Best and worst presents?

Id rather be given something practical like a new vacuum cleaner rhan jewellery or clothes as my DH never buys what i like and i havecto be grateful and wear it for ages! We now gave a policy of choosing our own pressies and also hve a small inexpensive 'surprise'

worst was a huge box filled with dirt labelled 'what a dirty trick' ( husbands idea of a joke one xmas as I was always nosing around looking for my xmas presents.

The best was a trip up to Londons west end to see Phantom.

iPad is the best and worst was an opened bottle of Grand Marnier

A crinoline cover for loo rolls from MIL

I was 18 soon to be married, for my birthday my mother-in-law to be bought me a black plastic dustbin for my birthday! A week later she said she thought that maybe wasn't very nice, so she got me bathroom scales! Long divorced and don't miss her at all.

Worst present - new pair of school shoes each Christmas from my parents

Best present - small china smoky cat from DS when he was about 10. Still have it, even though it's lost a front paw

My best and most useful presents must be my iPad mini and pocket camera.Both are used daily.

Worst is plastic tomato sauce and mustard bottles - I do not eat these sauce at all.

Worst..... Electric carving knife
Best........ Ticket to Australia to see my DD and DG

Best - my husband arranged for me to ring the bells at Westminster Abbey on my 60th birthday. Very honoured as they don't allow many visitors.
Worst - travelled to Australia to spend Christmas with son and his wife's family. Huge tree, piles of presents and I got - nothing! They all thought someone else was getting me something.

The worst was a yogurt maker from DH. The best, also from DH, was an expensive gold pendant I coveted in Tiffany. He bought it as a surprise to say thank you for looking after him and making sure he was taken care of when he was taken seriously ill in Montana. It was totally out of character for him and I treasure it. Still my favourite piece of jewellery.

I have two very worst pressies both from my DH the first was a pair of very pink double nylon sheets ( this was in the 70's) and the other was a very very brief red satin thong. My best present has to be the Christmas before my Mother died she was starting to get a little muddled and she bought me 17 sets of perfumed soap all different perfumes all beautifully presented with fancy boxes,ribbons and bows. I still have them all.

At 7 I was a keen reader with few books. Excited to open a book shaped Christmas present from an aunt and uncle, I can still feel the jolt of disappointment when it turned out to be a dictionary. It was not a child's dictionary either, maybe they didn't exist in the 1940s.
Best has to be another aunt who always missed sending cards and presents on the right day (in a time of a reliable Post Office service!). I loved her Greetings Telegrams and, once, a delivery of several bunches of violets!

Actually the despised dictionary was the only one we had and gradually became more useful and appreciated. I'd rather have had an Enid Blyton boarding school story at the time however!

My best definitely my iPad from my kids and then a new one three years later. My worst, and I still feel the disappointment now, a grey flannelette tunic with a high neck and short zip at the back, with matching skirt, was my main Christmas present when I was 9. I had to wear it on every outing. We didn't have school uniform and I had to wear it to school on school photo day. It felt like a punishment.

I suppose my worst must be the dustbin that my DH gave me on the first xmas in our first home (55 years ago). He did decorate it with a huge bow on top. We were so hard up we couldn't afford to buy each other 'proper' presents. And so in love it didn't matter.
My best was also a dansette, (blue and cream) when I was about 14.

Best was a Jean Muir cashmere jumper from my X. Or a plane ticket to LA and a Deepak Chopra course, or tickets to New York for the premiere of Sabrina followed by a trip to Japan when my friend had to do publicity, or tickets to Canada and a fortnight on the set of Legends of the Fall.... God, I'm spoilt!
Worst was a pair of gloves.

It is all relative. If someone gave me the fly fishing lesson, it would probably be in the worst category, yet I may have welcomed Candelle's pearl barley, as I discovered how delicious a pearl barley risotto can be when I tried the ingredient for the first time last week.

Worst present a copy of Vagina Monologues from my son in law to be.
It was the first time we had met him! I didnt know what was in the book and just saw the title!
Best present was from my daughter

a framed picture of Monets Tuileries my favourite place in Paris.My daughter and I had just got back from celebrating her 21st there.

Worst Christmas present from DH a "central" hoover, one that plugs in to the wall with 12 meters of cable behind it, works well and a good idea, but a disappointment at Christmas. Best present, on my 70th Birthday a present from the family, flight to Stockholm (we live in Gothenburg) to see Paul McCartney perform there.

Worst was a dishwasher from first ex as I have never liked practical presents - useful and usable and wanted yes. Thought he should have supplied it anyway. however love one of the first presents from current OH is a thinging for gardening - long handle, lots of points and you twirl it in the soil, brilliant. My DCs were horrified!! Second ex gave wonderful jewelry and clothes.

My best friend surprised me with a flight back to UK the day after my first grandchild was born prematurely. It was just a few days and I had flights booked for the arrival date but this meant I saw her at 24 hours old. How wonderful a friend is that. I also got a speeding ticket driving to the airport, I recently told said granddaughter and she is very impressed!

Was not impressed when an annual Christmas Book Token from a friend of my mother's for 10/- got reduced to 5/-, so didn't put a stamp on the thank you letter!!! Oh dear, what a little madam.

Several years ago my OH gave me a frying pan for Christmas.....he's lucky to still be alive!!

DS gave me two expensive bottles of wine and a pair of Arbroath Smokies for my recent birthday!

Best presents are vouchers especially for a rather nice lingerie shop in Bishop's Stortford!

My worst present was a pottery dog from my Dad it looked like a cross Alsatian/Dacshund, I had to pretend I loved it, and kept it in my living room in the corner,
My best were my dog Jack He's 17 and I love him so, also a Dansette, and single Daydream Believer,

I am a really shallow person and nice 'stuff' makes me happy.

The worst present I can remember having, or rather, the one that made me most miserable is the one I had a couple of days after my DH was made redundant. He gave me a pierced and ribboned saucer which he got free with something and explained how we were having to keep the spending down now we were poor. (I cried all day).

However, the DH is not a mean man and didn't want to upset me and he has bought me lovely things subsequently or rather topped up the Tesco's Goldsmith's points for nice presents. For my fiftieth birthday I had saved the Tesco's points for two years and wanted a nice watch. The DH encouraged me to go for the loveliest one and paid another £800 so I could have an Omega Constellation with diamonds. In ten years it has only been off my wrist to be serviced and when I bathe. It's my favourite present ever.

OK-ex husband bought me an exercise bike when I had actually asked for a plain gold chain. Needless to say he was the only one who used it. Note I say ex!
Current husband bought me an orthopedic garden spade when my back was bad. To be fair he did always say that if we bought a house with a garden he would not lift a finger in it! But some help would have been preferable.
This year the present he had ordered me had not arrived so I got 2 very pretty tops on the day but when main present did arrive it was a battery powered hoover thing. (I have an excellent hoover that I am very fond of!) When the delivery man brought it DH was out- it came in the manufacturer's box so it was quite clear what it was. I was stunned- I said' Oh I think THIS must be my birthday present. The delivery man looked at me - grimmed a huge smile & said ' Oh Man! He is SOOOO dead!! Lucky for DH that I was still laughing when he got back.