My sister and I got a family dental center (combination electric toothbrush and waterpik, each with 4 heads) from our grandparents for Christmas when we were 8 and 10.
My grandparents lived in another state, so gifts were mailed to us and sat under the tree for a few days before Christmas. Based on the size and the shape of the box we were SO convinced that it was Nintendo. Quite a bummer to open *that* box after days of anticipation...
Note: I did ask for and receive an electric toothbrush for Christmas two years ago, and I'm very happy with that gift. A little different when you're 33 instead of 8...
Post by dr.girlfriend on Oct 21, 2014 11:35:40 GMT -5
All the religious-themed "baby gifts" from MIL because she considered me a godless heathen. ;-) Baby's First Bible, "Why Easter Isn't Just about Bunnies," this picture book with smiling babies and bible verses...
SIL was equally bad. We asked her what she wanted for her birthday, and she wanted "DS to watch some videos with her." Of course they were all religious. We let it slide because he was like two and we knew he wouldn't remember any of it but...I'm kind of glad SIL lives far away now.
Post by laurensmomma on Oct 21, 2014 11:36:01 GMT -5
One year my parents had one large gift for my brother under the tree, and one for me for Christmas. He was maybe 12 years old, and I would have been about 10. He opened his first, and it was a tv. I opened mine, and it was a box. Kind of like a toy box, but not quite. It wasn't made out of cardboard, but it wasn't real wood either. It was super cheap, had little kitties on the outside and was empty.
My mother justified giving my brother the better gift because I was in sports year round, which cost a lot of money, and my brother did nothing but watch tv and play video games.
I'm still a little bitter about it, over 20 years later, lol.
My sister and I got a used shower cap to share when we were teenagers.
I also got a pretty pink training bra from my aunt that I held up to display before I realized what it was when I was 12 and still completely flat. I wanted to sink through the floor.
In the vein of large box disappointment, one year when I was maybe 8-ish, Santa brought a huge box and I imagined all manner of amazing things that might be in it. It turned out to be a down sleeping bag from LLBean, suitable for tenting at temps down to 35*F. I didn't have any experience camping at that point, and totally didn't see the point of a sleeping bag that was uncomfortably hot at sleepovers. Plus, it didn't have Rainbow Brite or My Little Ponies or anything on it like all my friends. LAME, DAD.
...Except now I'm in my 30s, I still have the sleeping bag, and now I take it to the ADKs when we go backpacking. I've taken it right up to (and maybe a little beyond) its temperature rating, and appreciated every last feather in it. So maybe less lame and more 20 years too early!
Post by dr.girlfriend on Oct 21, 2014 11:37:25 GMT -5
Oh, yeah, FIL gave us this artwork. He's actually a professional artist / professor of art, but this was from the 1960's...it's all pink and peach with fetuses floating in bubbles. Thank god he never visits us to know that it's in the attic.
A few Christmases ago, when we didn't always get along so well, my sister gave me this ugly, itchy brown sweater that was obviously a men's sweater. She'd ripped off the price part of the tag but I saw it was from Aeropostale, so I took it back to see if I could get a refund or exchange. They took it back and gave me two dollars in return because she had bought it on final clearance. I was fuming that she did it as a complete afterthought ... I forget exactly what I had gotten her, but it wasn't cheap.
I think MH still holds a grudge against her today and this is partly why, because I make an effort and she sometimes doesn't. Didn't help that I saw her the day before my birthday a few weeks ago and she said, "Oh, your present isn't ready yet," so I assumed she was knitting something as an afterthought and never finished. She also did it a couple Christmases ago (and I never got it).
I was 22, just out of college, living in a major east coast city, with my first real professional job.
My aunt gave me a dress she bought at a craft show. The top was made from a green Hanes sweatshirt, and had a big chicken appliqued on it.
The skirt part was plaid and floor length.
She meant well.
Totally random, but my kid is super into Scooby Doo lately, and I just watched an episode where this pretentious art guy tells Velma, "From now on, I shall call you 'jinkies'!" and thought of you!
Last Christmas, MIL's gift to DS was a christmas elf costume and santa costume that was a size 12 months, that arrived at our house 2 weeks before Christmas. DS was 3.5 months old and weighed about 11lbs at the time. I initially thought it was just a joke, and that he'd get a "normal" xmas gift closer to the actual holiday. Nope.
Post by dr.girlfriend on Oct 21, 2014 11:44:36 GMT -5
Oh, and in the vein of "hilarious because it happened to someone else..." my cousin lives in a super-fancy Manhattan apartment -- like, all white and marble, not a thing out of place. His wife is a super snob. One Christmas his mother got them this like 4-foot-tall animatronic Little Drummer Boy that lit up, sang, and played his little drum, because apparently it was my cousin's favorite Christmas carol when he was a kid. The look on his wife's face was priceless...I think she was going to spontaneously combust at the thought of bringing that thing home.
