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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

Can you top my rubbish gift?

94 replies

frankie80 · 18/12/2014 23:07

So first xmas gift this year, from my secret santa.

A box of chocolates.

What's wrong with that, I hear you ask?

1, they are alcoholic chocs (I don't drink)
2, half the chocolates are missing.

Anyone got similar stories?!

OP posts:

mumamiamymy · 19/12/2014 14:28

My FIL once bought me one of those perfume gift sets with a selection of 6 tiny different sample perfume bottles for Christmas. When I opened the box however half the bottles were missing. Inside the box was a helpful note explaining that his step daughters had taken the ones they wanted first and this was what was left! The ones they didn't like....

Skyland · 19/12/2014 14:31

My MIL has form for this. When I was nineteen and at her house (I was just the girlfriend then) it was my birthday and she said she was popping upstairs to get me a gift. Cue much opening and closing of drawers and she handed over a paper bag if size16 pants. I was a size 8 and mortified. Clearly her own pants! I should have realised this was a sign and fled. Since then I have been given 1001 ways with vinegar book. Went straight in the bin. My husband got a golf bag for his 21st. He does not play golf. My husbands gran one year gave all the women talc. They all opened this in my house. The following year my MIL regifted her talc to me for Xmas! She has bought boy clothes for my baby girl and tights for my son! Once I got a pair of pyjamas from an actual shop. They were hideous but I thought at least I can take them back and swap them! Picked a cheap top and took them to the counter. They were over a year old! Next gave me a pound for them! I no longer open these at Xmas it spoils the mood!

PerpetualStudent · 19/12/2014 14:40

Quite a few years ago I had lost one of my gloves at winter. I mentioned this to my then-boyfriend (not fishing - every year I manage to loose gloves, it is like a disease with me)
And so a little while later, at Christmas, I was proudly presented with... One glove. Unwrapped. He had found it on the tube.

We didn't last too long after that.

purplemurple1 · 19/12/2014 14:44

A handknitted hat and scarf set which doesn't sound to bad, except the hat and scarf were connected so unwearable and murky grey/brown.

dansmum · 19/12/2014 15:09

Every year the misanthrope who decorated the staff room xmas tree wrapped the christmas tree netting cut off as his 'Secret Santa. We devised many plans to thwart him over the years including swopping the tags so he got his own crappy gift back or buying something nice and using his paper and tag to wrap it up. Every year we asked him if he wanted to be in secret santa..and he always did.Odd he got such a thrill from an anonymous unkindness. And no it wasn't a 'joke'.He was famously humourless

Dionysuss · 19/12/2014 16:01

My mum saves up all the free gifts from Avon and gives them to me and my sister.

Weelass83 · 19/12/2014 16:07

My MIL got me a triple pack of lacy black knickers, and some hair removal buffer pads a few years ago. I was 8 months pregnant at the time, and hair removal or anything remotely sexy was definitely not at the top of my list...

Tykeisagirl · 19/12/2014 16:19

Last year SIL gave me some glasses from ikea, just a set of four cheap plain glasses.

My worst secret Santa was a single navy blue poly cotton pillow case with a small handful of pick and mix sweets inside fastened at the top with a navy blue scrunchie, I had short hair at the time.

Primrose123 · 19/12/2014 16:27

A few years ago, DH was given a little gift from one of his clients. She is an older lady, who is single and has no family, so he helps her out with other things, such as going with her to buy a car, sets up her computer etc. and she is now more of a friend. She gave him a box of chocolates, with a sticker on that said, 'to

Oceanpurple · 19/12/2014 16:40

I was going to say a single eraser but it doesn't sound so bad now!

NowBringUsSomeFuzzpiggyPudding · 19/12/2014 16:49

When he was a teenager DSS once got a 'willy care kit' from his mum

EElisavetaofJingleBellsornia · 19/12/2014 16:56

Wow this makes the biro my mum got DH look good!

Ujjayi · 19/12/2014 16:57

Some of these are hilarious

My worst were:

Secret Santa gift of liquer chocs whilst being heavily pregnant.

Gift from DH: set of mixing bowls.

I do not have the ability to summon a poker face at will.

