Worst gifts?

[Dreamstalker]

OK, in the spirit (albeit warped) of the holidays, I decided to start a thread dedicated to awful gifts. Tacky, inappropriate, just plain fugly...what are some bad gifts you've gotten?

Here's one of mine:

--one Christmas, my grandmother (who knew damn well I wanted the following gift) gave my little cousins a Lego Mindstorms set. They were and are too young for such coolness (and IMO aren't geeky enough to fully appreciate it). I got junkmail freebies (pens, keychains, pins, etc) and catalogs in an old shopping bag that was probably up in the attic for 30 years. I'm all about recycling, but I limit it to wrapping paper. I've dealt with her long enough that I can convincingly fake gratitude (I'm not sure if that is something to be proud of or not).

I probably have more, but have to think of them.

[protege]

My uncle gave me one of the fugliest coats known to man. Although comfy and warm, it had to go. The thing was two-toned brown. Sorry, but I don't exactly go for 1970s fashion :p

[Twotall]

When I was about 12-13, my uncle gave me a book of crossword puzzles for Christmas. Now, I like crossword puzzles, so I was pleasantly surprised - until I opened the book and saw that he had solved practically all of the puzzles, and the rest were halfway done or more. Apparently, he had solved as much of them as he could, and when he was stumped, he wrapped the book up nicely and gave it to me.

In a way, it's a shame that he lives in another city and had mailed me this "gift". I do wish he could have seen my face then. :(

[Dreamstalker]

protege, I may have something to compete with that coat :p

One year, my stepfather's sister gave me the ugliest vest in the known world (unfortunately it's in NM otherwise I'd post a picture).

The fabric was some horrid 70s abomination of orange, brown, and blue vertical stripes. The entire thing was fringed with about 10 pounds of cowrie shells, and the vest had big round tin mirrors all over it (bordered in appropriately fugly rickrack). Apparently, it used to be hers :eek:

As to why she thought I'd like it...I'm not even touching that thought process.

Hey, one of my ebay boards has annual listing contests for truly hideous items...maybe I should find the damn thing and try listing it.

[Misanthropical]

When I was a teenager, a woman that I went to church with gave me all her old dresses. She told me that since we were basically the same size, they would fit wonderfully.

I wore a size 7, she wore a size 22. We were not remotely near the same size, except in her demented mind.

[Coconut]

When I was 15, my aunt gave me a generic Barbie Doll that I was clearly too old for.

[CanadaGirl]

When I was a teenager, a woman that I went to church with gave me all her old dresses. She told me that since we were basically the same size, they would fit wonderfully.

I wore a size 7, she wore a size 22. We were not remotely near the same size, except in her demented mind.

:lol: Maybe she was seeing double, double of you!

[Fera Festiva]

My grandfather was a notorious cheapskate and rather odd to boot. At one point he ran a charity shop which he ripped off on a regular basis, harvesting the donations for potential gifts. One year, when I was about 12, he gave us (me and my younger bro and sis) a bin bag filled with second-hand dog toys (some of which were slightly sticky :puke: ), and about 200 of those ping-pong-ball sized things that go on car aerials, with slogans like "Don't touch my ball". Ooh, and also, a single ancient Action Man with no clothes except an orange hoodie.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Okay. I can play this.

I hate turtlenecks and I don't wear orange. I do not underdstand sleeveless or short sleeved garments made of winter knits. I am not a size small (although for some reason, everyone is shocked to discover this. I have a smaller friend who inherits an awful lot of clothing from me. ) I am a size medium most of the time.

So, yeah, you guessed it. Once I received a sleeveless knit sweater with a turtleneck. Small, of course. And orange. :headscratch:

It's almost as if the makers of this thing sat around smoking a big old fat one and trying to outdo each other coming up with ways to make the most horrible garment, ever.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

One of my aunts took a trip to New York and brought me back a Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt, which I had asked for.

After being washed about 5 times, the shirt came apart. The logo pretty much peeled away from the shirt.

My mom felt bad about this, and offered my aunt the 15 or 20 bucks she figured the shirt cost, so she could get me a different shirt.

My aunt's response? "I bought that shirt for five bucks from some guy on the street!"

[Broomjockey]

Personally, I have received a model car that my 4 year old nephew accidentally sat on (I don't even do models. Never have.), an old used tape recorder with a couple broken buttons, and a bottle of men's perfume or whatever it's called (I'm allergic to scents).

And my aunt gave my dad a cordless nosehair trimmer.

[Pinkie]

I can top you all. Get this: Wedding gift, to me from my hubby.....

---a broken, floor model sewing machine, with parts missing and not even an owners manual.


Granted, we were young and poor, and I did want a sewing machine, but you don't buy a busted up sewing machine for your wife as a wedding gift...not when she bought you a beautiful gold pocket watch as a wedding gift!!

[Ringtail Z28]

My sister has a really annoying habit of buying me gifts that are really meant for herself.

Womens clothing. I'm not a transvestite, and if I was I wouldn't fit in clothes her size.

A fat orange persian. I don't want pets, she knew that. I knew she was going to spring one on me because she kept asking me if I wanted a cat like a week before my eighteenth birthday. Sure enough I ended up getting a woman's jacket (in her size) and cat with an eating disorder.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Okay, I'll play . . .

How about a bottle of deodorant?:cry:

Yes, you read correctly. Some idiot student in my 7th grade class (I never found out who) left an anonymous gift on the last day before class let out for Christmas break.

Needless to say, I was mortified that someone would actually have the cajones to insult anyone like that. Talking to the teacher about it did no good whatsoever either. Even trying to explain to the principal why I was offended went over his head.

Even after my mom called up to the school and demanded to know what the :censored: was going on and why I was upset, nobody did a damn thing about that.

It's a wonder sometimes how I survived school without going completely insane.

[Broomjockey]

It's a wonder sometimes how I survived school without going completely insane.

Embrace the insanity, walk towards the chaos! It makes confusing Scs a heck of a lot easier.

[Tanasi]

My grandfather who was fairly well off used to steal my stuff and give it back to me and my brothers as presents.
One year for Christmas my Mom put my Dad in charge of buying for my brother and myself. Well as usual he forgot until the last minute and we each got a roll of Skoal. To say Mom was jumping up and down mad would be an understatement. Even a 13yo want's something toylike for Christmas and I got a roll of Skoal and I didn't even dip, and it was out of date. He got the Skoal at a porn shop. The next day we got guns, not pellet guns but real guns. Guilt is a hell of a weapon.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

My grandfather who was fairly well off used to steal my stuff and give it back to me and my brothers as presents.
One year for Christmas my Mom put my Dad in charge of buying for my brother and myself. Well as usual he forgot until the last minute and we each got a roll of Scoll. To say Mom was jumping up and down mad would be an understatement. Even a 13yo want's something toylike for Christmas and I got a roll of Scoll and I didn't even dip, and it was out of date. He got the Scoll at a porn shop. The next day we got guns, not pellet guns but real guns. Guilt is a hell of a weapon.

Teh stoopid is strong with your dad if he thought a can of Skoal was an appropriate gift for a 13-year old.

Or a gun, if you did not have the proper training to use it safely.

[Kiwi]

I went all out one christmas for my friends and spent well over $30 on each of them (I was working fulltime and overtime so I had the cash, so where my friends).... in return I got

a cd single, of ... pink (the singer)during their christmas cdsingles for a $1 sale and a pink (I HATE PINK the singer and the colour) vase from a dollar store

Im not one of those people who thinks gifts have to match in monetary value. I totally realise that some people just dont have the money to spend and thats cool, im not going to cheap out on you just because you earn less than me!.. but come on people ball park please they didnt even try, dollar gifts thats just plain cheap... it wasnt even one of those "thought that counts" gifts, they knew I hated pop music (we all went to the same concerts) and they know I hated the color pink....(my room was decked out in forrest green and royal blue)

needless to say they wernet my friends for much longer after that

[Tanasi]

Teh stoopid is strong with your dad if he thought a can of Skoal was an appropriate gift for a 13-year old.

Or a gun, if you did not have the proper training to use it safely.

I can't say that I disagree with you on the Skoal, since then I've aquired the habit along with real twist chew. Oddly enough the wife no longer complains, it's a good woman you have when she doesn't make you spit out your chew just to get a kiss.

As to the gun we'd both been hunting and shooting for several years, so it wasn't a big deal. We both knew for froma young age that guns weren't toys and we didn't even point toy guns at folks.

[Ljt09863]

well, my grandmother has got to be the worst shopper ever when it comes to gifts. she just doesn't care. for my birthday this year, i got a birthday card with a picture...a photograph of myself and my fiancee sitting at a picnic table that was taken just a few months ago. i was like wow....just what i always wanted. a picture of myself. now i no longer need a mirror.

but ive gotten crappy things from her from christmas. these really ugly ear muffs that wouldn't even unfold to go on my ears, this knitted socks that had a crazy design with colors that clashed on it, a cheap, two dollar alarm clock, a pen and a hairbrush.

[Seanette]

As to the gun we'd both been hunting and shooting for several years, so it wasn't a big deal. We both knew for froma young age that guns weren't toys and we didn't even point toy guns at folks.
My parents gave me a shotgun for Christmas when I was eight. I actually didn't mind. :D

[ArenaBoy]

My aunt gave me, my sister, and my two cousins Beanie Babies for Christmas for a few years. She was obssesed with them that we all wondered if she went mad.

