What is the worst Christmas present you have received?

[KookyGreenHelper]

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.

My mum once got me a beautiful, glossy diary with renaissance art on every other page.

Then she read my diary, decided she didn't like what I'd written (I was 14) so she said she "burned it".

Thanks mum!

One I have mentioned before. As a teen my parents let me choose the bike of my dreams. A beautiful racing bike. On Xmas morning my bike was all wrapped up. I pulled off the paper to find they had swapped it for the “much more sensible” Raleigh shopper. It had three gears, small wheels, and a shopping bag with a shoulder strap.

I once got a tin of Heinz spaghetti… it was a ‘joke’ present for my dad. It was such a weird shape and feel as a gift that I ended up opening it in front of my best friend (I was 14-15) she was from a posher family than me. It was just a weird thing to do - I mean I did quite like eating Heinz spaghetti but just why?

My DF is the worst at gift giving. Last year I received a model of a vintage Porsche car and a half empty air freshener. My husband received a sheep finger puppet. It was so puzzling.

My FIL is really lovely, and I am sure he tries really hard, when choosing presents, but it’s a bit hit-or-miss.

Ds3’s birthday present, for his 8th birthday, was a book of cartoon Cornish cats, a book about Cornish cheeses, and a history of the Cornish Pasty.

Last year I got a book called “The Wisdom of Sheep” - it’s a collection of writings about farming. I am not a farmer, and have zero interest in farming or in sheep. Dh got a guidebook to the toilets of Cornwall.

One of the parents 🤣

My overly rich boss’ are also tight af. Every year we get a £1 B+M bargains mug. Last year I was 24 weeks pregnant, me and my baby both nearly died and they got me some cheap Supermarket flowers between 6 of them! Couldn’t even be arsed to write a card either.

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius What is your FIL’s connection with Cornwall?!?
You’ve reminded me that an old college friend (and best man) of DPs used to visit us every Christmas at some point, and he kindly used to bring us all (DPs, DB and me) presents. I think he must have gone to a remaindered bookshop a few years, as I can remember getting some rather odd titles as a teen: the complete scripts of The Good Show (well before my time) one year, and a guide to determining personality from handwriting another year.

My first husband only ever gave me one gift. A vile plastic bracelet with some cheap gemstones glued onto it. You could see all the glue.
I dumped his sorry arse years ago but was absolutely fuming when I saw the birthday present he gave to our son for his 40th ....it was a used CD I remember him buying many years ago of the musical Oliver. Not wrapped no card just a note to say please send this back when you've watched it.

Do you have The Man? We had that when I was young and it was my favourite, but nobody I've mentioned it to as an adult has has ever heard of it!

@PassAggJumper I haven't got that one but I remember reading it from the library.
I've got Gentlemen Jim which isn't so well known.
I Loved "UG - Genius of the Stone Age" !

Just realised I went on a tangent about Raymond Briggs ("another BLOOMIN Christmas!") and didn't answer the thread!

I once got one of those tiny bags that were all the rage in the early 00s, that looked like a bustier/corset. Absolutely not my sort of thing, not even useable as it was so small and a weird shape!

My ex in-laws were very thoughtless with gifts so I'd spend time thinking of personal, special presents for them (ex h couldn't be bothered) and get a random gift set in return. Not the worst thing though, they'd be donated to a charity shop!

I've never had any real howlers though which is almost disappointing!

Worst gift-possibly my ex BF who used to buy me dog-themed gifts all the time. So, calendars, notebooks, pens, books on dog breeds...none of the stuff featured breeds that were my favourite-or anything. Just stuff with dogs on it.

I liked it at first because our first Christmas we hadn't been together long-so it was nice. But by the time our third year rolled around...I started to feel like he should have known what I liked by then to get me something different.

A necklace by the same BF. It wasn't a terrible gift-but I don't wear jewellery at all and I hate necklaces because I don't like anything touching my neck. In all the time we'd been together-I'd never worn a necklace or shown an interest in them. I did appreciate it-but it felt like the kind of gift you get given because "you're a woman, and women like sparkly things." Not because he bought it with me specifically in mind.

Not only that-this necklace resulted in countless arguments because I wouldn't wear it everyday like he wanted. When we broke up, he asked for it back because it had a heart-shaped pendant and he said it signified that he'd "given me his heart."

If he spent his money on it it’s more likely he wanted it back so he didn’t have to empty his pockets to buy his new girlfriend another one

My mum and dad bought me a dish washing up brush a few years ago. One that looks like a lady’s head on the handle. I was so angry I unwrapped it and chucked it in the bin in a major strop all within seconds.
yet my brother would of got exactly what he asked for and a hell of a lot more. I’m still angry about that bloody brush!

I once received a black corset type satiny undergarment cum bra type thing with bright pink roses all over it! It just wasn’t me. It was from M&S so I tried to return it only to be told it was years old and definitely not current season! How embarrassing!

Years ago when I was about 8,we where in the village my mother grew up in

I spotted an ornament in the window of a shop (a squirrel sat on a tree) and fell in love with it as a birthday present for my narc mother (I'm the scapegoat but didn't know it at the time)

It was £8 and I got £1 a week as pocket money,so I saved those pound coins for what felt like forever until I'd saved enough

I walked the 3 miles there and the 3 miles back to buy it for her,wrapped it up and proudly gave it to her

She went purple with rage,ranting that it 'was the worst thing I've ever seen',threw it in the bin and told everyone as an amusing story about what shit taste I have

Ditto just about every single present I bought her over the years,but when golden child brother bought her a set of car sponges,a bottle of furniture polish and a Henry hoover (complete with a note 'now its about time you did some housework'),they where the best presents ever

That bloody ornament seems to be in every single charity shop I step into-it is crap but not really the point

@Tracystubbs how awful. Are you NC now?

Oh yes,I will never speak to her again
I go over the top with my darling mil as she's more of a mother than my own ever was
Saving that money doesn't sound like much,but I didn't spend a penny on sweets or treats so I could buy her it,walked for what felt like a million miles along a busy road with no path and back again
I've had some howlers from my own children but I've never done anything but smile and tell them how much I love it

(Even when ds bought me some chocs for mothers day,on the walk home,temptation got the better of him and he'd eaten the lot-i got an empty box!)

@Tracystubbs that's good. Glad you have a lovely MIL.
It was a lot of money for a young child. And all that effort.

@Tracystubbs empty box though 🤣

I've name changed for this as it's fairly outing, but one Christmas my ex bought me a taxidermy badger. Neither requested nor loved, I left it at his house and it was eventually taken by bailiffs when they cleared the property following non-payment of rent. You don't want to know how many years after that I stayed with him. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Bloody Hell I think you win, did you particularly like Badgers?
Even so I am not sure why he thought a dead one was a good idea

Would liking badgers make it better or worse to receive a dead one...?

We laugh about it
I got the 'I've bought you a present mum' text and I was so touched
Until he got home...