Was anyone else dissapointed in how their gifts were received ?

[Lilyloo]

My gran mumbled it was her third calendar she had been given this year after i had spent a whole evening arranging a photo calendar off all her great grandchildren. Then said she would have preferred a book ( she speaks her mind ) M and my sis put together for my dad and his new partners gifts. They have plenty of money so aredifficult to buy for. They drink red wine so we got them a lovely decanter and an airator. These cost almost a hundred pound so not cheap and we thought a luxury gift. They both said they can't taste the difference with the airator ( even though a room of other people could ) and my dad said he would not use the decanter as he just drinks a bottle of wine straight away ! Finishing off with ' it's been one of those years' guess it's vouchers next year

ungrateful sods!

id be pissed off with that, and yes- vouchers next year! i only buy for my kids, and my DH, so i tend not to have that problem.

Oh how ungrateful!

They sound perfect gifts too

vicar good idea maybe thats the way to go

I disagree re vouchers, get gran a book (as that is what she wants) on manners, and get some for your dad too. Dd2 (4) told uncle exactly what she thought of her pencilcase present, spent the next ten mins trying to explain how the giver might feel. Why should you give your father money when he has loads?

why spend money you can ill afford on something for someone who is well able to buy it for themselves if they need it or who doesn't appreciate the gift anyway? Don't buy or make anything next year.

i don't do adult gifts and only buy for children. But they are growing up and becoming unappreciative, prefer money, so will be giving money from now onwards until 18th birthday.

Get them an oxfam pressie or something next year. If they complain they'll look really bad. And at least you know the money is going to good use.

Last year I booked tickets to see Sarah Millican as my mother's present, as she kept going on and on about how funny she was. She then proceeded to tell everyone she didn't enjoy the outing at all, firstly Sarah's performance was so full of obscene material that she was offended, and secondly that she talked so quickly she couldn't hear it. No pleasing some people!

I do think people forget, though, that elderly people don't just want photos of grandchildren etc for Christmas. They have other interests besides their family, just as we all do.

No idea why I'm posting on a Christmas thread in April!

Slightly off tangent- my g/mother (mum's mum) had her favourite g/children (my sister and eldest cousin) so not me.

I gave her presents and she never even said Thank You, she was positively rude.

My sister used to make candles, I gave her one of them (paid my sister) "Oh, another candle"

I gave her a caterpillar draught excluder that took me ages to sew (real blood,sweat and tears). Nothing.

I gave her Creme Eggs. She just put them on the back of the sofa. No thanks.

But: she raved over a balsa wood box my sister made.
Enthused over chocolates my uncle sent and read his letter. (My mum had years of being the 'not favourite child'.

I gave up after a while, funnily enough.

BTW, the sad thing was, I was less than 10 yo when I experienced the blatent favouritism and disregard for the things I made and bought myself

In the light of her reaction to your gifts, would you think of asking her what she'd like for Christmas? Do you think if she asked for something specific and you bought that, she'd be nicer to you? (Not saying this is right.)

No, I don't think it would have made any difference TBH.
If I said "What would you like" she'd have said "Nothing"

(This was in the early 1970s) .I'm 45 now.

We wanted to give presents to G/P because we didn't see them very often.

But it was the way she was so delighted with my sister's presents, my older cousin and my uncle- they could do no wrong.
My G/M used to sent things to the older grandchildren but not the others.
Remember those little Robertson Golly things that you had to save labels? They took forever to save up. But regularly a parcel arrived for my sister and same with my cousins.

There's lots of other things she said and did, not related to presents. But when I was at colledge , my cousin (the non favourite) and I lived nearest out of the family. So we did alot of the legwork (and my mum as well.My uncle made the odd visit, like the King visiting . )
And even doing this, it didn't make her nicer to me! By that time I was older, so didn't really care about being liked by her.

My sister though sys she found it a burden being the favourite one .

One of those 'family' things.

Now if I'm buying presents, I ask for a list/ideas or give vouchers.