Page 4 | Worst presents

MrsCatE · 2024-12-21T15:48:11+00:00

My ex gave me an Iron. A bit of forethought that time; normally, he'd leap out of bed when he clocked it was my birthday or even Christmas? perhaps the landline calls (before mobiles) wishing me a happy birthday activated his one, remaining brain cell. He'd return from the corner newsagent and present me with a pack of Sweets and top shelf Magazine - I would Chuck latter at him but he'd just add to his collection; probably because pictures and didn’t require comprehension or ability to read.

IKnowAPlace · 21/12/2024 22:47

I got a slow cooker as a "main present" in my 20s - this was reserved to open last after some really lovely, thoughtful gifts.

Another ex bought me an enormous hoody - and then commented seriously that he hoped it would fit me as I'm quite large (I am, but why on earth would this be a good gift if you're not sure about the size???

Icanflyhigh · 21/12/2024 22:53

DrMadelineMaxwell · 21/12/2024 20:06

DH once did his entire Christmas shopping for me in halford's.

I got a car alarm and a thing for holding CDs that clipped onto the visor above the windscreen.

I did not have the means to play CDs in the car.

Did we marry the same man?

First year together I got a Halfords gear know as a JOINT Christmas/birthday present.😑

LifeOfBriony · 21/12/2024 22:53

Jingleballs2 · 21/12/2024 21:01

MIL bought me tea towels.. not a cute set of tea towels, just basic cheap checked ones 🤔

Mine (who I mostly got on well with) bought me a matching tea towel, apron and oven glove. I quite liked the oven glove but not as a Christmas present.

StormingNorman · 21/12/2024 22:57

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 21/12/2024 22:14

Wooden cotton ear buds from the IL’s because we’d expressed an interest in cutting down on our use of plastic (and asked them to buy the kids less plastic toys). Really hard to feign any kind of emotion when unwrapping earbuds!

Now I like a box of earbuds as one of my “bits”.

PrincessPeaches123 · 21/12/2024 23:07

StormingNorman · 21/12/2024 16:26

Hub caps.

FM. Me too. From my dad. For a car he owned that I was insured on. I was so excited by the size of the box and he went on and on about him buying me a nice present.

StormingNorman · 21/12/2024 23:11

PrincessPeaches123 · 21/12/2024 23:07

FM. Me too. From my dad. For a car he owned that I was insured on. I was so excited by the size of the box and he went on and on about him buying me a nice present.

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Sympathy and solidarity

Snugglemonkey · 21/12/2024 23:11

Emptyandsad · 21/12/2024 20:33

I was taught you couldn't give knives away, you had to take a penny from the person you were giving them to

Also, never give anyone an empty wallet; you always have to put a coin or a banknote in it

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Me too. You charge for a knife. You put a coin in a purse you give as a present. You don't spend the coin in a gifted purse. You do not give a watch as a gift to a partner.

StormingNorman · 21/12/2024 23:12

De-icer. In a gift set with a scraper.

From my mum!

Snugglemonkey · 21/12/2024 23:15

LlamaDrama20 · 21/12/2024 20:42

Me: A food mixer for an early Xmas together (I hadn't asked for one...)

DS (aged 15): A whole load of photography equipment DH was interested in and believed DS should be too... I had been v. busy with family issues and DH volunteered to sort out the kids' presents.
Ended in a huge row with DS in tears on Xmas day as he didn't get anything he actually wanted from his list (computer games, books, clothes etc).
I ended up giving him the cash to get what he wanted and told DH to send all the photography stuff back. He had the audacity to call DS ungrateful! 😡

Are you still with him?

Snugglemonkey · 21/12/2024 23:17

StrawberryWater · 21/12/2024 20:44

A giant toy helicopter. Not one of those cool pieces of tech you see nerds playing with. No, a toy bloody helicopter for babies. I was looking at it in a shop and saying it would be a neat toy for my 2 year old nephew. For some strange reason my husband thought I wanted it for myself. Why I don't know. The winch was cool I guess but ffs.

I think this year is going to suck and be worse though. I've just found out he hasn't bought me anything (apparently he's been too busy and seems to be allergic to shopping online nowadays). He went out to the shops yesterday and came back with something that looks like a boardgame which he says is from ds. Fair enough but I don't play board games.

He was like "I couldn't find you any jewellery you'd like, or perfumes or flowers". I don't like any of those things but I do have a TON of hobbies, I'd also like an air fryer, a hamper would be nice but nope. Couldn't think of any of that. I'm debating whether to return his very expensive and well thought out gifts.

Do. No actually, send him. Tell him what to replace it with.

Bunkbedbunk · 21/12/2024 23:19

MrsSethGecko · 21/12/2024 21:47

His old mobile. He'd taken out the SIM card and battery (this was 2003) and basically just given me the empty shell.

Apparently a lot of thought had gone into it and I shouldn't be so ungrateful (his sister, also a mean spirited knobhead).
I had got him his favourite cologne and tickets for the football.

And a woman I had been friends with for years once got me "the best present, you'll love it, I can't wait for you to open it!"
And it was a bottle of gin, when I was a recovering alcoholic, which she was aware of.

That reminds me - not a Christmas present but a birthday present. Ex got me a stolen phone. I thought it was going to be an engagement ring (not as a promise if marriage, it was an antique one I liked). So anyway, he presented me with a stolen phone. I gave it back to him and said I wanted nothing to do with it and he was annoyed. I stayed with him for a long time after that too 🤔

Cadburymonster · 21/12/2024 23:21

IDontLoveTheWayYouLie · 21/12/2024 21:47

I got given shoes with cat faces and 3D whiskers on that were 3 sizes too big for my birthday one year. Still confused about that one.

