gifts; what on earth is the point of certain gifts?

[Beargrumps22]

either giving or receiving what on earth is the point of some items that seem to be given time and again?
like handbag hangers a sort of hook thing you use to hang your handbag on a table
eye masks sleeping things honest if i wore one i would think when i woke up id lost my sight!
silk flowers in a glass with a sort of yukky gel in the bottom it gets filthy and silk flowers dont do it for me

Could be worse. Could be scented drawer liners. 😂

true and they always smell so awful too

true and they always smell so awful too

It is people who dislike/hate you who give you these presents. Otherwise they would regift you chocolates or wine.

They sound like they don’t know you very well…. Or you don’t have very obvious interests.

Start dropping hints for next year!

Well all I can say is - don't let your 11 year old choose gifts for adults in the wider family.
Please.

I think it depends on the quality of those items (I have a good quality sleep mask and it’s a godsend especially during the summer) and indeed the suitability for that individual, it’s not a particular ‘personal’ present which is probably why it’s favoured.

I agree it's about the quality and whether it actually fits with what the recipient likes

I've often asked for items for my hobby but have been told "that's not a Christmas /birthday present" despite it being what I would like... so I get something "suitable" aka nothing I want. 🙄

This is the reason i dont celebrate my birthday and don’t receive gifts at Christmas. I don’t like tat which is not to my taste.

Preserves generally fall into this category. Also candles, toiletry gift sets and even fluffy socks (although I like those occasionally).

It’s a question of matching the gift to the recipient. I also have an eye mask and I find it really useful on overnight flights or trains, and I quite fancy some drawer liners (maybe not scented)! Consumable gifts are generally the way to go when you don’t know what to get someone, I think - they won’t hang around for ages and are easier to regift/donate to a raffle than knickknacks. What I don’t like is novelty presents - it just seems a waste of resources to create something for an initial laugh that will subsequently be forgotten about at the back of a cupboard.

I mentioned once that I found an eye mask very helpful for sleeping because I often work nights. I received six eye masks that year (which I thought was a bit odd, because if I had mentioned how useful it was, I obviously already had one).

That being said, one of the new ones did end up becoming my new favourite. It has a cool gel in it that feels lovely on tired puffy eyes.

Fully agree with you on the silk flowers and the gross jelly though op!

See also cook books (I'm in my 30s, i have my go to recipes down and have done for nearly 20 years, if I want to try something new I'll look online), smelly candles, dove body wash sets, cheap chocolate

I use one of those handbag hangers. They are brilliant for eating out in busy tourist spots- definitely the best way of keeping your bag close and safe.

I had just moved back to my parents' house after a messy breakup, I had lost my home, my dog and my job. My then SIL bought me a Housekeeping diary that Christmas.

I like the eye masks dont like presents for presents sake though so dont do secret santa.
My dd gets me thoughtful bits.this yŕ a box with scalp massager,flexible hair brush and specialist products for my bushy hair.
If anyone gets me body lotion i just dont use them.

See I love a candle as a gift. If you don't like it - regift it (like the giver probably did to you)