I got one Christmas gift this year and it was from my daughter purchased with money I gave her. No one else bought me specifically a gift. My FIL gave me $100 but gave H $300 (yes, H offered to split it). SIL gave H a gift for just him and then gave us a set of sheets. I’m disappointed.
I will say, I don’t give gifts to get gifts, but it makes me sad that I wasn’t even on anyone’s radar.
My SIL is one of the worst give givers I know. She got MH and I random stuff from Home Goods I will never use. She also bought a bottle of whiskey, neither one of us drink whiskey. I at least put thought in the gifts I buy.
Post by pierogigirl on Dec 27, 2019 15:49:01 GMT -5
I posted this in a random, but one of my SIL got me a "bathroom set" with toilet brush, wastepaper basket, etc. I think she secretly hates me. I'd rather get nothing than crap I have to donate.
My BIL, who due his soon to be ex-wife, had not been to a family Christmas in 6 years. We invited him since we didn’t want him to be alone and he did not bring anything for his only niece.
Like seriously you could have just gotten her a gift card if nothing else.
I got one Christmas gift this year and it was from my daughter purchased with money I gave her. No one else bought me specifically a gift. My FIL gave me $100 but gave H $300 (yes, H offered to split it). SIL gave H a gift for just him and then gave us a set of sheets. I’m disappointed.
I will say, I don’t give gifts to get gifts, but it makes me sad that I wasn’t even on anyone’s radar.
I don't really think this is petty. Unless there was an explicit "not exchanging gifts this year" agreement, I would be pretty livid if my husband didn't get me a single gift.
Post by wanderlustmom on Dec 27, 2019 15:53:08 GMT -5
My step mom hits up Big Lots and gives us candy almost to expire and random things she gets on clearance. It usually breaks early and often. She’s not on a budget or anything she just likes volume and lots of things to open. Now I make a box and it goes straight to Goodwill. I know that’s awful but I’d rather just have a card
Post by lilypad1126 on Dec 27, 2019 15:56:30 GMT -5
My H and I haven’t opened gifts yet (we are on vacation). But he let slip one gift he got me. Which is not a gift that I’m even a little interested in. In fact, it’s something that is the perfect gift for HIM. And as such, I got it for him and put it under the tree. So, while yes it’s funny we got each other the same thing, he is so convinced that I will love it. He has been saying for weeks that he’s finally going to top me as “the best gift giver”. 1, it’s not a competition. 2, I’m a decent gift giver b/c I listen and put thought into things. 3, this gift is the opposite of anything I would ever like. 4, he gets super hurt when I don’t like the random gifts he gets me.
I know it’s dumb, and I should find this funny, but I really thought with all of his bragging, that he actually got me something cool. So now I’m disappointed. Ugh. I still have about 48 hours to get over it and get in the right frame of mind to be able to laugh when I open it.
Post by firedancer10288 on Dec 27, 2019 15:56:49 GMT -5
My hot mess SIL stole my daughter’s stocking from her grandparents house. I hope you enjoy that candy and coloring book- it probably won’t buy too many drugs.
Post by Leeham Rimes on Dec 27, 2019 15:58:00 GMT -5
My FIL wastes money, every year, on the shittiest gifts Big Lots has to offer. The toys just don’t work, aren’t a complete set, or break in 10 minutes. He’s the type that “the more the better” but he’s on a limited budget. I wish he’d just give the kids a $5 gift card to McDonald’s, I can at least make a fun afternoon out of that for them instead of putting together something that’s missing half its pieces. H tells him every year “just get a gift card to McDonald’s or Starbucks” (bc the kids love those two places) but he doesn’t listen.
I know I sound like a monster, bc he wants to impress the kids with a ton of gifts but I’d rather he not waste the $ on absolute junk. A $5 GC for them is great and they’d love it.
I need ham like water Like breath, like rain I need ham like mercy From Heaven's gate Sometimes ham salad or casserole or ham that’s free range, all natural I need ham
My step mom hits up Big Lots and gives us candy almost to expire and random things she gets on clearance. It usually breaks early and often. She’s not on a budget or anything she just likes volume and lots of things to open. Now I make a box and it goes straight to Goodwill. I know that’s awful but I’d rather just have a card
I need ham like water Like breath, like rain I need ham like mercy From Heaven's gate Sometimes ham salad or casserole or ham that’s free range, all natural I need ham
As suspected, half of the Secret Santa gift exchanges at my in-laws were gift cards. Omg. Let’s stop this madness and keep our own damn money!!!
