to ask what the worst present you ever had was

[Justforlaughs]

When I first started seeing my now DH, he asked what I wanted for my birthday. I answered "nothing" and I got it! I've also been given a size 10 bikini (when I was a size 16), by a Great Aunt and a hose reel by my MIL. What strange things have you been given?

Just remembered another one. This was a new baby gift after DS was born.

A friend wasn't able to come see DS until a few weeks after he was born, but she rang up, and excitedly told me that she'd got DS lots of super brilliant wonderful presents, I'd really love them, etc. All super enthusiastic.

So, after all the build up from my friend, I wasn't sure what she'd got DS, but was expecting it to be something half decent. She then came round, and presented me with a bag of random crap from a car boot sale - including bobbly stained babygrows (both pink and blue), chewed board books that had been scribbled on by the previous owner, and a set of bottles and teats that had apparently only been used by one other baby. And she happily told me about what a bargain it had all been, and listed the prices she'd paid. Friend is very well off BTW, and has never before, or since, given us presents from a car boot sale.

I''ve always been happy for DS to get good quality second hand stuff - but this really wasn't good quality.

And I still wonder why she didn't just say "I've picked up some stuff for baby Purple from the car boot sale", instead of building it up as if it was going to be a good present
I really don't think I'd have minded all that much if she'd been open about the car boot thing from the start.

It's a toss-up between two - both from my real father. The first was the year I was given a large cream bath towel. Might sound an okay present, except it was my only gift from my father for Christmas and I was about 10. Apparently my stepmother persuaded him it was what I really wanted :/

The second time we were on holiday for Christmas in the Algarve. I was staying in a room with my little brother, who was about 4. He went to put up his stocking, and asked where mine was. My step mother said I was too old for stockings (11), but he got sad so she gave me one too (she had it in the suitcase so must have anticipated this?) - next morning, 4am and he is excitedly unwrapping his stocking toys. About 4.30 he finishes and starts on mine. Even he was somewhat confused as to why Father Christmas had chosen to give me a)my toothbrush and toothpaste b) some sweets I had bought myself at the airport c) whatever else was in my bedside table. I wouldn't have been too upset about not getting a stocking, but to get all my own items was just offensive. Then, as he opened a huge pile of toys, I was handed one tiny package. A swarovski brooch of a panda (think WWF symbol). Fair enough, i liked pandas, bit weird to give an 11 year old, but fine. They told me repeatedly that they hadn't been able to carry all our gifts over on the holiday, so I would get all of mine back at home, they could only bring that one tiny item.

We got back - there were no other gifts for me. They lied just to keep my little brother quiet as he was sad I didn't have things to open.

This thread has outed my cousin!

Mine was the used ladyshave from my nana. The previous year part of my present from the same nana was an empty selection box!

and not worst, but annoying
for my DS1 as a newborn we got a little hat from a lot of people. he had about 15-20 hats, but being born in the summer and quite a big lad only 2 fitted him in the winter - just what a waste of money!
he had no socks though....

funny twist is that we visited some friends that Christmas, their DS had a shelf full of booties, not a single hat.....

My DB once bought me a huge dictionary - it wasn't a bad gift at all as I was doing an English degree at the time and have always liked reference books (saddo alert!) but how were we to know that very shortly afterwards, Google would take off, we'd all have home broadband and just google definitions instead of using boring old books...my lovely big dictionary is now only used for games of Scrabble. Once upon a time I would have used it lots and lots.

flyingspaghetti, that story was so sad :(

Mum did once get a tube of hair removal cream from dad though for xmas Apparently she had been complaining about unwanted hair, and 15 years+ down the line he still can't see why it was inappropriate. You will be unsurprised to learn that they are long since divorced.

I received a tin opener and a fish de-scaler last xmas though

Notheroldie - as an adult I cannot fathom what went through their minds that Christmas. They could so easily have bought anything in the hotel shop to go in my stocking - oranges, chocolate, anything... it was open until well past my little brother's bedtime. Or they could have told me that the holiday was expensive and that was my real present - I could have accepted that too. It was the anticipation of real presents when we got home then the realisation it had been a lie that got to me. I hope I never let my kids down like that.

Having said that, some of these gifts are really sad because it was the same year after year. My Dad did get me my favourite presents ever too - rollerblades one year, a tape deck another. So it was only two years where Christmas was crap.

Boomting, we once saw a man in the pub (no, I lie, it was a working man's club!) wrapping an electric tin opener at 5pm one Christmas Eve. Yes, he was wrapping it in the club. That's long been our idea of a joke present to each other!

flying your little brother is the sweetest though, he was sad coz you didn't get anything...

The answer ladies is buy your own presents. I do it every year. Yesterday I bought myself posh make up for Christmas, had it all deliciously wrapped with bows and gave it to DH to put under the tree for me. Got three gorgeous parcels to open.

