What was the worst gift you received?

[rob62521]

We have two threads on re-gifting. How about telling about the worst gift you've received since many of us have vented about people having poor choices. Or it can be a poor gift for a member of your family.

I think one of the worst was when the sil gave my husband a pair of plaid boxer shorts. Besides being ugly and really rough to the touch, my dh doesn't wear boxers. She paid a whopping $3.50 for them at Dollar General. That was his entire Christmas. I know it's not the cost, but this comes from someone who would receive a minimum of $100 from my dh for Christmas.

[PrincessPerky]

I don't know that this is totally the worst, but we gave my brother a book, a book my SIL told me he asked for and we bought...apparently she bought it for him and forgot..fortunatly he was able to take it back the next day and exchange it for 3 books he wanted, plus handed me back a GC with the remainder (they live out of town, can't use the card at home)

Now so far that isn't to terrible, but I fear he bought the books with his own money and the gift card is still loaded! that would make me a terrible sister!

[tabbycat31]

a good friend of mine gave me a makeup kit that was designed for someone no older than 14. I wound up regifting to my 12 year old stepcousin.

[naturalwoman]

a freaking santa clause sun catcher.

[kealina]

worst gift? hmm.... shirt from my aunt and uncle... too big, too flimsy, wrong style, etc... took it back for $15 credit... also, got another shirt from someone who was obviously buying for her own taste and not mine... we also got an expensive gift that was more for the giver than for us...
warning: mini rant approaching....
i really dislike it when i feel like someone bought a "gift" more for themselves than for me...if it's something you secretly want or wish for then you should buy it for yourself, not me...we have one family member in particular that does that and it does get frustrating after awhile... as for us, we do our best to choose gifts that will make the recipient happy... we are thinking of them, not us...
and i've recently noticed that no matter what the gift is or what it cost, it really is the thought that matters to me... even if it isn't the perfect gift, if the intentions were good i'll remember them long after the gift is gone...

[disneysteve]

We always agree not to exchange gifts with my wife's sisters, but the one sister (the one with no money ) always ends up buying gifts for everyone. This year, she warned us that she had ordered us something from QVC but it was perishable and hadn't arrived on time so not to eat it when it finally showed up. We couldn't imagine what she would have sent us.

The box finally turned up a couple of days ago. I opened it out of curiousity but with no intention of eating whatever I found inside, knowing it had been in transit for about 2 weeks. Turns out it was 10 gourmet stuffed soft pretzels. I have no idea what these things cost, but I'm sure they weren't cheap. And there is no way any of us would have eaten them anyway as we keep to a pretty healthy low-fat diet. Ok, my daughter probably would have sampled one of the apple cinnamon ones, but the other flavors would have gone straight in the trash no matter what.

I have no idea what my SIL is doing. Hopefully, she'll get a refund from QVC and forget about it. I'm hoping she doesn't have them ship out another order. If so, maybe we'll give them to my neighbors or I'll bring them to the office and see if anyone wants them.

[LuxLiving]

Not horrible - but weird. Funky cowboyish ornament doo-whickey.

I do wear cowboy boots alot as does my entire family, but I have no western theme going in my decor???????????????????? and certainly not in my Christmas decorating??????????

??Color me puzzled.??

I do have a sister who has an entire home in western decor - so I thought gifter had just put it in the wrong sack, but alas, no, sis got one similar. I do believe this one will go in the 're-gift' pile and guess whose house it's going to? Think I'll tie it to sister's birthday gift's bow.

[creditcardfree]

Okay, I have to chime in here because the absolute worst was a book titled "How to Avoid Hell" given to my huband and I at Christmas from his mother. She gave it to all her children and spouses along with other similar books.

She no longer gives gifts to the adult children...just the grandchildren. My girls recieved wooden cross necklaces this year...much better.

[rob62521]

Hey, creditcardfree!

I'm sure it's a blessing your mil no longer gives gifts to the adult children. Yikes on the book!