A few years ago we put a ban on gift cards for our family white elephant exchange. Honestly I’d rather get a gift card than the random crap we’ve gotten the last few years.
My H and I haven’t opened gifts yet (we are on vacation). But he let slip one gift he got me. Which is not a gift that I’m even a little interested in. In fact, it’s something that is the perfect gift for HIM. And as such, I got it for him and put it under the tree. So, while yes it’s funny we got each other the same thing, he is so convinced that I will love it. He has been saying for weeks that he’s finally going to top me as “the best gift giver”. 1, it’s not a competition. 2, I’m a decent gift giver b/c I listen and put thought into things. 3, this gift is the opposite of anything I would ever like. 4, he gets super hurt when I don’t like the random gifts he gets me.
I know it’s dumb, and I should find this funny, but I really thought with all of his bragging, that he actually got me something cool. So now I’m disappointed. Ugh. I still have about 48 hours to get over it and get in the right frame of mind to be able to laugh when I open it.
This is more of an “I don’t understand it” thing. SIL and I did joint family gifts for MIL and FIL this year. For MIL, we had a photo session with all the grandkids, so she could have pro-pics of all three of them together. We talked about and ended up getting her two larger prints (one canvas, one multi-photo print in a frame). Cool! I thought that was the gift! But then SIL added on a photo blanket with a collection of random pics, and a photo mug.
For FIL, we got him a commemorative brick (the kind that gets paved at a place but you also get a replica brick). Cool! Brick! It’s a big deal! But she added in a shirt and some other trinkets.
We basically exchange gift cards with each other (which, fine, but why?!). I just give her the damn gift card in a box. She gives me the GC, plus drugstore chocolates and some shower gel.
Why is a single, thoughtful, well-planned gift not enough?!
My MIL buys our kids gifts that she likes, or wants them to be the type of kid who likes them. Then she preempts each gift by saying “oh you won’t like this”. Whyyyyyyyy
It is such a waste of money. They clutter my house. I have to wait a couple months before I can donate them.
When I was a kid, my grandparents bought me A gift. Now our parents buy our kids more than they get them.
It is so fucking wasteful. It is hard to make my kids be gracious when they expect to be showered with presents. I hate all of it.
My FIL wastes money, every year, on the shittiest gifts Big Lots has to offer. The toys just don’t work, aren’t a complete set, or break in 10 minutes. He’s the type that “the more the better” but he’s on a limited budget. I wish he’d just give the kids a $5 gift card to McDonald’s, I can at least make a fun afternoon out of that for them instead of putting together something that’s missing half its pieces. H tells him every year “just get a gift card to McDonald’s or Starbucks” (bc the kids love those two places) but he doesn’t listen.
I know I sound like a monster, bc he wants to impress the kids with a ton of gifts but I’d rather he not waste the $ on absolute junk. A $5 GC for them is great and they’d love it.
I know! It’s so hard to understand! This year I got these spatulas that broke the first time I tried to use them and Kit Kat’s that expire in January 2020. She’s a good lady. You just have to wonder if she really thinks people want a gerbil tear off calendar or box of colored erasers
Post by notsopicky on Dec 27, 2019 16:08:01 GMT -5
cereal K, because people get caught up in the commercialism of it all--moar is better! (I certainly don't feel this way--I'm over the whole gift-giving part of Christmas, except for my own kid, lol.)
I've already waxed pathetic about my situation in previous day's threads. I am still sad, but I have a plan going forward for birthdays and Christmas re: my idiot family members.
It’s this thing that sits on your desk, and you turn a fan on and it blows this weird figure around. I’m describing it poorly, but he’s talked forever about wanting one, and I’ve never found a desk sized one before (everyone other one is like something you’d put on your porch and super pricy). So I finally found it, and ordered it for him. Then, for some reason, he went to this store where I found it, and it’s not a store he would ever go into regularly, so I don’t know why he went in there this year. And he’s like a kid in a candy story with how excited he is to give it to me. So, I have to get my game face on so I can pretend to be surprised that we got each other the same thing AND pretend to be excited.
