Strange presents

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd love the fire extinguisher and dryer vent cleaner. Need a new fire extinguisher and we don't have a dryer vent cleaner. Thank her and toss.

Yeah, that one captured my attention--both fire prevention AND roasting marshmallows, in case the ingrates don't use the first 2 components they can still have a memorable experience!

I agree the MIL gifts are awesomely hilarious

but hey--I brought my mom to a Unitarian bingo night and she won a bunch of sage that was half burned. My mom was a bingo nut but definitely not unitarian, but the look of perplexity when she opened her bingo prize!

[Anonymous]

This is so funny OP! She starts with a nice gift basket concept and takes it for a wild ride. I would be looking forward to see how she can top herself next year.

[Anonymous]

I suspect that she doesn't really like you.

[Anonymous]

It must be so weird to have the time/creativity/initiative to plan gift baskets/invitations to carefully combined/thought out events.... yet to have NO skill or savvy at actuallly choosing appropriate events/gifts to enjoy. I guess you have to take DHs lead and it sounds like he's not even processing it- so he must have grown up with this/he knows there is no hope for change. I'd have a hard time NOT saying "let's break this down...." and lay it out verbally to see if she can put 2 and 2 together that her concepts are nutso.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I bet she's a hoarder too.

My grandma was a hoarder and we used to get weird gifts ( hotel soap collection and bible calendars one year... for the same year that was ending! lol)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd love the fire extinguisher and dryer vent cleaner. Need a new fire extinguisher and we don't have a dryer vent cleaner. Thank her and toss.

Yeah, that one captured my attention--both fire prevention AND roasting marshmallows, in case the ingrates don't use the first 2 components they can still have a memorable experience!

I agree the MIL gifts are awesomely hilarious

but hey--I brought my mom to a Unitarian bingo night and she won a bunch of sage that was half burned. My mom was a bingo nut but definitely not unitarian, but the look of perplexity when she opened her bingo prize!

I assume the thought pattern goes like this:

Oh, indoor smores night would be great! I have a few graham crackers in this box and one more full box. I'll take just one marshmallow from the bag and practice.

Hmm. That got very smoky. They might burn their house down. I wonder if they have a fire extinguisher? And have they cleaned their dryer vent lately? I better add those things to the gift. Don't want to give them something that burns their house down!

[Anonymous]

You really seem to despise your MIL, and must have needed to vent. Have you considered therapy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I suspect that she doesn't really like you.

Not the OP, but I would not assume this. MIL just sounds really quirky and awkward.

[Anonymous]

Ha! These are hilarious. Just use them for fodder for jokes with your DH and close friends. I think I would laugh so hard I would cry if a friend told me all this!

[Anonymous]

Giving someone a scale? F her!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The no gifts thread prompted me to think about the really odd gifts that MIL comes up with every year. The worst was a find religion package that included a bible, a donation made in our name to a nearby church that she had researched on our behalf, a homemade invitation from Jesus inviting us to the church, and a bunch of oriental trading religious plastic toys and crafts. We are agnostic. This was not appreciated. When DD was born, the gift package was to me and included a scale. a used copy of the Scarsdale diet that she probably got a garage sale and a tape measure to help me get my figure back. This was not appreciated.

One year she tried canning but didn't hit the mark. The cans of jelly and preserves that we received had black stuff floating at the top. DH thinks it was a mistake, I'm still on the fence as to whether she was planning to take us out of the picture with poison jam. Other years the gifts have been less inappropriate but still weird. I always wondered who on earth bought things from the in flight magazine section from Toscana something with strange dragon and medieval decor. Well, we received a large stone gargoyle statue for our living room, some black candles and Harry Potter books because MIL heard this was what kids like now. The invitation to our house was for MIL to read Harry Potter to DD by candlelight next to the gargoyle for spooky nights. DD was 2 at the time and this would have given her nightmares for weeks.

The latest gift package included a dryer vent cleaner kit, fire extinguisher and s'more making things like marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers. The graham cracker box was expired and the marshmallow bag had already been opened and closed with a rubber band. It also included an invitation to our house for more making and fire safety night. I guess we will be hosting them to clean the dryer vent together and then enjoy stale s'mores.

I don't really have a question because really what do you say when you get one of these lovely packages, let alone get them twice a year.

DH,DD and I all have birthdays in October so we get a creative package to the whole family every October and Christmas.

Hahahahahahahaa... breathe.... hahahahahahahahahahaa

[Anonymous]

These are kind of funny! My parents babysit a couple times a month and will theme it for my kids. Last week's was "frozen night" with Frozen costumes, ice cream, frozen movie, frozen game and nail polish with frozen stickers. My toddler girls loved it. The week before was Toy story and they rented toy story 4, ate dinner with sporks and sang the songs. They try for a theme every time.

I think your MIL just wants to be invited over more? She does sound a bit crazy though. Her gifts are similar to ones we've received from hoarders or people who shop at thrift stores/Ollie's.

[Anonymous]

This thread is in poor taste.

When I receive a present, I say "thank you.". Then if you don't want to keep it, donate it or throw it out.

[Anonymous]

One year we received a clear resin rectangle, etched with an image of the World Trade Center, set on a stand with an LED light that shined upward through the rectangle. It said "never forget 9/11" or something like that.

This was for Christmas. It was beyond bizarre.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When my daughter was a teen, my aunt gave her a purity pendant.
(we are all Jewish)

Purity= no sex before marriage. Doesn't that work for Jews?