Am I wrong to feel hurt about this?

Bridget if you think the gift is lovely, don't worry about the cost.
I'm sure your DS thought it was lovely too and bought it because she thought you'd like it.

I am feeling a bit fed up today. I was looking at the gift my DS bought me. We are extremely close, tell each other everything and I always go out of my way to buy her something thoughtful and actually more expensive than I spend on anyone else. So it is a trinket tray, of the umbrella in Mary Poppins. Its lovely and quirky. So I decided to look up the website to see what other stuff they do. I am so sad to see my gift only cost her £6. I am in total shock, it just feels like a last-minute thing, and I thought she would give me something more meaningful. I know that sounds like I think more money should have been spent, but I don't, just that maybe more time and effort would have been made. I am totally gob-smacked, and apart from what I have said here, I don't know how to really deal with this. Any suggestions?

I'd have a good laugh about it - rather than feel hurt. She made a mistake, but so what? The gifts are just tokens, the friendship important.

Everyone knows that I have severe allergies. Still, I've received flowers (can't have them in the house), perfumed items (charity shop) - and many chocolates that I can't eat (I'm vegan, so give them to others).

In the past, I've stored unwanted things in the garage to re-gift. One year, I accidentally gave an unusual item back to the person who'd given it to me (as the post-it notes fell off).

Oh dear, rumbled, we really laughed at the time. Nowadays, we've all agreed not to do presents. Instead, we buy ourselves what we really want, much better.

My mother in law Bless her had loads of grandchildren and used to buy bits and pieces at jumble sales during the year One year my eldest got a plastic rain Mac I was trying to be positive to over rule her disappointment but as we opened it there was a big hole in the lower front and i mean BIG the size of a dinner plate I think I bought her a new cindy to make up for it

I've had a mouldy Christmas cake in a tin. I did a favour for a friend of my mothers and she gave me it as a thank you. Use by date 10 years previous!!!.

An in-law gave me a tin of shortbread in a hideous ‘Kittens with tartan ribbons’ tin. I like shortbread, but this had obviously been opened and the ‘Use By’ date badly scratched off. I laughed, but I’d honestly have preferred no present at all.

My MIL once gave me a nightdress, DH admired the pattern , on inspection they were footprints it must have slipped off the hanger in M&S and someone had walked over it with muddy boots.
She gave me what only could be called puce cami knickers when I told SIL she said she had got the same in bottle green and the step DIL the same in mustard. Must have been a job lot three for two in awful colours.
My SIL was nearly as bad herself the daughters and myself often got the three for two summer offers on Boots toiletries still with the sticker when she knew we were all allergic to lanolin and harsh shower gel. Also 3 for 2 paperbacks from Asda still with a sticker.
The worst pressie ever [I was a teacher we got all sorts and loved them ] having a share buffet, one mother heard and sent me a tin of homemade buns. The buttercream was violently coloured and there sticking to one bun was black pubic hair, her hair was blonde it must have been her husbands!!!

Georgesgran I once bought DD a bottle of her favourite perfume from the duty free.
When I gave it to her she was quiet for a bit then laughed and said it was the men's version - her boyfriend was very pleased.

How was I to know they did a men's version ?

EllanVannin

Give her the tea bags back,hahahahaha.

Yes, I was going to suggest that too, pretending you misunderstood which gift she wanted back.

If the other gift she wants back (how odd!) is edible or toiletries just say you used them already.

Or say you re-gifted it to someone ?

I hope you're not my friend - I gave her tea but I can assure you her that it was brand new, recently purchased!

Is it 2023?

My DiL made me laugh giving me my Christmas present. I opened it to find massive pjs four sizes bigger than my size. She said I think it's easier to wear them too big. You don't want tight pjs do you then she said I got them in the sale. I got them for all my female relatives they only had that size. I couldn't take offence she's lovely!

To save all this, both my good friends and myself agreed, no gifts just a nice card. Is working well, and less of a hassle as to what to buy. Not the same, maybe, but it suits us.

Every Christmas I'd give a friend a tin of shortbread which was gratefully received. Then one year she rang to say she'd opened the tin to find some pieces missing and telltale crumbs. DH had got there first! I still cringe at the memory.

I have laughed alot with thread

I don’t think tea has a use by date. Maybe a best before. During lockdown I unearthed in the far corner of a cupboard 2 packets of loose leaf tea, with sell by dates going way back. Decided to use them and the tea was fine, so much so that I’ve switched back to loose leaf. Friend probably didn’t look for or notice the date. Maybe she should take it back to the charity shop and ask for a refund

I had a similar experience with a friend but it took me a while to realise she was regifting to me items that she’d been given while I was going out to choose something nice for her. Eventually we agreed not to do presents as ‘we both had everything we needed’. Problem solved!

My mum got a free gift of a canteen of cutlery, from a supplier to my parents' grocery shop.
She sent it to her sister in Canada for Xmas and got a very appreciative letter thanking her for her generosity - which caused her to feel a tiny bit embarrassed.

When my husband was a boy, he bought his mum some sanitary towels for Mother's Day. He could only read the word 'towels' so assumed they were towels for drying hands.

from a rather well off friend I received a watch that I know was a free gift (she told me about it a year ago) and the battery was flat.

I was going to say return the tea as well as the item she has asked for saying something like " I am sure you didn't mean to buy this but it is out of date perhaps the shop you purchased it from will exchange it" it will give you some satisfaction rather than brooding on it. I would not worry about upsetting her as if she was worried about upsetting you she would not have asked for her miss -given gift back and purchased / gifted another .

One year we bought friends very expensive contemporary salt and pepper mills, that we really liked, for Christmas. When they opened their present, the husband turned around and said “we’ve got some of these”. Theirs were plastic and from Tesco’s!
Another year, same couple, amongst their gifts was a serviette holder, again quite contemporary. Few days later the husband rang and asked what it was, when we explained he told us it was far too complicated and they had taken it to the charity shop!
They did however like the Spode wine glasses we gave them a couple of years ago, although they seemed to think that they were given to them by a friend who was having a clear out!
We now buy them food hampers.

My granddaughter bless her once bought her mum a birthday card that said Happy Birthday to my mother in law she was about 14 at the time ??

My ex-Mil was unhappy that we lived in a big city rather than the country. She bought for the life she would like us to have.

A chestnut sapling comes to mind.

And a horse blanket ?

My MIL once gave me a single pair of socks, mens socks, from a multipack lol

These are very funny!

A dear elderly friend sent a Christmas card with a note saying, 'Please give the children £10 each.' Fair enough, but no cheque was enclosed!