for taking DH's absolute inabilty to choose me a nice present so bloody personally and not faking gratitude

[halohasslipped]

Dh has just landed after being away for a while. Beautiful clothes for DC's and a travel toiletry bag for me. Having told him about a month ago that i hate his toiletry bag as it's so cumbersome to pack i feel so gutted. I REALLY wasn't expecting anything, so knowing he went out and then got something so wrong really upsets me. You still have to put stuff in plastic bags anyway before you put it in so it renders it all pretty useless and it was quite expensive.

He's upset and i'm upset and i feel like such a bitch because i failed to lie and pretend i like it.

Had whatever was in the bag fallen out juggling?

Juggling, if you're going to widen the competition to include friends and, dare I suggest, mothers then we're going to need a bigger fucking suitcase.

If only that were so AgentZigzag
No, I think it will have to go in the vinyl tan suitcase (lovely!) with all the other contenders. It won't take up much space I promise. < humble emoticon >
I should be grateful really ...

Juggling, Was there perhaps meant to be a lock of his hair in it? The body of his favourite flea? A carefully split atom?

He was a friend/ boyfriend at the time though, Linerunner

But now you've mentioned mothers did I ever tell you about the lovely packet of biscuits I recently received ... yes, from my own mother, as a present. I had to remind myself she was brought up in the war ...

Who can raise me a packet of biscuits ?

But were they nice biscuits?

Or (horror) were they Oreos?

Who was it that once got an Octopus for a present? I was bloody howling at that for ages after reading that.

My ex once booked me a private physiotherapy session. Meant well, but really? A medical appointment as a Christmas present?

When I was a struggling student I was home for Christmas and had asked my parents please please for either a clothes voucher, a book token or a little bit of money. I had a long journey back to uni with a backpack and student rail card.

My mother presented me with a fucking grandfather clock.

I would have loved an octopus!

Shortbread in tartan packaging if I remember rightly, Salmotrutta

He has occasionally given me some belly button fluff as a special treat Linerunner - perhaps that's what had fallen out of the small paper bag

worst one I ever got was anti-ageing wrinkle serum. Bastard.

I wanna(n?) Octopus!!!!

Dare I ask if the octopus was alive or canned?

I'm sure it was alive Linerunner. I'm trying to think of the thread it was on.

An octopus??? Alive or dead?

I got a packet of pollyfiller once. (although he did hide a bottle of alcohol in there).

Please tell me the polyfilla was for the walls. If my DH had done that and there'd been a hint of a suggestion it was for my face, he would have got divorce papers for his next present!!

A grandfather clock??
How did you fit it in your rucksack LineRunner?

I know what you mean OP, it's the lack of thought.

One year I got cash straight from the machine for Christmas as ex was too busy to shop.

It should have been a good present but the money went on bills

Salmo, Well there's the rub. I couldn't take it back to uni so gave it to my mother, where it fitted snugly into a conveniently prepared niche in the hall. She was distraught I wasn't grateful enough (I'm afraid my disappointment was palpable over the sprouts that day) and I've never quite understood the dynamics of that particular episode.

But you gotta

Line runner - did you ever reclaim the clock when you got your own home or did your dm just want an excuse to buy a clock she wanted for the hall?

LineRunner, am for you. Basically your mother bought herself a clock for Christmas and tried to palm it off as a present for you, thereby not getting you a present at all.

Is it in your house now you are not a student. If not, I think you should reclaim it even if you stick it straight on ebay. It's yours after all

The pollyfiller was used for the walls eventually, but it was done just for my initail reaction. He knew I wouldnt take it seriously and we still laugh about it now.

MIL gave me a tin of varnish, it wasnt until I opened the bench she bought when I realised what she done.

I'm one of the weird ones though, practical stuff like paint, varnish and the like I get more excited over than I do perfume or such like.

Oh I'm absolutely with you, OP. No present at all is better than a crap, thoughtless present. If they think about it and cock up then fair enough - you smile sweetly and fake gratitude. If they have clearly thought about it for half a second and cock up, no need to fake anything.

DH went on a work jolly to Paris and I got some little tins of pate which looked and smelt like catfood, except that the cats wouldn't even eat it. I didn't pretend to be impressed.