🤣😂🤣😂🤣

DelilahBucket · 21/12/2024 23:23

An ex's parents bought me a nightie in my late teens. Bit of a weird present to begin with, even worse it was four sizes too big!! Buying a size 18 for someone in a 10 is downright insulting!

Pericombobulations · 21/12/2024 23:41

A "Happy 18th birthday" white satin heart from an ex. It was my 19th and we had been dating 8 months at this point.

I do wish mumsnet had been around (this was pre-internet days) and highlighted his collection of red flags.

thefirstmrsrochester · 21/12/2024 23:52

STBXH always got me shite, like went to boots on xmas eve and got the dregs of the 3 for 2 offer. Or notably one year he had solicited advice from my friends about what kind of watch I would like, then got me a cheap toastie machine.

I would have been happy with anything he had gone to the trouble of thinking of me.

Always super thoughtful and scatter cash when buying for others.

tothelefttotheleft · 22/12/2024 00:45

@MrsSethGecko

Alcohol in that situation is such a nasty thing to do.

killerbootsman · 22/12/2024 00:59

I got a collapsible duvet storage barrel from my auntie last year.

Flobobo · 22/12/2024 01:01

A white faux fur gilet, with hood, size XXXL (im a size 10) from my grandmother, who 2 weeks later produced this gorgeous black cashmere jumper asking me if I wanted it as she had bought it for my Christmas but didn’t think I’d like it…🤣

BackoffSusan · 22/12/2024 01:10

A grey thong from my boyfriends nan. It was 2 sizes too small.

MIL used to buy my a hat and scarf every year. I could have opened a hat and scarf shop. They were always mad colours.

XChrome · 22/12/2024 01:51

BackoffSusan · 22/12/2024 01:10

A grey thong from my boyfriends nan. It was 2 sizes too small.

MIL used to buy my a hat and scarf every year. I could have opened a hat and scarf shop. They were always mad colours.

@BackoffSusan
"A grey thong from my boyfriends nan."

OMG. 😆

Curlygirly66 · 22/12/2024 06:31

StrawberryWater · 21/12/2024 20:44

A giant toy helicopter. Not one of those cool pieces of tech you see nerds playing with. No, a toy bloody helicopter for babies. I was looking at it in a shop and saying it would be a neat toy for my 2 year old nephew. For some strange reason my husband thought I wanted it for myself. Why I don't know. The winch was cool I guess but ffs.

I think this year is going to suck and be worse though. I've just found out he hasn't bought me anything (apparently he's been too busy and seems to be allergic to shopping online nowadays). He went out to the shops yesterday and came back with something that looks like a boardgame which he says is from ds. Fair enough but I don't play board games.

He was like "I couldn't find you any jewellery you'd like, or perfumes or flowers". I don't like any of those things but I do have a TON of hobbies, I'd also like an air fryer, a hamper would be nice but nope. Couldn't think of any of that. I'm debating whether to return his very expensive and well thought out gifts.

Helicopter! 🤣🤣🤣

Mookie81 · 22/12/2024 08:06

StrawberryWater · 21/12/2024 20:44

A giant toy helicopter. Not one of those cool pieces of tech you see nerds playing with. No, a toy bloody helicopter for babies. I was looking at it in a shop and saying it would be a neat toy for my 2 year old nephew. For some strange reason my husband thought I wanted it for myself. Why I don't know. The winch was cool I guess but ffs.

I think this year is going to suck and be worse though. I've just found out he hasn't bought me anything (apparently he's been too busy and seems to be allergic to shopping online nowadays). He went out to the shops yesterday and came back with something that looks like a boardgame which he says is from ds. Fair enough but I don't play board games.

He was like "I couldn't find you any jewellery you'd like, or perfumes or flowers". I don't like any of those things but I do have a TON of hobbies, I'd also like an air fryer, a hamper would be nice but nope. Couldn't think of any of that. I'm debating whether to return his very expensive and well thought out gifts.

Of course you return what you've bought. Buy yourself something instead.
Why buy a load of nice stuff for a prick who doesn't bother?

Dungareesarecool · 22/12/2024 11:18

He was like "I couldn't find you any jewellery you'd like, or perfumes or flowers". I don't like any of those things but I do have a TON of hobbies, I'd also like an air fryer, a hamper would be nice but nope. Couldn't think of any of that. I'm debating whether to return his very expensive and well thought out gifts

@StrawberryWater Yes of course you return the presents. I don’t understand why so many women are martyrs about this.

If getting you Christmas presents isn’t a big deal or priority for him, receiving presents from you shouldn’t be a big deal either - match his energy instead of feeling the inevitable resentment rise as he unwraps your lovely gifts and you fiddle about with a board game.

Get a small token gift from your son to him, like the board game you mentioned he’s got you.

I’d be pretty sad if my partner couldn’t be bothered though when he knows it’s important to me. The fact he’s made a bunch of excuses is even worse rather than just as if he completely forgot. It sounds like he barely knows you or takes an interest in what you say and that’s why he doesn’t really know what to buy. Also, he can’t be bothered.

When a man tells you through his actions he doesn’t value you, listen carefully and act accordingly.

FranticFrankie · 22/12/2024 11:31

Everything I ever got from Secret Santa at work
Awful- which is why I dropped out! I used to buy nice gifts for the recipient

Joelle84 · 22/12/2024 11:49

Size 8 PJs from DH of 15 years when i was a size 16 at the time 🫠

PIL bought me a little dog ornament for outside! I dont see myself as old enough for garden oranaments, hopefully this year its not a knome 🤦🏻‍♀️