he had the gall later to tell me he was annoyed that I didn't act more surprised for him!!! I asked, What? So you can look good to the kids? Sorry, pal! Why should I put on a show to save YOUR face?

I was really annoyed that he didn't even take time to take the kids out to choose something small for me.

Next year, I'm not even going to bother handing him a here-you-can-wrap-this for me item. He can dig his own hole from now on.

 

[donna723]

For me it's a toss up between two different things, both a long time ago.

I might have told this story here before but years ago my sister-in-law, a very sweet person, got on that "liquid embroidery" kick back when everyone was doing that. It was like fabric paint in little tubes and she was painting little pictures on everything she could get her hands on. For Christmas she got me a white sweatshirt and pants but they weren't fleece, they were some cheap shiny fabric. On the front of the shirt she had drawn the outline of a big cats head in black. It had a bright pink nose and a pair of those googley eyes that people use on stuffed animals. The finishing touch was long strands of black yarn dangling under the nose for whiskers! When it moved the eyes rolled around and the whiskers swayed back and forth ... the most hideous thing I've ever seen but she was soooo proud of it! At first I thought it was a joke but it wasn't! I can't imagine what made her think that I would ever wear something like that but I made a point of being gracious. I hope I pulled it off anyway.

The other worst thing was something my then-husband gave me (not too long before the divorce) ... a whole set of cheap, sleazy makeup in all the wrong colors and shades for me and several bottles of neon nail polish even though I never wore nail polish. He bought it from a woman that he swore he wasn't fooling around with, a woman who just happened to sell cheap, sleazy makeup and neon nail polish!

 

[TeDo]

This year I had put "gift cards (I REALLY need new clothes)" on my wish list for my family. I did this specifically because my taste in clothes is WAY different than theirs so I figured this would be safe. Boy, was I WRONG! My mom and sister bought me a bunch of shirts that were on clearance that I wouldn't wear on my WORST day. I think they were hideous not to mention the totally wrong size (way too small). The worst one was a leapard print........ silky....... flashy thing that a thin, good-looking "party animal" could get a way with wearing and looking good in. NOT FOR ME (don't get out at all and am in no way thin). I am a very plain "unisex" type person that hates girly "frills & lace" type stuff. They all know that (been this way 90% of my life). I hit the stores the next day to exchange them all for something I will actually wear! I am dreading the day they realize they haven't seen me wear any of my "nice" new shirts. UGH!!

 

[DammitJanet]

How can your family...especially sisters and a mother...not realize your size? That is one thing I always try to get right when buying any clothing for someone. I worried my behind off when I bought maternity clothes for Mandy. I even gave her the receipt so she could exchange them if they werent the right size. I tried hard to make sure I got her taste too because I knew she wasnt the old lady maternity shirt type gal.

 

[TeDo]

That's what makes it even worse. I have been the same size (bigger than both of them) for many years. So why on earth did they get me clothes (and UGLY too) that are too small for the biggest of THEM. They did say it was hard to find short sleeve shirts this time of year. Ummmm...then give me a gift card (as I requested) and I'll go shopping when they bring the spring/summer stuff back out.

 

[trinityroyal]

The Worst. Gift. Ever. was given to me when I was 8 years old.

I was painfully shy, quite tall for my age (little did I know that it was just an early growth spurt and I would top out at 5'3"-ish), looked far older than 8 yrs old, AND to top things off, I had started to develop. Because I was so young, no one had ever had "The Talk" with me -- not the Birds-and-Bees talk, but the "You might start getting attention from boys when you start to grow breasts" talk.

My difficult child-father bought a bra, wrapped it up and put it under the tree. Imagine my mortification when I opened THAT present. To tie it up with a bow, my difficult child-brother told EVERYONE at school that I had started wearing a bra over the Christmas break.

I still have a scar across the middle of my back from where my bra-strap was snapped so often it made my skin bleed.

 

[PatriotsGirl]

Okay I got one! My husband, then boyfriend, didn't know what to get me obviously and it was our first Christmas together. I had mentioned before that a ficus tree would look good in our living room. Guess what I got? Lol.

 

[buddy]

I think I told this before but maybe not here...sorry if I did...

My worst gift actually became my favorite gift.

I worked with a client in an apt. training program when in grad school. He was a great guy. SUPER aggressive and childish and you could just picture him (except for his man sized body) as a 7 yr old boy. We got along great and he never had a blow up with me. IF he was agitated, we just could talk so easily. I really cared about him.

