to not want to buy family member 50 small presents beginning with T?

[TheDoodler]

I probably am BU and miserable to boot (this is my first time here and i have changed a few details for obv reasons)...but...

Family member's big 50th birthday bash coming up in a couple of months. Her daughter has come up with the hilarious idea that 26 of us buy her 50 small presents each beginning with a certain letter. IABU and grumpy to hate these 'novelty' presents? What is she going to do with them all anyway??

I was going to buy her tickets to a show or something easy classy. I work part time in an office and part time at home self employed....gah! Now i have to be arsed to do this and be involved in it and then stand and watch her unwrap 1300 pieces of crap at her party.

If my family and friends gave me 1300 pieces of tat I would kill them all. Slowly. And very painfully. Probably by ramming the various items into them, sideways!

One set of 26 alphabet-tat items would be cute, 50 alphabet items would be cute and relevant - singles maybe for the worst 4 letters and two each for the rest.

26x50 is insane - speak to the organiser to point it out, then go with the tictacs/toffees plus the tickets if they don't see reason!

That is the stupidist thing I have heard in a long time. Speak to her DD, suggest what rewardgirl said - if there's no swaying her, go with SDTG and buy 48 toffees and 2 tickets.

we did this for my mums 50th (my dads idea not mine!) and it was completely stupid, however pointing this out meant my dad stopped talking to me for a week so in the end i gave up and went along with it. I had C so got my mum a pair of "concert" tickets i know she actually wanted and 48 mini chocolates. My dad decided this was "cheating" but at least my mum got something she actually wanted. Most of the crap went straight in the bin! if you have to do it then definitely go with 2 tickets and 48 toffees. Just thought you might like to know that there are others out there who have suffered through this!

Poor woman. She'll get loads of cheap, pointless crap when she'll be expecting thoughtful gifts.

I'd burst into tears (hormonal)

YANBU - why have 50 pieces of crap when she could have one nice thing?

I am PSML at all these descriptions of the bloke unwrapping seventy-two pens and the "Teddy bear, tinsel, twig ... ... trowel?"

I had the same kind of thought as rewardgirl. £1 a gift adds up to a tidy amount that would pay for a fab holiday. I know which I would prefer!!

I would cry if I thought I had missed out on a fab holiday because of a mountain of daft token presents.

I think you should show the well meaning idiot person who organised it this thread.

Why do milestones birthday make relatives revert to school days? Pointless crap that takes ages to think of or a decent, well thought out present? I know which I'd prefer! Give me wine and chocs and I'm happy! Theatre tickets sound lovely, far better than 50 Ways To Show You Don't Give A Crap!

Totally insane. At what point do you reckon she'd realise the relevance of the torrent of shite presents?! Someone will have to point it out to her anyway so what really is the point?

I remember buying 18 silly presents for a friend on her 18th birthday, but a) I was 18 at the time, and b) there were only 18 of them! And even that got a bit tiresome and unfunny towards the end.

50 Zovirax tablets
50 Yum Yums from M&S
50 Xylitol tablets
50 Wethers Originals

Who got letter M? Lucky beggar only has to buy 2 packets of Matches and use two!

I can see this all back firing....poor woman.

Its a shit idea.

But if you really have to join in, can you get 50 x £1 theatre tokens? Do they do them in denominations that small now?

Doodler - couldn't you write a 50 page book for her, entitled "Totally Tat Things That Twunt Thought Thee'd Truly (t)appreciate". Then get the tickets. Or an NHS voucher for the op she'll need for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome after putting pins in her eyes opening 1300 pieces of shoite lovingly wrapped gifts.

sorry, how old is her daughter, 12? I'd just say sorry I'd rather not take part or if you can lie without getting embarrased say you've already got the tickets.

I hate joke presents. They always end up in the charity shop in our house. I'd much rather have one thing nice and thoughtful.

Besides, I bet her dd won't tell her mum it was all her idea when you've all left and her mums wondering why she's ended up with a load of rubbish. What a waste of money.

• you lot have cheered me up.

Sanielle - not got it wrong sadly. The moment of enlightenment occurred when Daughter realised there were 26 "close" relatives.

musicmadness - nice to see we're not the only ones...(i think)...

If i can't persuade her daughter otherwise i will get the tickets and toffees / tic tacs and persuade others i'm closer to to do similar.

Oh and thanks for not saying i was a miserable git - just because it's in AIBU...

Of all the stupid ideas I've ever heard.

And are you all supposed to sit around while she opens ALL the presents?? God, by D you're going to be DYING....

What a shit idea.
Who needs more crap?
I've got to the stage where I would actually prefer people not to give me ANYTHING.

I have two dear friends who think that quantit is syonymous with quality and who (bless them) flood me with complete shit at what they take to be appropriate times.
(No X, I do not want novelty vodka shot glasss from Poundland. Not now, not never.)

Fifty Two Pence pieces

Stupid idea, but go along with it so you're not the killjoy and get 2 tickets and 48 toffees. (Lidl do bags of gold foil wrapped toffees v cheap that are delicious - taste really expensive)

You will make your point, without spoiling the "fun" and give by far the best gift to boot. You can even thank the daughter for the fab idea

You could bury the tickets under the toffees in a pretty box

I know I've come to this late, but I just have to say how gobsmacked I am at this horrible idea! Who wants to watch someone unwrapping 1300 pieces of tat? And who wants to do that unwrapping on a birthday? Worst idea ever!

My uncle and aunt did something similar for my cousin's 20th birthday, but the important thing is that they did not force the idea on others. They themselves bought her 26 gifts, each relating to a letter of the alphabet. This meant she got about 20 pieces of tat (lipgloss, cup, bouquet etc) but she also got 6 amazing main gifts (Wii, Prada bag, SLR camera stick in my mind!). It was a lovely gesture, and nothing like the madness that OP's organiser has in mind.

I gave my colleague 40 crackers for his 40th - but it was a joke as he was always pinching my lovely Dr Karg crackers and then offering me his rubbish ryvita or similar. So when he turned 40 he got 40 Dr Karg crackers - lucky devil.

Wouldn't it have been better for everyone to buy two presents of the letter except for for example Q and Z? Maybe suggest it as a compromise?

YABU, she was just trying to think of a nice way to tie everyone in together to make her Mum feel loved.

(titter, someone had to)