A lace and silk sexy baby doll nightie and matching thong......

.......From my grandad.......

.......I was 3........

On my 30th birthday from my mom I got meat.... Yep meat. 2 fatty gristly horrible joints of beef and a few pork chops.

A tap and a teapot! (Not on the same occasion) DH rang me at work, very excited because he had bought me 'something he knew I would love' kept dropping hints about it, but wouldnt tell me what it was, but one of the clues was that it was blue, something for everyday etc, etc. Girls at work and I spent ages guessing, thinking jewellery, handbag etc, etc. Everyone really excited next day to find out what suprise was........... it was the teapot!!! In fairness, it was a very nice teapot and blue is my favourite colour, but :(

The tap, similar scenario - got home to find he had bought me one of those multi-use type taps. One of the older ladies at work tried to console me by telling me I had married a 'practical' one, hers was useless when anything went wrong in the house and that I should try to think positive and be grateful because she had to either mend it herself or 'get a man in' to do it!

My stepmother once gave me some cotton wool balls because she'd noticed that I'd taken a couple of hers (context she had got together with my dad and moved in pretty shortly after my mum had died. It was a pretty tense household). Snarky much?

Binkybix

My ex-h once bought me a George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine for my birthday. I had been a vegetarian for about 10 years at that point. He said it was so I could cook meat for him in a healthier way. Just one of the many reasons he is my ex.......

Three months after my mum had given birth to my brother my gran (her MIL) bought her a size 20 dressing gown and a Legs, Bums and Tums aerobics video for Christmas. My mum must have been a size 12 at the time and I remember my gran telling her 'you're really struggling with that baby weight, aren't you?' as she handed over the presents.

An ex bf wrapped up his childhood teddy bear as a Christmas present. Just a bear, a pink bear, that his dad had won at a fair. I could go on here, but I will very much out myself. It's still at my parents somewhere. (Well, I couldn't throw it out or give it away - I suppose I should have given it back). It needed a wash as well. He became ex-bf within 6 mths.

My GMIL got my DH a rusty tin opener and a half empty packet of biscuits that had gone off a year previously.

For our DDs first Christmas she got her a massive ugly glass snow globe that played 'endless love'. It was addresses to 'Amy'. My daughter is not called Amy. GMIL is in full possession of her faculties bless her. I was so glad when the 'orrible thing smashed in the boot on the way home!

Last year my mum got me a dustpan for Christmas. The year before that it was a pair of books, one all about bicarb and one about vinegar. For my birthday (31st) I got an usborne maths book

flyingspaghettimonster you officially have a worse father than me.

ThatIsNotAGoodThingTiggaxx

PS do you have any kind of relationship with him now?

Gifts from MIL. "old lady" scented handcream and a leatherette jewellery holder, which smells a bit funny and has compartments that are too small to fit most things in. I have no problem with either of these, they were v well-intentioned and just not my cup of tea. I would have happily stuckl them in the back of a drawer if it weren't for dh constantly (3 years later!!!!) suggesting I put x or y my nice jewellery box and saying he thinks it's weird I have such a lovely box but keep necklaces in the boxes they came in.

Last year I moved house and had a few hiccups with the expense of it all, so I asked my mum to help out with keeping my kids music lessons going, which she did, very generously.

On Christmas Day she told my kids (teens) that was their present (I wish she had told me that before so I could have warned them and got them ready to thank her - it was a bit awkward!), and that my present was the 'change' from the cheque she had given me to cover the lessons. There wasn't really any change.

She wasn't being mean in any way as the music lessons were expensive but I still felt a little hurt 'in the moment'.

Actually my worst present ever was my Uncle who bought me a pair of school socks for Christmas. He also gave my mother the picture (beautifully wrapped) that she had painted for him several years previously.

Some of these are so :(

I did have quite a few years of getting Nothing, and my mum would say "well I get you things throughout the year don't I" (um, no, not really)

Then came a phase of giving me a scarf with the stock phrase "if you don't like it, I'll keep it"

Last Xmas though she really outdid herself by bringing the contents of the lost property box where she worked. It was ok though, because she'd washed the bobbly scarf and the various pairs of gloves There were two ELC figures I kept for DD, but binned the rest. I felt guilty for throwing the stuff out

Thankfully she now just asks what we would like and gives us the money, but I'm still dreading her turning up with random crap, because it really puts a downer on the day (not actually the 25th thank goodness - we spend that on our own)

Don't think anything could beat my DH's though; on his 18th (long before we were together) his mother gave him a frying pan - the same brand she used to whack him with.

fuzzpig I feel sorry for your DH on his 18th for being given the frying pan he was whacked with! My son was the same sort of teenager and I used a fish slice. When he turned round and laughed at me during the process it told me that it was the last time. Perhaps your DH's mother was telling your DH the same when she gave the frying pan to him.