To think this is a shite birthday present?

[FretYeNotAllIsShiny]

It was Dd2's birthday last week. Today my her aunt (my ex's sister) sent down her present, she was on holiday abroad last week. The present is a mug which reads something along the lines of "I was remembered in Spain".

I could understand something nice bought on holiday, I could understand a mug emblazoned with something a 14 year old would love, but a souvenir mug? For a birthday present? Even in my skintest days I could come up with something better than that. And she isn't skint btw, she's got more than her fair share of money. whole different thread on that can of worms

So, am I being picky, ungracious and a bit of a cow?

When he was a kid, DH's grandma gave him an entire set of silverware. Piece by piece, so she had each Xmas and birthday covered for many years. OK, it's actually a valuable present, but can you imagine a 4- or 14-year old: "Oh grandma, a spoon! Just what I wanted!"

My MIL got me a Sainsbury's Dine In For £10 meal for my last birthday - random!

MrsTed No, I'm not going on holiday, can't afford it. There's a lot of history there, both with her and the wider family. She's still on my shitlist though, which I think coloured my reaction (you're probably going 'no shit!' at this point!).

My worst present was aged 28, when I received a book from my aunt on Coping with the Menopause.

I love her to bits, incidentally.

Not gifts-related. But this reminds me of my nan - she used to keep Christmas cards she especially liked and put them up each year (for years on end). My mum also decorated her tree for her (beautifully) and the next time she called in my nan had sellotaped empty sweet wrappers and festive pictures out of magazines/ newspapers to the tree

You can get some gift ideas for her here

whydidyoubuymethat.com/

Can't do a clicky link on phone and forgotten how

We love a crap but funny gift in our house. MIL bought DD a lifesize plastic guinea pig for some odd reason.The joy and hilarity it has provided has hugely outweighed the rubbishness of the present.

My Grandma (now sadly deceased) once got me for Christmas a little box with some plastic beads and a very very large pair of sensible pink knickers. I was 15. She got my cousin, then 25, a very large paid of black knickers. She was a lovely, but very straight old fashioned sort of Grandma. Yes, no idea why either!

Oh a friend once got me a Hello Kitty mirror. It was huge and tacky. I was in my 20s. Again, no idea why.

The first Christmas I spent with DH family his aunt handed me a present. I really wasn't expecting anything from her, I'd only met her briefly once before when we bumped into her in the supermarket. I had to do my best bit of acting when I unwrapped a packet of travel tissues and thanked her profusely. The tissues did have pictures on so extra special I guess .

To be fair she did give us a rather generous cheque as a wedding gift several years later.

Yes you can now pin her down as the mad aunty who sends hilarious presents.

I had one - one year I got a car window scraper with a sheepskin mitten around it.

Scratch, that reminds me that I once got some paper table napkins as a gift. They had a William Morris print but the wrapper had that 'been at the back of a drawer for some time' look about it.

My (vile) uncle and aunty gave my sister a tin of sweets for Christmas...open, and with only the toffees that they couldn't eat with their false teeth left in there

We laughed about it a lot!

One birthday my Aunt sent me one pair of pants. With 'Thursday' on. No rest of the week. Just Thursday.

then opened my present, a plastic duck!
Lazylou, next year I would give something equally bizarre with the explanation of "Well, after last year's duck, I thought you wanted to do joke-gifts."

I got a potato bag from my grandmother.

A potato bag.

A bag to store potatoes in.

Probably meant to be a joke. The Royal Family do that. Buy deliberately crap things for the Lolz. Actually my mother does it too. She bought me a cake slice that plays 'Happy Birthday' and 'Ding Dong Merrily on High'. And a rubber dancing Christmas tree which sings 'Rocking around the Christmas Tree'. They're crap. I love them.

My mother once gave my sister's XH eczema cream made from bull's urine for Christmas! (This was before he was XH, makes me laugh everytime I think about it)

IMHO the rusty bikini trimmer with pubes in still wins this thread.

One birthday my Aunt sent me one pair of pants. With 'Thursday' on. No rest of the week. Just Thursday.

Brilliant thread. ^^ This is possibly my favourite .

Agatha. I have forever wondered where the rest of the week went.

I got a book on making rugs from rags ... and rain measure (think test tube you nail to the fence) anti wrinkle cream (@ 15) ..... clip on fake hair in bright pink .... im over 40 at this point with very short hair .... got to love DS .... its the present you dare not open.

Have you still got that rug book? I know someone on another thread who could really use it as a present for her 'friend'

I once got a tube of wall filler as a Christmas present, it wasn't even polyfilla!

Sorry i misplaced it on the train :(