For Christmas he handed me a Delux Check box wrapped in tin foil. Inside were two mismatched salt and pepper shakers from Goodwill. The caps were totally rusted out inside. Completely unusable. But there were at least 15 staff there, my cousin was the director. Her now hubby worked with me and often thought I was too soft and girly to be safe with him....but I never had an issue and he had several. (we are good friends now)

No one else got a gift. He had no money as most of them dont because they are so limited in what they can have plus work in sheltered employment with very very low pay. but he took time to shop for me, wrap it up etc. So, true...it was an awful gift in terms of what it was, but in terms of what it meant???? I still have them.

 

[KTMom91]

The worst gift I ever got was from Miss KT's father. It was our first Valentine's Day together, so you would think he would have come up with something romantic...even the standard flowers would have been better than...a Japanese "happy coat" that was way too small for me and incredibly ugly besides.

 

[flutterby]

My dad is a hoarder. He will buy *anything* if it's a good deal, just because it's a good deal. It doesn't matter if he's ever going to use it. Most of it he doesn't. The last time I was at his house was 12 years ago, and I told him that he might want to go through all of his koi before he dies because I wasn't going to do it. I meant it.

When I was 11 or 12, he was in love with this store in town that sold items marked "Irregular". That's where all of my Christmas presents came from that year. I only specifically remember 2 of them: one was a long-sleeved tee kind of thing with a hood, with "Illinois" (some kind of team thing) written on the sleeve. Except it was written backwards. The other was a pair of sweatpants where one leg hit mid-calf and the other hung below my foot.

When I was pregnant with difficult child, he had moved and that town had a store where people dropped off clothes (like Goodwill, but not Goodwill). Those clothes went into bins and you could buy anything there for a quarter. His new favorite store. Guess where my Christmas stuff came from that year? I was 7 months pregnant with difficult child, but I never hit 140 pounds with her. I was back in my regular clothes 2 weeks after she was born. So, the size XXXL nightgown with penguins all over it? Nope. The stuff was so bad, I didn't even take it to Goodwill. I pitched it.

 

[DaisyFace]

The WORST part was that out of what I'm only assuming can be guilt, husband gathered up a bunch of random items from our room and bathroom, wrapped some, left others bare, and tossed them into my stocking. Imagine my confusion and surprise when he hands me the stocking later that morning, encouraging me to open the REST of my "gifts" from him! And he had the gall later to tell me he was annoyed that I didn't act more surprised for him!!!

OMG! I think if I had found a stocking full of stuff I already owned - I would have INDEED been surprised...

 

[hearts and roses]

Oh let me count...lol.

mother in law once bought me a bath set from Marshall's, marked down 50% from $12.99, it was covered in mold. Another time she gave me a pair of size 5 slippers with about a 1/4" thick of dust all around the edges, no packaging, no tags. I'm a size 8. Another time she sent a box full of her old clothes she saved from the fifties. And another time she sent the girls some clothes from a thrift shop that were covered in stains and pills. Good times.

My loco sister is forever getting me stuff that is just totally not me...I think these things are all regifts, which in theory I don't mind so much, but at least they could think a little if it's something I might like, Know what I mean??

 

[gcvmom]

mother in law once bought me a bath set from Marshall's, marked down 50% from $12.99, it was covered in mold. Another time she gave me a pair of size 5 slippers with about a 1/4" thick of dust all around the edges, no packaging, no tags. I'm a size 8. Another time she sent a box full of her old clothes she saved from the fifties. And another time she sent the girls some clothes from a thrift shop that were covered in stains and pills. Good times.

EEEEEWWWWWWW!!!!!


I think they may be related to my sister in law#3. One year she got me some size 5X pajama bottoms -- and at the time, I was about a size 14. Her rationale was that SHE likes things roomy and figured I did too. WTH? And when I tried to exchange them at the store where she got them? There naturally weren't anymore left because she'd bought them on clearance about a year prior, and the store credit value amounted to a whopping $1.75. I just left the bottoms on the counter and exited the store laughing. What else can you do?

Can't tell you how many years she regifted hand-me-downs from her son to my boys that had clearly been sitting (unlaundered -- given away by the dried-on food and cat hair) in a moving box in her garage for a couple of years.

More and more I'm finding gift exchanges with the in-laws to be an exercise in the ridiculous. I swear, one of these years husband and I are going to take the kids and go out of town for Christmas!