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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

What was the shittest present you ever received?

850 replies

BrightonOrLancaster · 11/12/2021 22:52

Christmas I was 13, got a lacy training bra from an aunt I wasnt close to. WTF? I had to open it in front of family, was fucking mortified.

Birthday present from ex: dumbbells with flashing colour changing lights from ALDI. Lol. No comment

OP posts:
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Squiff70 · 13/12/2021 22:42

A packet of pocket tissues (I shit ye not) from my Grandma. Bless her heart, she thought she was being helpful. She wrapped them and put them in a stocking with equally shit shit. Miss you, Grandma!

Also, my MIL gave us a newborn babygro in a very Christmassy design for our 6 month old daughter. She gave it to us in May.

MsLup · 13/12/2021 22:54

Last Christmas when my Husband 'hinted' he was having an affair. It was our first festive period in 25 years without family and friends due to Covid lockdown rules. We had just moved, I was totally isolated and had gone all out to make it special as there was just the two of us and he spent Christmas day sitting on sofa opposite to me glued to his phone texting another woman. Took the spineless b*stard until New Year's day to admit he had been having an affair for 3 months. Broke my heart into a million pieces and Christmas will never be the same again.

Clearthinking · 13/12/2021 22:56

We get 3 tubs of chocolates off mil and my mum every year. Im not a chocolate fan! The couple of dove sets, socks etc but they mean well. Shittest is first Xmas with husband, his mum bought me a car seat organiser that hangs off the seats, chocolate flavour body lotion and some more body lotion that had been opened with a finger swipe mark in the middle and some 18 month out of date chocolates

Clearthinking · 13/12/2021 22:59

The best being a can of sure deodorant from an exs grandma i adored who had no money what so ever but would give her 3 grandkids and me a can. Beautiful woman. Tried to keep slipping her money to help but would bollock us for trying god bless her

Ironingtsunami · 13/12/2021 23:09

@playmelikeasymphony wow that's some real lack of insight from your friend. Did you speak to them about it?

I think I've shared mine before, but mine I rate as particularly rubbish because it wasn't just the lack of thought in the moment, it was the planned lack of thought... When I was a teenager my mum started working for a very twee clothes shop aimed at the over 60s/70s - think elasticated pleated skirts, cardigans and imitation pearl necklaces. In the run up to xmas they would get a gift range that featured similarly twee scarves, dressing gowns, novelty socks, broaches etc. Because it was a temporary range everything would be heavily discounted on Christmas Eve.

My mum saw this as a perk, and would hide items in the stock room, buy them Christmas Eve on the reduced price + staff discount, and gift them to me Christmas Day, when she would gleefully tell me about how much she had saved. That I was 13/14 and not interested in old lady scarves or fleece dressing gowns three sizes too big did not cross her mind (the clothes started at a very roomy 10, I was skinny as a rake and small for my age)
What was even worse is at 16 I got a Saturday job in the same shop. So I knew all the stock, spent my weekends trying to upsell these at the till (they were all positioned next to or behind the cash desk). My mum still hid items and bought them for me for another two Christmases, after which she declared me too old for Christmas presents.

Honestly I think I would have rather she got me a half arsed gift from a petrol station than go through that charade every year.

BBOA · 13/12/2021 23:13

My Mum gave my husband half a pack of socks!

Whattodonowill · 13/12/2021 23:18

A set of blank VHS cassettes

sobercuriouskind · 13/12/2021 23:18

A pet food tin (I don't have any pets).
Black pasta.
A used CD (complete with scratches).
DH bought me a cardigan that would have suited his Grandmother. I was 29. He hasn't bought me clothes since.

violetbunny · 13/12/2021 23:20

@Whattodonowill

A set of blank VHS cassettes
Hopefully this was Xmas in 1985 and not in 2020! Grin
sobercuriouskind · 13/12/2021 23:21

Oh and the worst gift I ever heard about was my SIL recalling a present from her Dad, a VHS tape recording of Tina Turner's Whats Love got to do with it off the TV and the end was missing. Dreadful.

Ironingtsunami · 13/12/2021 23:31

Oh I've just remembered another one - work secret Santa, which I accept may be pretty rubbish. I understand people at work not knowing much about each other, though there's only 10 of us so it's not like a team of complete strangers.
One of the things I'd expect most people to know about me if they've been in the office more than 5 minutes is that I eat a LOT of chocolate and biscuits, often buy them for the team etc. So that's quite an easy get out? Another is that I have quite severe asthma, can't have air fresheners or people spray deoderant etc around me, I sit next to a window to help with this, and people will point out to someone new if they do this without thinking (I really try not to make a big deal out of it but it does affect me quite noticeably - I'll have coughing fits and excuse myself for a walk)

One year work secret Santa I got some of those oil diffuser smelly things. I binned them on the way home from work, the smell was so strong.
Another year I got a cheap, heavily perfumed Christmas candle.

I think I'm reasonably popular in the team, but maybe I should reconsider...!

