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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I have just had for my birthday......

21 replies

fymandbean · 21/12/2008 20:02

.... the Christmas prezzie I gave MIL last Christmas back from MIL

.... a free gift - I gave the person the internet code for the free gift so I know it was free IYSWIM

.... something (obviously) from a car boot / charity shop which is completely unsuitable for me

.... from DH something that was recently returned to my shop by a customer. (OK I'm not really moaning too much about this one as it was a very expensive something , just that he clearly had left it to the last minute!)

OP posts:
honeybehappy · 21/12/2008 20:04

What were they?

Original poster
fymandbean · 21/12/2008 20:09

a toiletry gift set (a nice one but still it's a year old now and definitely the same one)

free gift also toiletries - very mini bottles - nice even if free!

a metal hedgehog ornament (I'm not an ornament person!)

diamond earrings (ok am not really complaining about these!)

OP posts:
onetiredmummy · 21/12/2008 20:11

Happy birthday

MIL - keep it for her pressie next christmas

Free gift - most of us are being credit crunched, let it go even though its annoying

Unsuitable - do you particlarly like hedgehogs or spend a lot of time in the garden?!Strange one.

I also have a birthday near christmas & I expect the usual unwanted christmas presents, things wrapped in christmas paper & a joint pressie for both - & THEYRE NOT ANY BIGGER

beanieb · 21/12/2008 20:11

oh dear. My mum says she regularly used to get presents back from her mother that she had given her years before. When she died we found loads of presents in her cupboard, some of which were edible gifts which had gone off many years before.

I have hastily re-wrapped a present from someone in a hurry before now, to give to someone who unexpectantly given me a present

NewKnickersFromSantaOnMaHead · 21/12/2008 20:11

Wrap the toiletry gift st back up and give it mil for her birthday

lou33 · 21/12/2008 20:12

metal hedgehog?!

HeadFairy · 21/12/2008 20:13

see how many times you can keep the toiletries going back and forth between you and your MIL!

solidgoldprawnring · 21/12/2008 20:14

Have you been very annoying this year? Mind you, diamond earrings are not too bad unless they are really ugly ones, in which case sell them and buy something you like. TBH a lot of people are a bit ropey at present buying and there are lots of cunting bupcake companies that trade on this by marketing all sorts of wierd things that no one actually wants but which people feel they can give to other people.

Original poster
fymandbean · 21/12/2008 20:15

the hedgehog is already consigned to the bin I can't even give it to a charity shop as the person is an avid charity shop shopper and would spot it....and it really would be classed as a unique gift

OP posts:
HeadFairy · 21/12/2008 20:17

Spare a thought for my poor sister, her birthday is officially the worst day to have a birthday - 2nd January. Not only is everyone partied out, she gets lots of joint presents in Christmas paper, and no one wants to go out to celebrate/eat/drink anything with her. She usually goes out for dinner with her dh, they sit in an empty restaurant and feel glum. She celebrated her 40th in June just so she could have a party.

Original poster
fymandbean · 21/12/2008 20:18

the earrings are very good BTW, just this is the millionth time he's left it to the last minute, ignored all hints of things to buy on the internet and had to do something at the last minute.... I'll just have to make sure there is something even more expensive in the safe at work next year!!

OP posts:
TreeandMistleJoe · 21/12/2008 20:23

the ear rings sound nice if you like jewellery (i don't but i can see that he must have put thought into it for you).

the free stuff and the thing you gave your mil, i'd let it go tbh. it was careless of her to give it back to you, what she should have done is wrap it up and give it to one of her friends as a birthday or christmas present! money is tight for us all at the moment and i have to be honest and say that every year my friend's buy me a bath set ot some sort of toiletries so i put a post-it note on it to remind myself saying PRESENT FROM xxxx GIVE TO yyyy so i can then wrap it up for someone else , i know it sounds horribly cheap but sometimes we just can't afford to buy people nice presents and i never use all the toiletires i get given. this christmas i have just 'recycled' presents i got from people for my birthday and passed them on to other friends or family members! i am always very careful to make sure the person i give the gift to, does not know the person who gave it to me so they don't get suspicious or talk amongst themselves!

i know that sounds awful but we don't have a lot of money!

TreeandMistleJoe · 21/12/2008 20:28

even i am stumped on the hedgehog!

lou33 · 21/12/2008 20:30

it reminds me of the time my then bil bought my 18m old dd a stone hippo ornament

Original poster
fymandbean · 21/12/2008 20:43

the hedgehog is metal - and sits on a metal stand of sort of leaves, it's sort of egg shaped in a very flimsy egg cup IYSWIM.... it is kind of gilt coloured with tiny plastic/crystal eyes...

I'm fine with re-gifting - I do it myself but not to the same person LOL....

OP posts:
AlexanderSantasmum · 21/12/2008 21:18

I once gave someone a toiletry set for their birthday and 6 months later received it back for Christmas. Couldn't really complain though as it was one of 3 presents (whereas I'd only got her the toiletry set for her birthday) but I was a little .

I did consider giving her it back for her next birthday too .

AlexanderSantasmum · 21/12/2008 21:20

PS. I think the hedgehog sounds looo-ve-leeey!

No I was actually joking - it sounds hideous - you poor thing!

mckenzie · 21/12/2008 21:23

my friend recently celebrated her birthday and her father bought her a humane mouse catcher

xcited4xmas · 21/12/2008 22:08

Im so sorry but i cant help but laugh at the hippo ornament! and if you think it is bad that you got toiletrie set backfrom MIL then some of the funny gifts i have recieved from my mum in the past are : an empty biscuit tin filled with xmas cracker toys (when i was about 16), a dvd free from a newspaper, a burnt out candle i had seen previously on her mantlepiece a few weeks before, a single cup and saucer she told me she got in a charity shop and old lady clothing! Thats just the tip of the iceberg! bless her she has learning difficulties which makes her a bit slower and i know she does try but it makes me giggle every time! and from my dad i have recieved a portable t.v ariel!!!

themoon66 · 21/12/2008 22:12

You definitely need to give the toiletries back to your MiL this Xmas. If only to see her reaction

This one could run and run.

loobeylou · 21/12/2008 23:46

don't bin the hedgehog, ebay it, i know someone who goes round all the charity shops buying frogs, owls, elephant knick knacks etc and sells them for loads more on ebay. some people collect all that stuff!

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