The dresses must have been on sale. She knew you were going to give her grandchildren.
For whatever reason, a few certain people insist on getting me gift cards to steak houses or gift boxes of meat-things (sausage, etc)… and I’ve been a vegetarian for 10+ years (and yes, they KNOW this… I’m not sure if they forget or if they’re just doing it to be jerks at this point).
@lje62 we didn’t get a gift like that but Mr R’s aunt or uncle (signed both names, can’t tell from handwriting) signed in our guest book that our marriage would only be true once we married with God’s approval, which we had not received because it wasn’t a religious ceremony. (His parents think the same thing but at least they had the good graces not to put it on anything memorable!)
Trip souvenirs. My in laws used to give us souvenirs from their trips. The trips were terrific. The souvenirs were not. I mean really…what can you do with a two inch high Navajo clay pot?
That’s terrible romani ! My husband and I got married in city hall …coming up on 20 years and still going strong so pay no heed to such judgmental comments
My H has given me both wonderful gifts and some where I really scratched my head. But his first gift to me maybe should have forewarned me. On our first Valentine’s Day ( about 6 months dating, ie never not being together), he gave me a toaster!! I’ve never let him forget it ( Haha) and we will be married 30 years this February!
My father gave me Disney movie themed shampoo (in a character bottle). You know, the kind of thing you’d give a kid. I wss 23. And no, I’m not one of those adults who collects Disney stuff.
Many years ago my H gave me a skillet for Christmas. We had been married just a few years, and I knew our money was tight for Christmas presents. But H took it to the extreme! I had purchased multiple small items for him, and he had to sit and unwrap present after present while I sat fuming in disbelief. I wouldn’t have minded unwrapping a useful kitchen item, if only it had been one of several gifts. But no, it was the only thing he bought and wrapped for me. I still love him and am still married to him decades later, but I am a lot more specific in my gift requests now!
Wedding gift: crock pot. The box indicated it was one of those free gifts for opening an account. Fine, we could use it. Except it didn’t work.
First holiday gift from DH when we were dating was a whole log of salami, like you see in a deli case. I like salami but who needs that much? He was trying to be thoughtful and creative.
I know my Bible pretty well. Would be interested a scripture citation on that. Oh wait, there isn’t one. Sheesh.
Hallmark had a holiday teddy bear giveaway with purchase of $20 or so in boxed greeting cards. My kid received the free teddy bear from a relative. The other gift was slippers from Kohls that didn’t fit. We returned the slippers for a whopping $1.21 store credit.
These are funny!
In a Christmas grab bag (many years ago) I received a dried up, used felt tip pen.
For our wedding an elderly friend gave us a Bradford Exchange carved alabaster plate depicting Carmen.
One Christmas my husband gave me barber scissors and a TV remote. (Granted these were useful items but we already had both!)
I’ve gotten a lot of funny gifts over the years (though they were thoughtful and NOT intended that way). H used to buy me jewelry but had NO IDEA of the size of my fingers. He once bought me a ring that was a size 10 (my fingers are a 5 or 5.5). Fortunately, we have a friend who is a jeweler, who is happy to resize. He also once bought me a BRIGHT RED dress in the style of Annie! in a heavy double-knit fabric. I gently asked if he’d mind if I returned it because I would NEVER wear it, even if it had been my size.
Not me - but my best friend and her H who are very conservative and who also prefer very traditional decor received a sculpture of a nude couple making love as a wedding gift. Not the sort of thing they would ever buy. It was even more awkward as it was her sister who gave it to them. Thankfully they both have a great sense of humor.
One of our (then little) kids received for a birthday present an adult size XL M&Ms t-shirt in an M&Ms gift bag that was obviously a free item from aunt & uncle’s recent trip to Vegas.
Worst personal gift is when H bought his mother and me matching white knit jogging suits. So many things wrong. Matching outfit with his mother. White knit…very unflattering on me, so you should have seen it on her! Mine went back.
Not mine, but best worst gift ever: from her H for Christmas, a friend received a niche in our church’s columbarium (for future use, of course.)
Not me, but one of my former coworkers (school) was overweight, but healthy and happy. No diet plans or discussions of losing weight. The students’ Christmas gift was a Weightwatchers recipe book. She wasn’t sure how to take that.
I am quite slender and athletic. For years, back in the days of more formal business attire, my mother gave my “tummy control” pantyhose for Christmas. I finally called a halt.
My mother has always had interesting gift ideas. One of her favorites is to wrap up and ship (!) a package of paper napkins, the type that has pictures appropriate to the holiday or season. I have always used only cloth napkins which she knows, but apparently this fact doesn’t defeat her good gift idea.
One year, my sister gave me a book on good manners through the ages. I allowed the thought of a possible not-so-subtle message only a quick consideration…
@VeryHappy : Yeah…no. I got the custom-decorated toilet paper canister and back-of-toilet hand towel dispenser. :-?
One friend, who is all about image, gave me a very Christmas-y looking tray, full of holly designs, and wreaths and other holiday fare. It wasn’t really her taste so I am pretty sure it was a regift. The thing is- we are Jewish, and she absolutely knows it.
Last year I accidentally wrapped up the (dollar store) scissors I was using into the gift box for my stepmother. She opened it up and found them on top of her pretty sweater (or whatever) and made a big production of laughing and telling EVERYONE. I was so embarrassed.
When I was newly out of college, I wanted The Joy of Cooking. As my mother was always asking me what I’d like for my birthday, I told her this. On the day of my birthday, she took me out for lunch and gave me $20 “because [she] had no idea what to get me.” I reminded her I asked for the cookbook. “Oh,” she said. “Well, now you have the money; you can buy it for yourself.”
Sigh.
For my 18th birthday my parents gave me an assortment of Mace sprays. I was self supporting and they did not like the part of town I moved to but it was all I could afford. I would have liked the money they spent on it much more!