Post by UnderProtest on Oct 21, 2014 11:45:58 GMT -5
My MIL is pretty bad at gifts (shocker, I know, given my recent posts). She buys what she likes, not what she thinks I would like and we have completely opposite tastes. I've gotten some pretty hideous velour or acrylic shirts from her. Oh, and she has bought my husband large framed sports jersey for his man cave.....yeah, we had no man cave or room for one. But I think last year's Christmas gift exchange takes the cake. She called about 2 weeks before Christmas and said that the in laws all decided that we all wouldn't exchange gifts and instead would all contribute that money toward a piece of equipment for the family lake house. Yeah, the one that was a 7 hour drive away from our current house so we only went twice a year (the equipment would have only been useful during the summer trip anyway) and oh yeah, we were moving overseas so who knows when we would be there next. And yes, it was 2 weeks before Christmas so I had already finished my shopping. My husband navigated that craziness but somehow it still ended up as a secret santa gift exchange while we bought everyone a gift.
Uncle gave a Sizzler gift car with like a random of amount of like $11.37 Coworker gave a weird beanie baby doll 2 years ago for my birthday Last year, same coworker gave me a 3 sizes too big dress with pleather Same year, another coworker gave me slacks 2 sizes too small And there was a mix up for Secret Santa at work and I got a present off of someone else's list: pandce.proboards.com/thread/268024/secret-santa-mix-work
ETA: I just realized it's supposed to be from family...Oh well.
Post by marclovesme on Oct 21, 2014 12:15:49 GMT -5
Not me, but two years ago for the holidays BIL gave MIL a season of Mad Men DVDs. The box was opened. The DVDs were used/previously watched, by him. She probably gave him a $500 check that year.
One year BIL and SIL gave a family portrait session to everyone. We (DH and I) tried to schedule multiple times with them... yeah, that didn't pan out so no one got a gift that year.
Last year my MIL gave us an old baby blanket, a old baby spoon, and something else kid related that I can't seem to remember. I thought it was maybe my husband's from when he was a kid. Nope. She found it all at the thrift store. We have no kids.
I guess a gift I gave my Grandma would probably be on her worst list. I took a pottery class and I made a piece for her (I actually wanted to keep it-but made it specifically for her). She opened it and I could just tell by the look on her face that she was thinking "WTF"--then my aunt suggested she hang it in a certain spot in her kitchen. I was mortified because I knew she hated it so I told her I would get her something else. My aunt kept saying how neat it was (we have more similar taste)-so the next time I went to my Grandmas it was hanging in the kitchen. Its still there more than 10 years later. I'm surprised she hasn't accidentally broken it.
Post by emilyinchile on Oct 21, 2014 12:30:42 GMT -5
Sunscreen.
I've posted this before, and there is no backstory or inside joke, my ILs are just that bad at gifts. H got a purple towel for his birthday last month.
One year my parents had one large gift for my brother under the tree, and one for me for Christmas. He was maybe 12 years old, and I would have been about 10. He opened his first, and it was a tv. I opened mine, and it was a box. Kind of like a toy box, but not quite. It wasn't made out of cardboard, but it wasn't real wood either. It was super cheap, had little kitties on the outside and was empty.
My mother justified giving my brother the better gift because I was in sports year round, which cost a lot of money, and my brother did nothing but watch tv and play video games.
I'm still a little bitter about it, over 20 years later, lol.
I think I might know what you're talking about. Was it like a trunk (with latches and hardware on the corner and cube shaped? Made of particle board - off white with kittens on it? I think I may have had the same one - I used to it store my Barbie dolls
One year my parents had one large gift for my brother under the tree, and one for me for Christmas. He was maybe 12 years old, and I would have been about 10. He opened his first, and it was a tv. I opened mine, and it was a box. Kind of like a toy box, but not quite. It wasn't made out of cardboard, but it wasn't real wood either. It was super cheap, had little kitties on the outside and was empty.
My mother justified giving my brother the better gift because I was in sports year round, which cost a lot of money, and my brother did nothing but watch tv and play video games.
I'm still a little bitter about it, over 20 years later, lol.
I think I might know what you're talking about. Was it like a trunk (with latches and hardware on the corner and cube shaped? Made of particle board - off white with kittens on it? I think I may have had the same one - I used to it store my Barbie dolls
I think I might know what you're talking about. Was it like a trunk (with latches and hardware on the corner and cube shaped? Made of particle board - off white with kittens on it? I think I may have had the same one - I used to it store my Barbie dolls