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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

What is the worst Christmas present you have received?

700 replies

KookyGreenHelper · 21/11/2024 13:42

I will start. Every year a certain family member gets me bath bombs. I cannot use them as i am alergic to them. I have suggested things i would prefer every year like chocolates or a good bottle of wine. This family member always fails to listen. I am fed up of pretending to be greatful.

OP posts:
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Dragonfly97 · 24/11/2024 09:00

A friend once got me a shoe shaped money box, as "she knew I collected 20p pieces"; I didn't, I occasionally saved the dragon pound coins that were a thing at the time. I took the shoe to a car boot sale, it took a while to offload it. Dad bought my sister a weird fancy pair of decorative china shoes; she hid them in the wardrobe as they gave her nightmares, tip tapping along by themselves 😲

ohime · 24/11/2024 09:01

A book titled 'Stains!' (all about how to remove them), from my mum. From his mum, DH received a similar book - can't remember the exact title, but something about Simplified Housecleaning for Men (i.e., Dummies). As his mum and my mum were in regular communication, perhaps the two gifts weren't coincidental...

ImTryingImReallyTrying · 24/11/2024 09:36

Like you OP, fragrance bath bombs and other bath & beauty stuff from relatives. They all know I have ridiculously sensitive skin and intimate area - EVERYTHING has to be unfragranced and ph neutral. Sometimes I feel like saying "Ah lovely, another case of firey itchy skin and thrush for the Xmas period, I'll look forward to that" ...but no, I sit there, thank them for their wonderful thoughtful totally thoughtless gift and put them away ready for the next school fete, or whatever.

And another one - a wrapped multipack of beef Monster Munch. That was weird. I mean, I like the odd bag occasionally. But I wouldn't say I was mad on them, and I'm not known for being mad on them. And it wasn't a joke present either. It was such an awkward moment when I opened them in front of about 10 other people and everyone looked confused and muttered "oh...thats err, lovely..." while the giver, a grown woman in her 50s, with no learning disabilities or anything to mitigate such an odd gift, and someone I've known for years, acted totally nonchalant and like it was a perfectly normal gift.

peanutmother · 24/11/2024 09:41

I hate getting Christmas stuff for Christmas from MIL. We don't usually exchange gifts until boxing day

Christmas cupcake kit
Christmas yankee candle
Cheistmas tea towel
Christmas plates

AnnaDelvorkina · 24/11/2024 09:48

peanutmother · 24/11/2024 09:41

I hate getting Christmas stuff for Christmas from MIL. We don't usually exchange gifts until boxing day

Christmas cupcake kit
Christmas yankee candle
Cheistmas tea towel
Christmas plates

Does she nip to the sales before coming round? Or regifting / recycling from 24th and 25th?

TheDogBartholomew · 24/11/2024 10:20

LifesTooShortForYourNonsense · 21/11/2024 18:42

Any present is a good present? Say thank you, give to charity or someone you think would actually like it. No big deal.

Rubbish. A present which does not give pleasure to the recipient is not a good present.

TheDogBartholomew · 24/11/2024 10:22

AnnaDelvorkina · 24/11/2024 09:48

Does she nip to the sales before coming round? Or regifting / recycling from 24th and 25th?

Probably bulk buys tat in the January sales and stores it under her bed all year.

AnnaDelvorkina · 24/11/2024 10:25

Has this thread made anyone worry that a previous gift you gave, thinking it was brilliant actually horrified or confused the recipient? (Or just me.)

MrsToothyBitch · 24/11/2024 10:27

Stick-on-weight loss patches for the stomach from DM. Unsolicited, which is what makes them unforgivable and my worst ever Christmas present. I could stand to lose a few pounds but she has no place in that journey and despite my husband repeatedly telling her (on my behalf) to back off, she continues to try and insert herself.

Worst secret Santa: a Michael Buble calendar. It was so cheaply made it was unusable and it wasn't even a practical, sensible, usable format.

Christmas runner up: Basil scented body wash etc set - nicely meant but the smell gave me an instant headache. The memory of the smell still makes me ill!

Worst birthday: one of those naff address book sets with a little book for the coffee table included. It was on shoes. It was clearly a re-gift and came from someone who clearly didn't care and took no trouble to hide it, which is why it sticks as a bad memory. Esp weird choice as we were both 15!

Worst all round giver: ex bf. He loved luxury but rarely gave anything luxurious himself. The one time he did, he made sure to let me know he'd acquired the item on the cheap - slightly took the shine off. The items weren't necessarily always bad but he took care to let me know they were panic buys/ bought in bad grace. Eg, he panic bought me a hideous faux silky scarf because the real one he'd bought before (the mystery acquisition one) went down well and ensured I knew it was a panic buy. Bought me vegan chocolate from hotel chocolat when I'm not vegan and they'd run out of the non vegan bar he normally got me rather than finding another thing I might like to try. Always with the backstory of the panic buy, narrative of inconvenience etc. I try v hard with gifts. I'm quite easy going back as long as it's got some thought or logic, despite actually being quite a fussy person. He wasn't too badly off and was happy to accept turnbull and asser socks and a voucher for his tailors but still gave me shite from the market and a novelty calendar without seeing the disparity.

