Worst gift you've ever been given by a family member

[Anonymous]

A friend told me this story around 20 years ago. Her SIL’s parents (not related in any way to my friend) gave the SIL (their own dd) a cell phone carrying case for Christmas. When SIL informed them that she didn’t own a cell phone, her mother said to her, “Oh well, in that case I’ll take it because I need one for my phone,” so the mom took it back, didn’t apologize and didn’t offer any replacement gift. This was before virtually everyone had a cell phone.

[Anonymous]

For about three years, when I was age 22-25, my younger sister (5 years younger) would write “I can’t believe how old you are!” in my birthday card, which really hurt at the time.

[Anonymous]

A how-to book about decorating a house from MIL. I was 30 at the time so not new to setting up a household, and it was all for me, not for DH, who also lived in said house.

[Anonymous]

When I was newly married and a size 6 my MIL would buy me size XXL clothes. Now that I’ve had 2 kids and am in my mid 40s and am a size 12, she buys me size Small.

[Anonymous]

The Christmas after I started college, my aunt gave me a flat of individual serving instant mashed potatoes.

[Anonymous]

My mil gave my daughter a creepy life size doll that she had when she was a child. All of us said “wow, that’s a bit creepy, no?” To her face and we all had a good laugh about it together with MIL BUUTTTTT, MIL still expected us to take the doll home. So it’s in my daughter’s room and has become a family joke, even among the gift giver.

[Anonymous]

My grandmother gave me a baked potato microwave bag. For three Christmases in a row.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid, my truly wonderful and beloved grandmother gave my sister and I matching praying-hands-nightlights. The glowing, disembodied hands were like old with hands with visible veins and too long fingernails. I was terrified of them! What made it worse was that my sister would torture me by sneaking them, plugged in and glowing, under my covers, in the dark bathroom, hung sideways coming out of the wall of my dark closet...

Even my overly polite mother was like, “whoa, those are creepy!” Loved my dear grandmother but will never understand what she was thinking!

Haha. I like your sister.

I agree.

[Anonymous]

My SIL gave me a used hair tie with charms on it. WTF? She was in her 30s. This was my Christmas gift.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My grandmother gave me a baked potato microwave bag. For three Christmases in a row.

I don't even know what that is, but it sounds hilarious (not having been on the receiving end.)

[Anonymous]

I have given much worse gifts than I’ve received. I cringe when I think about it, I don’t know what the hell I was thinking. I’m so bad with gifts. Once I gave a gift certificate to my aunt to a spa for a massage - she has extreme social anxiety, maybe agoraphobia. I once gave a friend a Dr.Phil self help book as a birthday present, that he opened at his party and was basically like wth? But also I was kind of like what kind of grown adult has birthday parties where they sit around and open all the presents? I gave a close friend an epilator as a birthday present. It always seems like a good idea in the moment but in retrospect, I realize how dumb it was. I’m sure there are much worse gifts I gave that I’m not even remembering....

[Anonymous]

A light up prism/plastic 3D "sculpture" of the Twin Towers with a 9/11 memorial inscription.

[Anonymous]

MIL gave assorted gourmet popcorn box; we do not eat popcorn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have given much worse gifts than I’ve received. I cringe when I think about it, I don’t know what the hell I was thinking. I’m so bad with gifts. Once I gave a gift certificate to my aunt to a spa for a massage - she has extreme social anxiety, maybe agoraphobia. I once gave a friend a Dr.Phil self help book as a birthday present, that he opened at his party and was basically like wth? But also I was kind of like what kind of grown adult has birthday parties where they sit around and open all the presents? I gave a close friend an epilator as a birthday present. It always seems like a good idea in the moment but in retrospect, I realize how dumb it was. I’m sure there are much worse gifts I gave that I’m not even remembering....

I have given terrible gifts too. Like the set of permanent markers to my SIL for her 3 yo dd. They were shaped like cute animals, but still.

[Anonymous]

I go by my middle name. So when I was married to her son my name was

First name Middle name. Her sons last name


As in I dropped my maiden name. Everyone knew this.


Three years in a row she got me monogrammed crappy jewelry with middle name. Maiden name. Married name.