Presents that are more hassle than fun

[Bex5490]

Now before everyone jumps at me for how grateful I should be to anyone who buys my child gifts…I know this. I always send the thank you videos of DS gleefully opening said gifts and I’m more than grateful for the love and sentiment behind them. However…

Today I spent my one day off work trying to simplify a science experiment made for an 8 year olds for my 4 year old son! There is now rainbow food colouring on my carpets and a grumpy DS who is sulking because he wasn’t allowed to rub the chemicals on his face 😂

Over the years I’ve had a professional painting kit, a huge blackboard easel meant for a classroom and a second hand trampoline with no garden!

What were your (if any) most inconvenient gifts?

I would say "diamond art kits" but I am ashamed to admit that I really enjoy doing them myself "for her" after she's gone to bed

No, I'm pointing out that £50 is a lovely present and not an inconvenience. The poster who suggested that she would need to bring it to a bank was incorrect - it can be spent in shops. She then got sarcastic and implied I was suggesting she bring her children to Tesco for a day out. So I explained otherwise.

She could just take them to Smyths - they would gladly take her unwanted £50. Or send them to me. I would not be inconvenienced at all .

Did you bother to go? I'm a wimp but I think I would have felt able to say something about that one.

Whenever my mum gives my kids a present like ‘make your own soap’ or ‘knit your own handbag from pet hair’ etc I leave it at her house for the kids to do with granny next time they visit, and this seems to have acted as a deterrent as she’s not bought one for a while.

Yeah, we "won" a session like this at a place near us. It's a total scam. Swerved the session.

Then tell the buyer exactly what they want/you or say no presents. When the kids were little I used to choose a load of presents I knew they wanted and the various grandparents/aunties and uncles would choose one to give and me the cash. Often from car boots so nice and cheap all round.

Is it still going ? 15 years on I’ve just about got over it ! I begged DH all the way home .. lol … ds2 a few years later was lucky if he got a quick candid photo on the phone ! 😂

Sea monkeys. Just grim. A disgusting tiny tank with some weird shrimp things swimming around in it.

The place near us is called something like Venture and yes it is. They're franchises.

This happened to us a similar amount of time ago tho. Won it at the school fete, one of the parents owned the franchise. They specialise in PBF mania.

You realise the £50 the kids spend on their present doesn’t have to be THE SAME £50 NOTE that was given to them, right?

If it was that simple it would be lovely. Despite saying all these things repeatedly, and suggesting we only buy for one person each, a £5 charity shop secret Santa, charity gifts, one gift each etc etc over the years our prime gift buyers haven't really taken anything on board at all. They like giving gifts. They don't like gift ideas, or buying from a list. They also like receiving gifts, and also not answering requests for gift ideas.

Some people, including them, would say it's their 'love language'. I have often felt it's like their 'fuck you language'.

Have received many of the things mentioned on here for my kids or ourselves - the knitting, etc projects just get put away with a smile. Kudos to those who actually feel obliged to do them! Christ - I remember ant farms.

As part of our wedding present, friends travelling to the UK from the US very, very kindly gifted us a stay in a B&B they visited on their extended trip over. It was a seriously sweet idea. However - the place was remote and miles away (maybe not from a US perspective), we were skint at the time, didn't have a car, and the train/bus journey to the town would have been complex and expensive. They came back for another trip and suggested we stay there but by the time this happened the place had been sold. We were lucky that the previous owners were able to sort something out for us. (New owners were horrible but that's another thread. Put us off B&Bs for good.)

Have also been gifted a vast poster I was expected to frame and basically re-decorate around. The person was hurt, but I did not do that.

I was given a cheque that bounced for my wedding present. I only had the nerve to disclose years later.

I have to agree with this.

She didn’t say she had to take it to the bank, she said she did take it to the bank as she knew they’re awkward to spend (which I agree with her on). It’s so needlessly rude and aggressive to call someone ridiculous on a thread full of people complaining about minor inconveniences presented by mostly well intentioned gifts that would be lovely for someone else. You deserved the sarcastic response.

I used to get the virgin experience vouchers and as some have said, spent so long looking for a suitable day, substitute, location, availability etc.
Also had to top it up.

Finally said something when I was gifted a chocolate tasting day in central London.
It was a guided tour where the guide took you to different chocolate shops across London by foot. Why!!!

Haven't received anything since despite always spending a good amount on proper gifts for DB, DSIL and their two kids.

As of next year, won't be sending anything either. Understand they might just not be good gift people and might welcome not feeling under pressure to get me something.

I honestly can’t think of anything worse than having to do that before Christmas, and I would never say no presents for young children. Each to their own!

It's a light hearted thread. £50 cash is inconvenient to me. Slime, craft kits etc are not necessarily inconvenient to me but I'm not going to call people silly for others suggesting them.

My parents gave us each a £50 note. Very generous but I feel like they are awkward to spend so had to put it in the bank which is only open on certain days/times

She didn’t say she had to take it to the bank

What a worthwhile thing to start an argument about!

@OVienna I’m just thankful we didn’t end up or go for with the barefoot , jeans , white shirt family shoot now realising how a decade on they looked erm well a bit dated ( sorry ) … I think DS1 now 15 would loathe anything like that up on the wall 😂 Yes same company - they specialise in PFB mania indeed !! I was convinced that ds1 could model for a little after until slowly coming to my senses a few months later 😂😂😂😂

Vouchers seem to be a common theme on this thread, so many strings attached!
Best voucher of all = cash, accepted anywhere, no strings. Judging by all the voucher trauma, worrying it shows you haven't really thought about them (main reason people do it I think) is not a serious worry at all.

Someone gave dd a quilling kit, with tiny little ribbons of paper you have to curl round a tiny little needle then somehow glue down in exactly the right shape on a tiny piece of paper. Drives me mad.

Also those kits with a billion tiny diamante gems you need to stick down and then they get knocked over and you find them in your bed, food and everywhere else.

Also cheap toys, the kids love opening them, then they break and we have to bin it feeling bad for the environment and having the kids scream at us because we can't fix it, would much rather less of something better for the same money.

Those pictures are everywhere, aren't they, by Venture and others!

As a weird aside - I knew this family that had had some done not sure by whom. They had little bronze squares in the bottom, which I assumed were decoration. Their nanny was convinced they were spy cameras!

Any craft or art kits are wasted on DS. I know lots of children love them but he has zero interest in them, and I hate the mess. Meanwhile building sets (Meccano, Lego, Magtiles, Knex, that sort of thing) are always really appreciated but we don’t get many of those.

The trouble is that those kind of sets tend to be more expensive than the craft stuff you can get for under £10 at the Works.

Other annoying gifts are stuff that's totally innapproapate age wise, quiz game age 10+ for 7 yo. Last year it was a book set for preschoolers

I'm half convinced the giver buys a bundle of stuff then changes their mind who they are giving what too.