[creditcardfree]

Originally Posted by rob62521

Hey, creditcardfree!

I'm sure it's a blessing your mil no longer gives gifts to the adult children. Yikes on the book!

Absolutely! I really try to look at all gifts as blessings regardless of the gift. That one was hard though.

[robex]

I didn't get anything 'awful' this year but Dh did. In his Secret Santa gift exchange at work, he got a piggybank in the shape of a woman's breasts and on the side it says 'Getting Laid Fund". I'm serious!

This is a married man with 3 kids, one of whom is a 10 year old daughter. I could have understood (maybe) if it was a gift for an 19 year old who had just got his own apartment...but, noooo! The woman who gave it to him knows full well his home situation. I was shocked and told him if he didn't get it out of our house it would be going into the garbage immediately.

It's gone!

[rob62521]

What a horrendous gift, robex! His secret santa was downright cruel.

[Snoopy2645]

I agree thats the worst thing I have ever heard of!!! I dont think this year I got any bad gifts. I got mainly money & gcs so not to bad a haul!!!

[pearlieq]

Nothing.

We exchange gifts with extended family (a fairly small group) and my one cousin just didn't bring anything. Everyone brought gifts for her and a separate gift for her daughter and she didn't didn't bring anyone ANYTHING!

It would have been fine if she just wanted to opt out and let everyone know ahead of time. We have one aunt who did that, and I'm strongly considering doing it next year as well. But she didn't say a word and just took all of her gifts and stiffed everyone else. Not cool!

[Hez]

A cheap lottery ticket (that I didn't win anything from). If this was from an acquaintance this wouldn't have been so bad, but it was from a relative who should know me far better.

[ChimbleySweep]

My grandmother doesn't like to waste things, so last year, she gave me 40 individually wrapped Pecan Sandies (they're a type of cookie). I think a friend of hers who runs a food pantry gave them to her. She doesn't like pecans, so she gave them all to me for Christmas.

It could be worse.... she gave my sister 30 lemons.

[poundwise]

To understand my worst gift you need a little setup...

Imagine if you will two brothers, about 5 years apart in age, enjoying Christmas Day at grandma's house. Among the presents under the tree, we have both seen that there are two large boxes, one for each of us. Mine, I assume because I am older, is larger than his.

We have to wait to open presents. (This is excruciating.)

We get to get things out of our stockings and we play around some.

Finally, time to open.

He and I both decide to wait until the end to open the 'big ones' and proceed to open gifts from grandma, grandpa, and Santa. What fun being young and getting stuff!

The moment arrives... we have all our presents, from toys to socks, opened and set aside. It is time to see what's in the big boxes. My little brother goes first. He unwraps his big box.

A TV! A TV! It's a 13" color TV! Wow. He can play his Nintendo (or whatever it was) in his room now. Awesome!

My box (remember it's larger) is also super heavy.

(It's gotta be a 19" TV for me! -- That's what I thought.)

I tore open the paper, pulled the tape off, opened the box... pulled out wads of paper and there it was...

A huge, clunky, manual, 1940s-1950s looking, typewriter from my grandparents attic.

They wanted to give it to me. An aspiring student. So they had it serviced and gave me paper and everything. I tried so hard to smile and say thanks. I don't know if I could mask my horror.

I looked at my Perry Mason typewriter and then at my brother's 13" color TV. Then I thought, "Well, I got some nice socks."

LOL

[pretty cheap jewelry]

(Pound you are still in trouble over the housecleaning comment!)

Ours was the 1/2 spanish 1/2 English book on Latino folk tales/history for my 6 and 8 year olds. (Joan.Arch you don't want it?) I'll keep it and put it in our camper for reading on long trips.

[rob62521]

Poundwise--


Maybe having the typewriter helped you learn keyboarding so you could be a part of this site!

[kashi]

The worst gift I ever received was one red post earring that had a chain connecting it to a cat-shaped cartilage ring (meant to cling to the top of your ear).

I don't have pierced ears.