MIL got DH these rolls of paper last year, and when he asked what they were, she said, "cheese paper!" And he asked what you do with it and she was like, "I don't know!" WTF.
She also bought DH and BIL really bad sweaters last year, in which they took hilarious pictures of themselves looking sad to send to each other. I have DH's as his picture on my phone when he calls and I keep thinking, oh no! DH is sad! When it rings before I remember it is just a picture.
She just gets me a lot of random shit, including things she has offered to the other DIL, which other DIL didn't want. Whatever.
I love my aunt to death, but she never knows what to get anyone. She'll often gift free calendars she gets in the mail or ancient books she finds in her house that she doesn't want anymore. She's a really active person and one year, my parents, brother, and i each got a different oversized t-shirt from a marathon or race she'd run over the last however many years. So random.
However, she almost always makes up for it by giving us money. In my parents case, she'll hide hefty check somewhere and they'll discover it after she leaves. One year she stuck in the in the Christmas tree. Another year, under the throw pillow on the couch. She's incredibly generous. She also paid for most of my college. So...can't really complain too much about her terrible gifts, I guess?
I had that box, it was a different kitten scene. It's actually in the garage with a bunch of paintball stuff in it.
My dad was horrific at clothing gifts. I have snow boots that are two sizes too big because he wanted to make sure I had room for my feet to grow. I was 19 when he bought that pair. He'd buy my sister and I clothing that was so far from anything we'd ever wear. He did finally get over being hurt we'd want to return things after Christmas and started buying the most outrageous things he could find. We'd return and buy things we liked and things that fit during the post Christmas sales. He was much better with non clothing gifts.
As in, Dh and I did not get a Christmas gift from his Grandma on our first Christmas with his family (or since then of course). The rest of his siblings and cousins did during Christmas at her house. Supposedly she didn't get us anything because DH and I had jobs unlike the other family members. She has never gone out of her way to make my husband and our family feel like she cares though so it wasn't that surprising.
My grandmother gave us two crystal bowls that clearly came from goodwill for our wedding gift. She also gave me a on open knife set at my shower that I flew too from out of town.
Post by krisandgrace on Oct 21, 2014 14:44:43 GMT -5
My dad got me a spray painted shirt two sizes to big with a shark on it for Christmas. He said he saw it at a craft fair and thought I would like it. In the same package was a dog snuggy two sizes two small for our dogs that was used so it came with dog hair on it.
This wasn't a bad gift, but the taste it left in my mouth made it so.
One year for Christmas, my mom gave the 3 of a black suede jacket. It was a really, REALLY nice jacket, until I realized that it had been bought with wrappers from her cigarettes. Mom was diagnosed with lung cancer the month after Christmas and died 3 months later.
I can't wear the jacket, and I can't get rid of it either.
Maybe not the worst, but last year my aunt and uncle gave us this little Christmas snowglobe/knick knack thing and then in the bag were 2 chapsticks - just a green and a purple Blistex. No idea why. They're still in the cabinet.
My mom gave me sheets for my bed for my 13th birthday. I thought she was finally going to let me redo my room. Nope! Just the sheets. I will never let her live that down.
My grandmother always bought me socks and underwear for Christmas. Big honking white granny panties that would have secured my virginity for life.
I didn't know we were related. My Nana did the same. Probably because she was born in 1916,and new underwear was likely a "luxury" during the depression years.
My mind has blissfully forgotten anything else particularly hideous.
It's not the worst, by my mom gives us socks as gifts on the regular. It's kind of her thing now. But man, I have more socks than I will ever need.
My MIL give all the girls in the family fuzzy socks every Christmas. DH and I have been together for 11 years now, and I have WAY too many pairs of fuzzy socks.
Post by ellipses84 on Oct 21, 2014 21:37:51 GMT -5
I will preface this by saying the relative who gave it to me is not mentally well. I took public transportation to a neighboring country to see him before Christmas and he gave me a gift bag full of random things. He then told me what everything was and where he got each item, all of which came from the dollar store, the thrift store and the trash, and he was very proud of his dumpster diving finds. Mostly it was horrendous looking trinkets that would have been awful in themselves. I acted grateful and didn't let it bother me because it's the thought that counts. What I didn't realize was that due to a recent terrorist threat, border patrol was being extra careful so they were searching every single passenger's bags and I had to stand there, holding up a line full of people while an agent searched through this bag of trash and explain that it was a gift from my relative. If I had realized that was going to happen, I would have tossed everything before crossing the border.
H got a plain brown t shirt from his cousin one year. They gave me nothing that year. We had spent about $40 between her and her H. We convinced that side of the family to do Secret Santa the next year and they set it to $50 gift(s). I got a screw driver set.
Post by jerseyjaybird on Oct 21, 2014 21:52:18 GMT -5
Oh, and when I turned 16, one of the gifts my parents gave me was in a Tiffany's box. I was beside myself and kept asking if they REALLY got me something from Tiffany.
They did. A book called "Tiffany's Table Manners for Teenagers." I did not think this was as hilarious as they did.
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.
Are we related? My grandparents gave them to myself and all my cousins one year when we were young kids and teens.
The he best gift ever was not to me, but to my father. My great aunt gave him a silver hairbrush. He is completely bald.
My personal best gift was a moldy Avon commemorative plate from my birth year, complete with moldy box. I won the worst gift award with my cousins that year. It was super thoughtful, gone horribly wrong.
As in, Dh and I did not get a Christmas gift from his Grandma on our first Christmas with his family (or since then of course). The rest of his siblings and cousins did during Christmas at her house. Supposedly she didn't get us anything because DH and I had jobs unlike the other family members. She has never gone out of her way to make my husband and our family feel like she cares though so it wasn't that surprising.
Are we in the same family? Nothing from ILs while everyone else gets great gifts. We even give gifts and don't get anything in return, so our gifts keep getting cheaper :-) but H doesn't want to not give gifts...
As in, Dh and I did not get a Christmas gift from his Grandma on our first Christmas with his family (or since then of course). The rest of his siblings and cousins did during Christmas at her house. Supposedly she didn't get us anything because DH and I had jobs unlike the other family members. She has never gone out of her way to make my husband and our family feel like she cares though so it wasn't that surprising.
Eh, my gramma does the same thing now, for the same reason. I get it. It sounds like there's some other history with your DH's grandmother though, so I'll give you that.
My mom gave me a pop-up book of the royal family one year when I was 8 or 9. I still bug her about that. She thought it was awesome. For my 16th birthday my present was snow-tires for the family car (which I couldn't even drive).