ResponsibleAdult · 19/12/2014 17:04

My weirdest was a Halfords tow rope, I didnt have a car, and it was too long to skip with

InMySpareTime · 19/12/2014 17:13

One year, despite sorting out thoughtful and lovely gifts for DH, the DCs and all our family and friends, all I got for Christmas was an eyeshadow kit from my boss (I've never worn make up - everyone got the same present) and a book entitled "Can't be arsed" from DH.
The book summed up the family attitude to my Christmas and I burst into tears on opening it.
DH has been much better since, and got me an iPod to make up for being such a crap giver.
My DM gave me some anti-aging moisturisers few years ago, tactlessly saying "I got it free, I don't need it, but I thought you might"
Thanks mum...

AdoraBell · 19/12/2014 17:13

I've had a Winnie the Pooh calendar. When I opened it DDs, who were 4 at the time, exclaimed "oh look, Aunty gave us a calendar"

They really enjoyed using their calender that year. Apparently IWBU by not jumping for joy at being treated like a child the ever so thoughtful gift. I was 37 at the time.

ElviraCondomine · 19/12/2014 17:25

The only time (in 15 years) that my MIL has bought the DC (who are her grandchildren) a present she had brought two ornaments:

One like this

and the other like this

The shoe had a big chip in the glaze on one side. The pomander was empty but was very strong smelling and dusty, and the label sealing the potpourri inside (see picture) had been removed, leaving a horrible sticky brown ring on the bottom that smelled of fish glue.

As MIL handed them over, she told me that she didn't approve of plastic tat and children had far too much nowadays.

DD1 was 6 and DD2 was 18 months at the time.

Zazzabeans · 19/12/2014 17:33

Me year we did a secret Santa at work (organised by me!)
I got the shittiest present ever

A box of them chocolate shells from the pound shop and a box of out of date dark choc forero rochers, both of which went into the bin.
Needless to say secret Santa doesn't exsist at my place anymore !!!

MrsJuice · 19/12/2014 18:21

A pair of broken earrings.

My ex-H bought his Mum a set of kitchen door knobs. For no apparent reason.

Galaxymum · 19/12/2014 18:29

I got an upsetting Secret Santa present from someone who defined the movie Mean Girls. All sitting round university block Christmas meal as I opened a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mug with a dog's cow hide chew in it. Still hate surprise presents.

Impatientwino · 19/12/2014 18:48

My old boyfriends mum gave me a can crusher to help with the recycling.

This was because I cut my finger whilst crushing a sweet corn tin once.

She was a very practically minded lady but I was a bit sad to get such a boring present!

openthecurtains · 19/12/2014 19:26

MIL once bought DH a set of gay (male) porn for Christmas. She would love him to dump me and is the queen of passive-aggressive presents but that one really took the biscuit.

She has given me a scarf that clearly came from a junk sale and was filthy. She has also given me second hand books with large tea stains on them (that she could have wiped off before wrapping as the covers were shiny).

2 year old DD has received 8yr old sized clothing from her.

Presents from her tend to sit unopened for a couple of days while DH tries to pretend they're not there and don't need to be opened! I now treat the whole thing as entertainment - she has pots of money, if she chooses to waste it on aggressive presents, that's her call.

NowBringUsSomeFuzzpiggyPudding · 19/12/2014 19:29

Me year we did a secret Santa at work (organised by me!)

The key is, if you organise it yourself, you don't put your own name in and pretend you've picked one already. Then you can buy yourself a present

NoLongerJustAShopGirl · 19/12/2014 19:38

my ex gave me a bolt for the shed door so when it was windy I wouldn't have to go outside to put a brick up against it... thoughtful

NotEvenAnEnormouseStirred · 19/12/2014 20:41

My SIL always buys me awful stuff or just doesn't bother. Or tacks me onto something she's bought for dp which I definitely wouldn't like.

The thing that sticks out the most was a selection of nut chocolates (I'm allergic to nuts). It wasn't just a selection of different chocolates with a few nut ones in there. It was a nut selection - hazelnuts, praline, almond clusters, chocolate covered peanuts.

I prefer when she just doesn't bother and misses me out tbh.

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