Most random but ultimately brilliant present you've ever been given...

[Limth]

When I started my business many years ago, a 'friend' bought me a Rolodex as a bit of a bitchy present. As a 'fuck you', I started using it. Then I actually fell in love with it. And then I gave her it a name. And now I use it all the bloody time now. The 'friend' has long since disappeared from my life but Ms. Rowan lives on as my trusty side-kick.

In my 20s, I was moving out of a house to the other side of the country. I had stuff to go to the tip, stuff to go to the second-hand furniture shop, stuff for the charity shop, bags of tatty clothes for rag recycling. I was completely overwhelmed with it and struggling because I didn't have a car. For my birthday, my friend hired me a 'Man With Van' for a half-day. The sense of relief at having that help was better than any spa break I've ever had.

What random presents have you had that've ultimately proved to be brilliant?

@AbacusAvocado We’ve just got one, it’s Blagdon Affinity ponds. They come in different shapes and sizes. We ordered ours from the Blagdon Amazon Store.

A LONG time ago, DH gave me a Pebble phone charger (powerbank). It was before they were a thing, and I LOLed ungratefully at the idea of carrying TWO things around instead of one. To his face. Oh the shame (it is still in use).

I LOVE my Rolodex. It was traditional to take it on with you from your first job, and I still have it on my desk, still add to it. I would be bereft without it. In fact, it's a toss up between DH and the Rolodex!

@FawnFrenchieMum thank you I will take a look!

Mines a cracker gift. It’s the mini grater. Just a perfect size for grating a bit of straight into a side bowl. Minimal washing up. So much better than a huge grater where you lose half the cheese falling out the bottom and gets stuck in all the holes.
Also does nutmeg.

I have the flip up retro phone pad. Friend got given it as a present and hated it. My favourite regifted to me and I love it.

Should have said, this was 40 years ago! It has new categories added, but I could probably still find a decent insurance mailing list in North Carolina for a mailshot.

OOh, I've got my eye on one of them and this has now convinced me to buy it

I mentioned this on another thread earlier and it fits here too.

When I was pg with dd1 (born in feb), we lived very rurally, away from shops and I didn't drive. Happy to get regular buses but not every day!

For Christmas, dh gave me a length of drainpipe. With a removable plug at one end. I was mystified!

When I opened it it had the newspaper from Christmas Eve in it. Where we lived, many people had long driveways and would have a pipe to take delivery of the newspaper. He'd organised for me to get a Guardian every day. I had to get dressed and walk up the drive to get it, but when I had it I'd make coffee and read it while dd1 slept. Or out loud to her if she was awake. It was a thing for ME and I loved it. Got it right up until we moved when dd1 was 6 and we also had ds and dd2!

I love this thread beyond measure.

Mine have been:
silicon egg poachers - marvellous things

a charging plug with lots of different ports in the same plug so you can charge multiple things with different cables at the same time

A wooden Vase with wooden flowers in it - I was bemused at first as DH never buys me flowers and it seemed so random, but I love them, they've survived several house moves, always look lovely and get complimented and never die. Much prefer them to the real thing now!

One of those sleep masks you can heat up or freeze/cool - I get migraines and it's game changing

Gloves on a string! A joke present from my best friend that I bring out with utter joy every christmas, smug as anything when other people are missing a glove...

A friend gave me a cardboard cutter tool.

You can't cut yourself on it, can give it to kids, opens taped up boxes with ease, including plastic ties, it goes through thick cardboard boxes like butter and makes putting the recycling out a breeze. Also doubles as envelope opener.

One like this:
Cutter

A friend gave me some reusable plastic straws, but most importantly they came with a cleaning brush of exactly the right size!

fab…. Have you got a link?!

🙏🏼

Forty+ years ago our daughter was very keen on an egg boiler at the home of our friends, I learned recently it's still working! Moulinex or maybe Bosch, it's orange so it was probably Moulinex

I was diagnosed some years ago with a chronic illness, my mum bought me this lovely little satin, zipped pouch with my initials on it to put my daily tablets in. Turns out she was mortified that I was wrapping copious amounts of tablets in tin foil to put in my handbag while out and about. Apparently I looked like a drug addict

Re those spaghetti measuring thingies, surely the length of the spaghetti will influence how much you get?

A keyring pet hair remover. I was like "oh but I just stick tape round my hand" I've still got the thing 10 years on and it without a doubt removes cat hair incredibly. It's even wearing away. I said to my Mum where did you get it? "Did I get you it? Are you sure?" 🤣🙄

NC because this is really specific and outing.

My grandfather had Alzheimer's and, on his third-from-last Christmas he gave everyone a pack of four knickerbocker glory spoons. We all thanked him politely and after he'd gone to bed we all concluded that he'd lost the plot a bit. The following Christmas, he didn't go shopping, then he had a stroke and went into care and we went to his care home for his last Christmas, then he died.

I used his kind legacy to me to put a deposit on a house and now needed my own coffee making equipment, so I bought one of those Boden cafetières that holds three mugs of coffee. The only spoons long enough to stir the coffee are the knickerbocker glory spoons. Every time I make coffee, I think of him.

He hadn't lost the plot at all, he gave practical gifts that we would remember him by.

@outedbyspoons that's made me a bit teary which I didn't expect from this thread!

I need a link for this please!

I need this! Do you know the brand and if they are still available?

My mother in law bought me a rather nice tin opener as an engagement gift.

I scoffed at the time, but we still have the bloody thing!

Is it the Alessi one? They were around long before IKEA’s.

@80sMum Do you know what they're called or where the cards came from? They sound ace

Joseph Joseph kitchen bin. I could never afford to pay that much for a bin. It's got sections for all the recycling and food waste and the colour matches my kitchen perfectly. Now I have a smart looking bin instead of multiple different recycling boxes.

Waterproof socks I didn't know I needed them till I was given some.