Worst present ever

[historymystery]

strato, I so would not be you in the New Year. I'd make plans to emigrate now (only joking). :mysmilie_19:QUOTE: I hope it won't be the LED bulb I'm giving to OH

 

[Miss Grumpy]

The worst present i ever gave, and I still blush, came from QVC.

About fifteen years ago, new to shopping telly and having no idea about jewellery, I bought a gold necklace for about £40, which I thought meant it was good quality, to give to a friend I was about to visit in India. I had no idea she had 'married up' and the new house she invited me to had eleven marble bathrooms. She was charming about the very thin, light, necklace. But her husband, not knowing she had just got the necklace as a gift, took it out of her hands, made fun of her for buying it, and did a pantomime of using it as dental floss.

 

[Weathergirl]

The worst present i ever gave, and I still blush, came from QVC.

About fifteen years ago, new to shopping telly and having no idea about jewellery, I bought a gold necklace for about £40, which I thought meant it was good quality, to give to a friend I was about to visit in India. I had no idea she had 'married up' and the new house she invited me to had eleven marble bathrooms. She was charming about the very thin, light, necklace. But her husband, not knowing she had just got the necklace as a gift, took it out of her hands, made fun of her for buying it, and did a pantomime of using it as dental floss.

I think that says more about the husband than it does about your gift.

 

[China Girl]

A woman I used to work with was given a sack of potatoes by her mother in law. It was her first married Christmas, so she was too polite to say anything.

 

[candycane]

Well there was a toaster one year - I mean who buys ANYONE a toaster for Christmas? Another year (when I was very young) my (ex) husband bought me this skimpy, red basque thingy with the itchiest lace ever and it left nothing to the imagination. I might have worn it if it hadn't been 3 sizes too small :mysmilie_17: Also got some kind of long handled massager, the sort of thing you'd give an old person or someone who really wanted one. So far no one has given me "the big slipper" (one of those foot warmers where you put both feet in), but hey, there's still time . . . .

CC (I am honestly NOT ungrateful lol and no one knew what I was thinking).

 

[whitesnake]

In a previous job we had a birthday fund and when it was your birthday a present was bought for you. Normally they were lovely things like nice toiletries or a bit of jewellery. Well one year a fairly newish member of staff had been talking about what l would like and at the time l had just come back from India and said l would love a book with some nice photos of the country. What did l end up with? A book about Native American Indians. To say l was Disappointed was an understatement.

 

[maymorganlondon]

I really don't understand "novelty" gifts. They're bad enough coming out of a cracker... but when someone gives a present fit only for the bin, and has paid good money for it...

There is plenty of online advice about passive aggressive giving - useful to know, even if you don't want to resort to it yourself.

http://www.wikihow.com/Give-Passive-Aggressive-Gifts-for-Christmas
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/passive-aggressive-holiday-gifts-for-the-people-you-hate#.ebYx2y72Ed
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3350096/Reddit-users-reveal-passive-aggressive-Christmas-gifts-ve-received.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/christmas/12046274/Christmas-gifting-for-the-passive-aggressive.html

 

[sharonk]

I box of mushroom compost to 'grow your own mushrooms'
Nowt more to say really other than it was from my then boyfriend, now hubby:mysmilie_5:

 

[Mazza]

I think mine is the winner. Years ago my mother wrapped and presented me with a box of what I shall call feminine products as I cannot bring myself to write the full proper names beginning with S and T. On the basis that it would save me money. I was disgusted!!! And I opened it in front of my Dad who was asking oh what is that??? God!!!! I am still seething. (I did get other stuff, that wasn't the only item.)

 

[maymorganlondon]

I think mine is the winner. Years ago my mother wrapped and presented me with a box of what I shall call feminine products as I cannot bring myself to write the full proper names beginning with S and T. On the basis that it would save me money. I was disgusted!!! And I opened it in front of my Dad who was asking oh what is that??? God!!!! I am still seething. (I did get other stuff, that wasn't the only item.)

I don't blame you being very cross... I do think that us women can be way more vicious in our gift-giving than our menfolk... particularly woman-to-woman!

 

[Julius]

Some of these gifts really aren't that bad. A toaster is useful. A sack of potatoes - well you can make loads of meals with those, so they're great. A cheap gold necklace - fine. A tin of biscuits - lovely, I love biscuits! I'm not so sure about the feminine products - I think that's downright rude and would imagine they were given to provoke a reaction. The mushroom-growing box again is useful to learn about mushrooms and will produce something to cook with. An LED light bulb is useful and will provide years of light. My chocolate-coated olives were just horrible. I don't think I've ever tasted anything so vile!

At work we've given each other shopping lists. I wrote down: Bluecol screen wash, Bluecol antifreeze, synthetic oil (5w30), an ice-scraper, de-icing spray, LIDL "Amazonas" chocolate bar (60%), Plimsolls (size 9)

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

I assume someone somewhere is buying them otherwise it wouldn't be feasible to produce them.

Perhaps they are THE thing at parties in Outer Mongolia or Papua New Guinea

 

[windowshopping]

My worst was a dog collar and lead. We didn't have a dog and it was years before 50 shades of whatever was written.

 

[shopperholic]

Every year without fail, my mother in law buys me a top that's too small and a pair of opaque tights, yes that's right, opaque tights, I think they're to help subsidise my career in Bank robbing, bless her. :mysmilie_17: Aw no I'm not being ungrateful, they actually do come in handy.

 

[Craftalot]

Does anyone have any idea why people, usually males, buy such naff presents.
Do they really think it's what you want (do they know you at all?).
Can they not be bothered to put any thought into it (need a thick ear).
Or do they just not get the gifting thing and reckon anything in a bag will do?

I think it's along the lines of: the pressure cooker is broken. She's been moaning about the pressure cooker being broken. She uses the pressure cooker a lot and is clearly bereft without it. She must like pressure cookers a lot. I KNOW: buy her a pressure cooker for Christmas.

 

[stratobuddy]

I think it's along the lines of: the pressure cooker is broken. She's been moaning about the pressure cooker being broken. She uses the pressure cooker a lot and is clearly bereft without it. She must like pressure cookers a lot. I KNOW: buy her a pressure cooker for Christmas.

That's exactly right.

Bulb went in kitchen light fitting.

Low energy bulb didn't fit properly, OH grumbling about it.

I had a "light bulb moment", got her an LED bulb for Xmas.

Can't go wrong, I'm glad you agree Craftalot.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Strato you are sailing very close to the wind there! I hope you really do have something nice and sparkly as well (and I don't mean 100watt)

 

[Pick-a-Lily]

My mum gave me a pair of men's slippers, size 8, one year. I could not believe it! Went to work and told a colleague, and she said 'what's wrong with that?'.
If I was a man, or had size 8 feet, I might have been pleased.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

PAL - Did some gent get a lovely silk cami and knickers by mistake do you think?

 

[Craftalot]

That's exactly right.

Bulb went in kitchen light fitting.

Low energy bulb didn't fit properly, OH grumbling about it.

I had a "light bulb moment", got her an LED bulb for Xmas.

Can't go wrong, I'm glad you agree Craftalot.

I sincerely hope your loo seat doesn't break in the run up to Christmas, that's all I can say...:mysmilie_19: