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Worst Christmas present?

(84 Posts)
Lona Fri 26-Dec-14 12:51:32

I'm sure we won't be the only family to suffer........ but the Elsa doll from "Frozen", which is motion activated and has NO off switch nearly drove us all mad yesterday!
NOT a good idea, Disney!
tchgrin

jinglbellsfrocks Thu 01-Jan-15 23:47:37

Is your DD a cyclist Katyk? They sound as though they would be very useful things for bridging the gap between end of coat sleeves and beginnings of gloves when reaching forward to a bike handlebars.

Falconbird Fri 02-Jan-15 09:00:09

Does anyone recycle unwanted gifts. I have done it once or twice and I'm sure I have received recycled gifts myself. You have to careful though and not give someone, something they gave you.

A friend gave me a scented candle one year, and some time later inadvertently gave the game away by saying "I really hate scented candles"
I was given one last birthday smile

KatyK Fri 02-Jan-15 10:04:31

jingl - no she isn't a cyclist. Grace - they look nothing like those welly things. The mystery continues grin

loopylou Fri 02-Jan-15 10:07:58

Is there any way of asking the person who gave them very tactfully.....? Am intrigued! DH's rather odd sister has given him a apparently random selection of cassettes of singers we've never heard of....and we don't have a cassette player.......

jinglbellsfrocks Fri 02-Jan-15 10:22:04

I think I will send for a pair of these

jinglbellsfrocks Fri 02-Jan-15 10:22:24

For when on my bike.

Joelise Fri 02-Jan-15 10:42:12

KatyK , do they have whole about 2 or 3 inches from the end ? If so they are a sort of glove, & you put your thumb through the hole. DD had some for Christmas.

KatyK Fri 02-Jan-15 12:47:24

Joelise - No there is no hole for a thumb smile

Katek Fri 02-Jan-15 13:31:48

My brother once gave me a roll of gift wrapped black bin bags. In his defence I was involved in a long fight over a landfill site planning application at the time and this was his idea of a joke. He also gave DH a Santa suit one year as he couldn't think what to buy 'the man who has everything'!

Nansypansy Fri 02-Jan-15 17:32:49

Has anyone had a problem NOT receiving a posted christmas pressie? Initially I felt a bit miffed that maybe my DIL decided not to send anymore (she was married to my late son) so when she texted to say HNY, I couldn't help but added into my reply that I was a bit disappointed that neither she nor my grandson had sent a card. This prompted her to tell me that she had indeed sent a parcel on the 16th including cards and gifts for other members of the family, local to me, and was very upset that it hadn't arrived. I checked out my collection office to no avail so now she has to do the same her end and fill in any forms etc. this is not the first time this has happened with posted items between her area and mine, plus my daughter has also had problems, again at my DILs end of not receiving what was sent from a different area. It does make me question the integrity of PO staff.

Marelli Fri 02-Jan-15 20:16:54

One year I gave a friend a little porcelain pin-tray that I'd bought at an antiques fair. The following year I got it back, wrapped in the same paper - which was a bit crumpled... shock!

Greyduster Sat 03-Jan-15 08:03:25

A fly tying kit, now that I can't see well enough to tie my shoe laces, never mind tiny fishing flies! I now have to buy a very big magnifying glass to go with it. My first effort at tying made DH laugh so much he fell off the sofa! My feelings were only soothed by the two bottles of Moulton Brown shower gel I received from my daughter.

Juliette Sat 03-Jan-15 09:10:49

For Christmas 2000 I received 'a little gift' from a friend of my aunts, we had included her in trips out and she had always enjoyed everything we did. 'Given with love and gratitude' (her words). A box of Harvey's Bristol Cream liqueur chocolates, expiry date....April 1999 and a packet of 20 serviettes, to welcome the Millennium. Auntie and her DF both long gone but I still have the serviettes. smile Sadly the chocs had to go, they really were past their 'sell by date'.

annsixty Sat 03-Jan-15 09:35:25

I wander in my thoughts (not unusual) isn't serviette an odd word and why are napkins not called lapkins as that is where they go? Back to the thread.

Lona Sat 03-Jan-15 10:25:58

An update to my OP, I went to babysit last night and found the On/Off switch on the Elsa doll (thanks to POGS and Ana, it was on the lower side of the torso, not really where you'd look).
The relief on the faces of my ds and dil had to be seen to be believed grin

Marmight Sat 03-Jan-15 10:32:44

Serviette - a French word - towel and from the verb to serve. Napkin - a baby's nappy. I know which one I prefer to have on my lap/round my neck! wink
For the first Christmas after she was married, DD received an evening bag from her MiL . It had a stain on it and had been used by MiL at a wedding the month before - how to win the confidence and respect of your new DiL hmm

annsixty Sat 03-Jan-15 10:40:09

Thank you Marmight I just knew someone brighter than me would come along and put me straight tchgrin

sunseeker Sat 03-Jan-15 10:51:00

My family in Australia give out joke gifts at Christmas Day supper, the last time I was there I was given a broomstick! I did ask if they expected me to use it to fly back to UK!!

Funnygran Sat 03-Jan-15 11:25:48

One Christmas my MiL gave me a pair of oven gloves and an apron because she thought 'you might find them useful sometime'!

Juliette Sat 03-Jan-15 11:29:38

annsixty my mum always called them napkins too. When she left school in the early 20s she went to work as a maid of all work in a house where the cook had previously been in 'good service' and I think she often used words that were more upstairs than down. The jelly in trifle debate was also settled for me by cook.....'sherry upstairs, jelly down'. Hope you can understand my ramblings, not very good at explaining!

Merseymog Sat 03-Jan-15 11:35:38

A one-size fits all Mankini (one of those awful things worn by Borat). I'm undecided as to what to do with it and equally unsure why my wife's best friend gave it to me. Your input would be appreciated what should i Do?
1. Bin /charity shop.
2. Put in on and take a selfie to make a calendar for my wife's friend.
3. If it can be secured wear it when she comes round, not a pretty sight.
4. Keep it for a secret Santa next year.

Caution says option 1, devilment option 2 or even 3. Would any of you ladies buy such a thing for a male friend and what would you hope they would with it.

crun Sat 03-Jan-15 12:24:33

The most tightfisted Christmas present I ever had was two of these from my mums partner. grin

inishowen Sat 03-Jan-15 13:03:12

When I was about twelve i gave my mum a chip pan for Christmas. She was not impressed! I actually thought she'd be pleased. Her worst present to me was a shoulder bag when i'd asked for a record player.

Chase5000 Wed 10-Jun-15 06:18:25

When I was caring for my mother which was tiring as I could never switch off a person brought me a 1000 piece jigsaw!
What chance did I have to do a jigsaw???
I gave it to the charity shop.

Falconbird Wed 10-Jun-15 06:45:52

My son gave me enormous heavy art books every Christmas for years, I do like art but these books were huge and I used to dread the sight of an enormous parcel, wrapped in christmas paper, which was unmistakably yet another art book. I had a pile of them next to a book case because they were too big to fit on the shelfs.

At last I had to say something but didn't want to upset him so I sent him an e mail on the run up to Christmas suggesting some gifts his old mum might like. I even told him where they were on Amazon.

It worked - I had a purse, a paperweight and a wooden box for holding tissues and no more huge art books which I lugged to a Charity Shop.