[Slave to the Phone]

I wear long sleeved white cotton shirts. I live in Arizona and biker black just doesn't work for me. When the owners insisted that I wear Domino's uniforms, I insisted that I have light-colored, long-sleeved shirts. Battle was won and I got white shirts.

The owner, wife and kids went on a month long EU vacation. The accountant got a lovely hand made glass necklace. I got a black, short sleeved spandex shirt.

And got laid off a month later because they were going under. When I returned my uniform shirts, I included the crappy shirt with tags intact.

[Severen13]

I can top you all.

How about getting.....NOTHING! In the seventh grade one gal decided to pass out Valentines on Valentines Day. Everyone got a Valentine except me. :cry: I knew she did it on purpose because she hated me for no reason. I know it sounds stupid, but it's the principle. To this day, 20 years later, I still get mad when I think about it. Gggrrr........:rant:

[Ryu]

heh
in elem school when it was mandatory to give valentines to everyone i didnt get one from everyone although almost everyone did so i can relate to that
i dont know of any really bad gifts i've gotten although i've gotten stuff, mainly clothes, i wont use

[MystyGlyttyr]

Mine weren't so sucky as they were uninformed.

I was NEVER your typical little girl at all. I wanted Ninja Turtles and football and a sifter to put dirt in and grind it up. (Don't ask.) I received my first Barbie doll at the age of four. I took it out of the box, looked at it for a minute, then ripped the head off and drew a smiley-face on the little ball that was left. (Why my parents never realized there was something WRONG with me, I'll never know...)

My aunt, bless her, though, thought if she just kept trying, eventually, I might turn into a "real" girl. So I always got presents from her along the lines of purses, jewelry boxes, dolls, etc. They usually ended up broken/eaten/at least severely knawed on, or if they were particularly nice, my mother would take them and use them herself.

Then there was my father's egg donor, who thought that the hideous, INSANELY FRAGILE porcelein dolls she made as a hobby made perfect gifts for a wild-child who liked to break things and set them on fire.

[RogueOne]

heh, heh, fire's cool.

[Dreamstalker]

I had some Barbie dolls...I would hang them from the ceiling fan and see what happened when I turned it on (yes, I was very, very odd). I'd set up elaborate battles with Dino Riders vs. My Little Pony...guess who always won :D

As a twist to this thread, my BEST gift was back in the day when my dad was still traveling to and from Asia on business on a regular basis. I got a Transformer-type robot that was a huge, colorful, very well-made and detailed hawk with more metal parts than plastic. I think it was accidentally left in a car we sold. I've been trying to find another one, but to no avail :(

[LostMyMind]

I'd set up elaborate battles with Dino Riders vs. My Little Pony...guess who always won :D
My guess, little ponies. Those things are little demons :eek:

[Tanasi]

My parents gave me a shotgun for Christmas when I was eight. I actually didn't mind. :D

My youngest daughter has been begging for a real gun of her own. I've had her shooting when she was really too little to be doing so but she thought she was big enough. I'll probably buy her a youth model Rem 1100 this year in 28ga. For the last three years she's been dogging my steps when we go bird hunting and she's yet to ask to be carried. She'll even retrieve but her pointing and setting skills still need work. Since she raises and shows rabbits she's not much for rabbit hunting. I once convinced her to have a grinning contest with a possum, the winner is yet to be decided.
We've all received gifts that are frankly, crappy, and little to no thought was given. What I teach my kids, is that the gift giving is not about you but the person doing the giving. The gift might be thoughtless, crappy, and downright disgusting but it's your duty to be appear graftful, thank them and be pleasant. That shows that you've had some home-learnin, and when you return the favor it will make revenge so so sweet.

[Dreamstalker]

My guess, little ponies. Those things are little demons :eek:
Yeah, they won...and then got eaten by the battery-operated T-Rex that was hiding behind the wall of the Dino Rider fort :devil:

[Binky]

My step dads mother got me an address book, that was old and smelled of mould, it's pages were browning..it was thrown out pretty quickly

My step dads sister gave me hair products????????????????????????????? Even worse was they were shampoos for CURLY hair...the lady never met me and gave me hair product for curly hair???? I have straight blond hair that has never curled in it's life!

hmmm oh...and my gran...really lovely lady....she justs LOVES giving people gifts, and will often just go get you things, even if you don't need/want them...occationally she will get something you REALLY need (like she baught me a dryer because we can't hang clothes up on the balcony!! and you just DON'T want to use the public clothes line!) but.....she baught me and my boy friend this tacky little cat statue thing...thats like a man and a woman...sitting on top of a heart...all made out of wood...it's just SOOO tacky....my boy friend cringed when he saw it...because he knows we have to put it up on display for when she comes over ....:( :confused:

[Dreamstalker]

Awful gifts from people local to me is the worst. Don't want 'em, yet can't sell/toss them as I know they'll be asked about if the gift-giver comes over.