Gifts are his love language. He loves giving and receiving and he is...not great at the giving part. And he’s a big talker about “if you don’t like it, exchange it” but 1, he doesn’t mean it, and 2, this specific gift has a no return policy with it. I should know, I bought the same dumb thing 🤣
Post by lightbulbsun on Dec 27, 2019 16:13:37 GMT -5
My dad usually gives me a decent sized check for Christmas ($200-300). I was looking forward to it this year because I recently had a $1200 hospital bill, and it would have been nice to get some cash. But instead my step-mom bought us a bunch of stuff, probably worth $200-300. Everything she got me was nice and thoughtful, but I was really hoping for cash. I feel ungrateful for thinking it.
All of this makes me happy we don't do adult gifts. It's been a long time coming but it's finally done. Done, I say!
You know what else is done? The tradition of my MIL spending the night Xmas Eve. She was so wasted and yelling at the Pac-Man machine or crying hysterically that I was sure she'd wake up my kids and ruins Xmas (since santa gifts had already been put out). She's lucky she didn't, as I would have lost my shit.
But, of course DH will never tell her he was bothered by her actions. He just won't invite her next year and she won't know why (but won't ask) and everyone will go on being fake and never communicating about anything ever. Yay!
Post by CrazyLucky on Dec 27, 2019 16:17:13 GMT -5
I got DH a reservation to his favorite camping spot. SIL and BIL immediately made reservations for the same dates. I don't like BIL. He's a sexist Trump supporter. I don't want to spend my entire vacation with them.
As suspected, half of the Secret Santa gift exchanges at my in-laws were gift cards. Omg. Let’s stop this madness and keep our own damn money!!!
So F'ing stupid. Both DH and my extended families did Gift card ONLY gift exchanges. WHY?! How about I got by myself something with my money and then thank you all for it?
I need ham like water Like breath, like rain I need ham like mercy From Heaven's gate Sometimes ham salad or casserole or ham that’s free range, all natural I need ham
I told MH I needed new underwear because self care hasn’t been high on my priority list with an infant this past year. So he picked up a 5 pack of fruit of the loom underwear for me. Like...that’s fine if I’m buying it for myself but as a gift?! Like there’s way cuter underwear to buy lol.
It’s this thing that sits on your desk, and you turn a fan on and it blows this weird figure around. I’m describing it poorly
I need a link to this bc now I’m just intrigued. Lol.
Please remember, I prefaced this by saying it was a dumb gift. But my H would love it. Except that he got it for me, even though he knows (b/c he’s said so) that it’s NMS and I don’t even have a desk I can put it on.
I need a link to this bc now I’m just intrigued. Lol.
Please remember, I prefaced this by saying it was a dumb gift. But my H would love it. Except that he got it for me, even though he knows (b/c he’s said so) that it’s NMS and I don’t even have a desk I can put it on.
I need ham like water Like breath, like rain I need ham like mercy From Heaven's gate Sometimes ham salad or casserole or ham that’s free range, all natural I need ham
My mom watches the big boys for a weekend frequently and every time we stay over with the boys she takes over parenting. It’s nice but also weird. It in a “I’m giving you a break” way not you’re incompetent” but it feels weird.
I need a link to this bc now I’m just intrigued. Lol.
Please remember, I prefaced this by saying it was a dumb gift. But my H would love it. Except that he got it for me, even though he knows (b/c he’s said so) that it’s NMS and I don’t even have a desk I can put it on.
Yeah. There's no way I would fake enthusiasm about that. DH and I buy our own gifts and wrap them and put them under the tree so we each get what we really want. We have young-ish kids who would notice if there were no gifts for us.
I got DH a reservation to his favorite camping spot. SIL and BIL immediately made reservations for the same dates. I don't like BIL. He's a sexist Trump supporter. I don't want to spend my entire vacation with them.
I got DH a reservation to his favorite camping spot. SIL and BIL immediately made reservations for the same dates. I don't like BIL. He's a sexist Trump supporter. I don't want to spend my entire vacation with them.
Can you change the date because "something came up" and then forget to tell them? Otherwise, I would take a hard pass on going (I hate camping, but there's no way I'd do it with people I also hate).