Ironingtsunami · 13/12/2021 23:31

Oh I've just remembered another one - work secret Santa, which I accept may be pretty rubbish. I understand people at work not knowing much about each other, though there's only 10 of us so it's not like a team of complete strangers.
One of the things I'd expect most people to know about me if they've been in the office more than 5 minutes is that I eat a LOT of chocolate and biscuits, often buy them for the team etc. So that's quite an easy get out? Another is that I have quite severe asthma, can't have air fresheners or people spray deoderant etc around me, I sit next to a window to help with this, and people will point out to someone new if they do this without thinking (I really try not to make a big deal out of it but it does affect me quite noticeably - I'll have coughing fits and excuse myself for a walk)

One year work secret Santa I got some of those oil diffuser smelly things. I binned them on the way home from work, the smell was so strong.
Another year I got a cheap, heavily perfumed Christmas candle.

I think I'm reasonably popular in the team, but maybe I should reconsider...!

Beastieboys · 13/12/2021 23:39

One Christmas many years ago family sitting round the tree at my house mum, dad, brother, kids and fw ex bf.....

AppaTheSixLeggedFlyingBison · 13/12/2021 23:46

@MsLup

Last Christmas when my Husband 'hinted' he was having an affair. It was our first festive period in 25 years without family and friends due to Covid lockdown rules. We had just moved, I was totally isolated and had gone all out to make it special as there was just the two of us and he spent Christmas day sitting on sofa opposite to me glued to his phone texting another woman. Took the spineless b*stard until New Year's day to admit he had been having an affair for 3 months. Broke my heart into a million pieces and Christmas will never be the same again.
What a b*stard man, here's wishing you a better Christmas this year Flowers
TitoMojito · 13/12/2021 23:49

Love these threads every year Grin grabs popcorn

Beastieboys · 13/12/2021 23:50

Sorry hit the send button by mistake. To continue.... Presents were being passed around and piling up next to each person... Except me, my parents had given me their gift a few days earlier, I recieved a couple of small things off the kids and it became obvious that cf partner hadn't bought me a single thing even though he had recieved copious amounts from every body.else!, next thing he and dd2 disappeared and returned with some very hastily wrapped presents...... Dd2 looked both relieved and puzzled as cf bf presented me very grandly with a dozen or so gifts... On opening them I discovered that he had dived head first into my emergency surprise visitor gift draw and was presenting me my own stuff that I'd bought! Realised that the man was a bloody idiot, my mum had looked so relieved when he had turned up with something for me which turned to wanting to kicking his arse from here to next week!

sborber · 13/12/2021 23:51

My in laws bought me a pack of Disney tsum tsums that I had no idea what to do with at the age of 25. Five years later and the dog enjoys playing with them.

floss1 · 14/12/2021 00:04

A Radley handbag from my sister……actually lovely; issue was I had given it to her two years earlier!!

SorrySadDog · 14/12/2021 00:04

Oh oh oh I HAVE ONE

I got Alexandra Burmese cd single of Hallelujah for Christmas from my live in boyfriend. He got me NOTHING else.

I was mortified and humiliated, basically his way of telling me I wasn’t worth it

SorrySadDog · 14/12/2021 00:04

@SorrySadDog

Oh oh oh I HAVE ONE

I got Alexandra Burmese cd single of Hallelujah for Christmas from my live in boyfriend. He got me NOTHING else.

I was mortified and humiliated, basically his way of telling me I wasn’t worth it

Weird autocorrect. Burmese lol
GrandmasCat · 14/12/2021 00:30

My friend got me a CD of Michael Buble for Christmas, then again the same CD for another 2 consecutive Christmas.

I don’t like Michael Buble, but then, I just smile and say thank you putting to the side her forgetfulness because I never remember her birthday Blush

Mothership4two · 14/12/2021 00:30

Absolute shittest present ever: a toilet brush with a ceramic holder from an ex which I unwrapped on Christmas day with his family to absolute silence.

SIL has given me wine a few times - I don't drink wine and hardly drink alcohol.

Was with MIL in December once when she asked SIL if she would like a grey scarf and glove set she had been given and didn't want/like. SIL said no. Guess what I got for Christmas that year?

Same SIL used to give her family side significantly nicer presents that the IL side. No longer does this - think someone had a word

MIL has told DM several times about a neighbour who gives FIL a particular brand of whiskey every year for Christmas but FIL doesn't like whiskey. Every year they give DP that whiskey.

Mothership4two · 14/12/2021 00:36

DF gave me a set of headphones when I was about 14. I didn't have anything to plug them into! I kept expecting a wrapped record player, but it didn't appear. Weird thing is, DM used to buy my presents but he went rogue this year to buy me that one useless present. We still laugh about it

Mamanyt · 14/12/2021 00:36

Socks, from a great-aunt. I wasn't too surprised. She didn't much like me.

EggshellSpreadsheet · 14/12/2021 01:52

The Bunty Annual. Every single year from my Great Aunty Fanny until she passed when I was in my 30s.

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