MirandaJH · 24/11/2024 10:36

A knock-off designer bag (wasn’t even trying to look genuine) full of food crumbs inside because it cost them £3 from the charity shop.

MirandaJH · 24/11/2024 10:40

My husband is a nursery chef and received an interesting gift- it was an apron that said “filling little mouths”. He threw it away in fear of being put on a list.

Xtraincome · 24/11/2024 10:47

Am watching this thread and loving it. Sorry I have nothing to contribute like the stuff above.

Hopefully this will make you LOL- for years I've said, don't ever buy me body or hand cream (Nivea is pretty much it)- I suffer with eczema on my hands. The logic of buying me body cream about 10 years ago was, and i kid you not, "it's not for your hands though." As if I had a personal ablutions maid who could apply it? Or I possessed some contortionist skill in which I could apply it with my feet or elbows 😆

We did laugh and now DM never gets me body lotion OR if it's in a set, it's already allocated to DH.

newtoallthisshizzle · 24/11/2024 10:55

Took my elderly housebound mum round aldi one Christmas Eve. It was clear she hadn’t done any shopping (which was fine as she was housebound) for me but had managed to order online for my siblings. As we trawled the aisles I spotted a poetry book and she said I could have that as my present and could “choose a bar of chocolate too” if I wanted. It really upset me at the time that so little thought had gone into it but it was the only gift I got that year from the family so I suppose it all helps. She’s now passed away and I would give anything to take her shopping in aldi on Christmas Eve again.

Fishpieandchips · 24/11/2024 11:00

My first bf at uni bought me a grow your own strawberry plant.
My exh bought me a 99p face mask from our daughter as a first Christmas as a mum. I'd taken her to make a personalised gift for him. In fairness I was on mat leave at the time and had more time with her, but I was hurt with the lack of thought.
Ex mil - loads of gaffs.

Grapewrath · 24/11/2024 11:19

My mil always regifts me shit hand cream sets from M&S and they go straight in the bin

RamblingEclectic · 24/11/2024 11:39

My paternal grandparents had this frustrating habit of giving all the boy grandchildren one gift and all the girls another, which never ended well and left most of feeling that they didn't care.

The worst from them was a clothing set, like a pack with a few sets of matching leggings and sweatshirts, and none of us got ones that fit us or any of us so we couldn't even swap, they were all too small.

Next was a makeup set - none of us wore makeup and they were the type of evangelicals where we weren't 'suppose' to be wearing makeup, especially as kids. That one was just baffling, it felt like someone else had done their shopping and bought whatever they could get in bulk.

peanutmother · 24/11/2024 11:40

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

redalex261 · 24/11/2024 11:40

This one is not mine but too good not to share. My best friend (aged 19) received form her aunt (two kids in private school, room for a pony type wealthy) a three pack of paper knickers and a carved wooden ornamental boomerang with Aboriginal paintings on it. Neither had been to or had link to Australia.

peanutmother · 24/11/2024 11:46

I only buy bath bombs for kids

Odd present

peanutmother · 24/11/2024 11:58

@AnnaDelvorkina

No i think she buys it all in Nov when fhe shops are full of xmas stuff

Nobody wants xmas stuff after the event

crockofshite · 24/11/2024 12:18

walltowallkents · 21/11/2024 14:09

A box of biscuits from my mother. The same year my sibling got a car.

Were they within the use by date?

YES - eat them

NO - regift them back to her for mother's day

Frangywangywoowah · 24/11/2024 12:32

I am ashamed to say I am the shite gift giver - well according to my DH.

So one year I gave him a book on crumbles....

Typing this I am now pissing myself as it does sound crap. However, the context was, it was lockdown, he was really getting into cooking and he loved crumble. What didnt help was the expensive fragrance I also bought him was lost by Evri so that never arrived so, although he had other gifts all he remember, and says every year is 'remember that Christmas when I all I got was a book on crumbles'!!!

LushLemonTart · 24/11/2024 12:46

MirandaJH · 24/11/2024 10:40

My husband is a nursery chef and received an interesting gift- it was an apron that said “filling little mouths”. He threw it away in fear of being put on a list.

😳 Who thought that was appropriate?

FizzingAda · 24/11/2024 14:00

My wealthy as Croesus boss got me the smallest cheapest box of Milk Tray, and just chucked it unwrapped on my desk. I hate milk chocolate. Didn't like him much either. Another year it was samples from one of the companies we supplied.

DemonicCaveMaggot · 24/11/2024 15:22

All my mother got for her 8th birthday was boxes of writing paper. One or two might have been nice, but nobody got her anything except writing paper.

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