Worst gift ever?

Wanting a particular book I'd written on the top of my 'Christmas List' as a teenager, the only thing on the list, and receiving a a red dressing gown instead and being told that a dressing gown was of more use than a book!
Needless to say, said dressing gown got worn once and was left behind when I left home two months later. The book, a nursing text book I eventually bought second hand with very handy hand written notes in the margin.
My favourite present, a cross stitch pattern and threads of my daughter and her husband on their wedding day, 18 years ago, and recently, my coffee machine!

Just after we had moved to a new house my father gave me a roll of chicken wire for my birthday. For Christmas he gave me a pair of plain white pillow cases.

Car mats, not once but twice.

Back in the sixties, married 15 months and with a new baby, I was washing everything including nappies by hand. My neighbour was buying one of the new fangled automatic washing machines and offered me her old wringer type for £10, which my (now ex) husband reluctantly paid. Fast forward two weeks and its my 21st birthday. After waiting eagerly all day, it dawned on me at around 8pm that I wasn't actually getting a present. Feeling very hurt I mentioned it and his indignant reply was 'I bought you a washing machine didn't I - what more do you want?' To top that, his mother bought me a pair of old lady slippers. I wouldn't even wear them now, let alone at 21!

A plastic tray from my sister. ?

A shower cap from the market from MIL, everyone else got jumpers and shirts!

Where I used to work,our Secret Santa rule was under a fiver and a different theme each year.One year,"square and green" was the theme and I received a pack of 2 green scourers!

A wicker laundry basket, from my ex!!!!

The deeds to a plot in my FILs family burial grave. It was the gift for my 21st birthday!

My worst ever one was thankfully not from a family member or a friend, but was part of a Secret Santa at work.

I was given a book called "How To Poo At Work". I was dumbstruck. And really REALLY offended. And then paranoid, wondering if there was a hidden meaning behind giving me that book. Anyone who knew me at all would have known that this wouldn't be my sense of humour at all.

I never did find out who gave it, and actually, I didn't want to know, because that would have really changed the relationship between us.

One of DD's boyfriends thought it was hilarious and was thrilled when I said he could have it. Thankfully that relationship petered out

My late son once bought me a blow up miniature plastic zimmer. I was NOT amused.

My first husband was a twin and one Christmas my MIL gave my SIL (my husband’s twin’s wife) and myself an identical jumper each! I think she had been so used to dressing her boys the same she thought she could/should do the same for their wives! ?

My ex mother-in-law gave me a gadget for taking the tops off jars......meant for someone with wrist problems......I was about 25! Same person gave me a tall Wedgwood (not Wedgwood) coffee pot, metal lid was bent and it was stained inside.

I was still away at teacher training college and for our second Christmas I bought my then boyfriend a leather writing case full of paper, envelopes, stamps etc. He literally threw two half pound boxes of milk tray across the room to me, saying he couldn’t think of anything to buy. I did marry him, forced into it by parents, eventually got rid of him after 30 years!
Present husband bought me an electric toothbrush, I do look after my teeth and see the dentist regularly. No gift at all last Christmas.....even though I bought him a stone carving experience which he loved.......

A hideous painting of a junk (as in a boat used in China) at sea during sunset given by DH's great-aunt as a wedding present (a November wedding many years ago).

Naturally she claimed it was an "original".

I found out soon after that they were sold in Woolworth's as Christmas presents that year.

We do a "Secret Santa" at our litle group of eight ladies, we buy for about £4 as everyone is retired and it is the thought that counts, but the year before last I was shocked when I opened my parcel, and three little tea lights dropped out of the packet, I was so disappointed but still had to pretend "they are always useful" I felt a hypocrite saying that really, but didnt want to offend anyone.She didnt have to make a great effort or imagination to give these, probably had them in a drawer somewhere!

My DH bought me a long black velvet skirt, pencil slim and size 8. Quite where he thought I would wear this as we were as poor as church mice at the time, and couldn't have bought two cinema tickets, and how he thought it might fit me...I really don't know. On another occasion he asked our ten year old to get me a Christmas present as he was 'busy', but didn't give her any money to do so.

my lovely grandad (died in 1995) was very independent and still bought presents for everyone and then wrapped them in matching wallpaper!
his three sons got the same thing as did his three daughters in law. the girl grandaughters got, you guessed it, the same thing as did the boy grandsons (i lost count of how many there were but i know there were 9 in total).
he was lucky to have several great grandchildren and, yes, the girls got the same thing as did the boys (i think there were at least 15 of these in total).
however when my son opened his, and two cousins opened their's, we were very amused to see "good boy chocolate drops" (doggy choc drops) emblazoned on the packets - grandad had thought it was a good idea as his great grandsons were all good! they were hastily removed from sight and replaced with something else the following day. none of us had a dog at that time and i never found out what happened to the choc drops.

We once lived in what had been a farm house with no mains drainage, however we had a huge cesspool at the bottom of the garden. This frequently became blocked and occasionally we had overflow. Because DH always said that I was a "very practical person who could sort out many household problems", my Christmas stocking contained Drain Rods so that "we" could do the job ourselves. The "WE" proved to be a joke.

A friend gave me a vase - plain, straight, and with a price tag on - 60p from Cancer Research- for a birthday. I'd bought her a hat, scarf and gloves set.

A box of Ferraro roche chocolates from my sister. I have been allergic to nuts my entire life !

We were given a Pyrex casserole dish for a wedding present.
When we unwrapped it in the bottom of the dish was a gift card for the couple who had given us the dish. Lost for words.

A flower vase from my ex, who never bought me flowers ! I said thanks, I’ll put it in the cupboard with the other 6 vases I already have .... he called me ungrateful ?. The following year he bought me a thimble cabinet, I said I don’t collect thimbles ! And do I really look like the kind of woman who collects thimbles ?? Needless to say we divorced soon after.

I didnt think there was anything I didn't like that I had for Christmas then I suddenly remembered the Secret Santa gift many years ago, which I found the giver must have had an unwanted gift of waist slips. They were far too big for me as she was a rather large lady herself, I was slim so they obviously didnt fit her or she didn't like waist slips!

My MIL gave me a pack of flowery synthetic M&S "full" briefs, two sizes too large. I was 24 and did not appreciate them! DH once gave me an electric deep fat fryer which went back on Boxing Day. I've been guilty too, DH has had a cordless vacuum and a carpet washing machine - but he loves gadgets and does all the cleaning so was actually very pleased with them!

One mother's day, my mum gave me a tea-towel and a bar of Frys 5 chocolate (with the different flavour fillings in the segments) The tea-towel was one I'd repeatedly seen in her kitchen linen cupboard whenever I visited. I miss her very much although it's been 25 years since she died.