to boycott the utterly crap christmas 'gift sets' which are on every shelf of every shop

[GetOrfMoiLand]

Is there a person alive who would want to recieve the following:

A gift box of bubble bath and bath salts

A comedy inflatable sofa with a bottle of budweiser in

A Jack Daniels coaster. ONE. With JD miniature.

Christmas socks

A lone champagne glass with a mini bottle of cava with 3 champagne truffles.

Fuck it. What a waste of time, effort and money.

I am very pleased actually as my family and friends have all agreed not to bother with presents for adults this year, so people will not feel the need to spend a fiver/tenner they can ill afford on crud like this.

[ApocalypseCheese]

I remember one year my sis got me a farkin 'sanctuary' gift set, it reacted horrendously with my skin and I ended up with awful thrush so I gave it to my other sister. Sis caught wind of this and protested loudly at my ungratefulness, proclaiming 'it cost me £15 that did'

To which I responded, 'it cost me ten times that in bloody canesten'

Job done, no more gift sets

[FreudianSlimmery]

I suppose they do make all the mad MILs happy and they can hoard them...

[LaWeaselMys]

I'm allergic to perfume anyway.

A fact which I feel like tattooing on my head at this time of year.

(I try and mention it periodically through the year, but come Christmas no, of course I'm back to writing thank you cards for shit I can't use and the smell of which makes me itch)

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

Toiletry gift sets are good for young teens I think, I know I used to love getting them and now my niece is keen and actually requests such things.
I wouldn't mind getting one myself if it was of a suitable brand (Aveda/Bobbi Brown/Clarins )

The rest is rubbish though, the worst rip off are the booze ones. My grandma bought one for my parents a few years ago, clearly she was totally stuck for ideas and so she'd spent about £50 on one that had a bottle of cheap champagne and 2 glasses in it. My Dad (she's his Mum) was mortified because she isn't well off and it was a dreadful waste of money. He always tells her a CD or something he wants now, to avoid it happening again.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

Apocalypse - see that would have been ok with me, I quite like Sanctuary and DH always gets me one or two thing to go in my stocking - not a gift set though as they are a rip off!
Can't believe she moaned at you though, I would have been really upset that something I'd bought for someone had given them thrush!!

[roslily]

I'm not keen, but we are skint and despite mentioning the "only buying for children" thing, we still have to buy for dh's brothers and partner. To be fair they always buy us tat, usually from the shops they work in.

So this week I was guilty of buying such tat. Wouldn't give them to people I like!

[ApocalypseCheese]

I know, couldn't believe it, could barely sit down for two weeks

Am tellin ya, I started looking at tooth brushes in a whole new light during that episode

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

Gah you poor thing, thrush is hideous. I had it terribly when I was pg with DS, and then never since thank god!

[colditz]

Don't throw them away. Donate them to old people's homes.

Elderly people often wash themselves with cheap soap and moisturise with baby lotion because they cannot afford anything else. these 'gift sets' will be wrapped up by the staff and redistributed the next year as birthday and christmas gifts.

[Bumperlicious]

YABU, very year I really hope that I will get one of those giant mug gift sets

[Bumperlicious]

every year

[PointlessNastiness]

hahah
you should see this POINTLESS on in waitrose
hold on

WHY?}

[NinkyNonker]

I use body lotion...gallons of the stuff for my dry skin. BUT: Not highly fragnanced novelty tat that will flair my excema a treat. We're still working our way through the gallons of shower gel etc we got last yr...just in time to be restocked.

[Asteria]

I HATE those cheap brandless lotion giftsets, that and my dear grandmother is obsessed with giving me the most horrendous jewellery that gives me a rash too.
I wouldn't mind a gift set from Ann Summers though

[maddy68]

I am a secondary school teacher so rarely get gifts, but when I do I REALLY appreciate them, its lovely to think that that child values your input. I dont care what it is , it REALLY is the thought that counts

[moondog]

I'm with ya all the way Getorf.
Or what about that crap they sell in places like Next? Metres of hard plastic encasing tiny bottle of what is porbably car engine oil and a few dusty canisters of spices? Tall cylindrical jars of artfully spaced beand and lentils? A mug in cellophane with an electric swizzer.


WRF?

This crap makes me feel rather angry but at least it is cheap crap.
More worrying is expensive crap flogged by smug Hoorays

[Timeforanap]

Yeah, I agree about the waste of money tat. Would rather have something that can be used up then naff ornament/photo frame that sits around my house until I get 'round to taking it to the charity shop though. Always get wine, chocs or flowers for teachers, or include gift receipt.

BUT often if my bro requests fav brand of "fragrance for men" I find that the Christmas box set with lotion is CHEAPER than the bottle on it's own, for the same ml or more. So don't assume it's a rip off!

[MilkNoSugarPlease]

YANBU BUT I am desperate for the starbucks ones :o

[AbsofCroissant]

Thanks Pointless! I've been looking for that for ages (in all seriousness). A friend was given one, and I think its rather awesome, and she didn't know where it was from.

My one SIL is a huge HUGE fan of all the Next gift sets, and every year, for three years, gave me a Next gift set for feet. I just don't know how to take that, TBH, but at the time I took it as a huge insult (on so many levels).

[GetOrfMoiLand]

I had a sister in law who bought me Next crap for Christmas every year.

Who in the name of the world wears next perfume?

I also make curries a lot and am one of those poncey twats who grinds their own spices. My much beloved MIL bought me a Schwartz spice rack one year. i can't use any of the stuff in it, but pretended it was the best present ever, god bless her. I just wish she had saved her money.

[SoMuchToBits]

I hate body lotion - it makes me feel all greasy. But the thing I hate about toiletry gift sets is mainly that they smell of something I don't like and would never choose for myself.

[diddl]

Body lotion every day?

Do you have dry skin?

Why the ?

I don´t need it so why would I use it?