Bad, Bizarre, or Baffling Gifts share your stories

[Anonymous]

...for a little holiday fun. I'll start with a couple:

Bizarre: My work colleague got on a kick of giving “lame” gifts. She’ll put together a box of random items, like say, cotton balls and salad dressing and a Spencer’s item, and laugh hysterically when the recipient opens it and looks bewilderingly at each item.
Baffling: My sister gave me an item that was clearly a regift or deeply discounted purchase. It was a brand name item that was in a pattern discontinued three years before but told me unnecessarily she "splurged on my gift”.

[Anonymous]

I think I was around 28 when my MIL got me some clothes from the tween store "Justice"...like, I'm happy you think I fit in prepubescent clothes, but no, I don't shop at the same store as your 12 year old daughter.

[Anonymous]

As a wedding gift (many years ago), we received a towel set — one washcloth, one hand towel and one bath towel.

Guess they thought we were that couple in the other thread that shares everything.

[Anonymous]

My grandmother gave me trash bags made from recycled plastic for Christmas. If that wasn't bad enough my dad owned the company that made the trash bags.

that year for Christmas my brother got a family heirloom. Clearly I was not the favorite.

[Anonymous]

For my babyshower my MIL gave me what my best friend referred to as a "bag of rags". She gave me a trash bag that contained a few of DH's old baby blankets but they were all knit and were basically hanging on by a few strands of yarn.

[Anonymous]

My SIL told me how she picked out the most amazing wedding gift for us. It turned out to be a make your own sushi kit. I don't even eat sushi.

[Anonymous]

My H aunt is a terrible gift giver. She made my son's a bottle with some Redskins stuff she painted on it, then she put lights in it and called it a night light.

Anyway, that is just 1 example.

Her daughter told me she has a "bad gift" closet where they keep all the gifts from her because they can't throw them away. They pull a few out each time she visits and display them and it is part of some inside joke every time she visits.

[Anonymous]

Wow, you guys expect a lot from your gifts.

I think all these gifts are perfectly fine, apart from the trash bags... and would find it quite funny if someone gave me a random box of stuff!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My grandmother gave me trash bags made from recycled plastic for Christmas. If that wasn't bad enough my dad owned the company that made the trash bags.

that year for Christmas my brother got a family heirloom. Clearly I was not the favorite.

Sorry PP. That's really terrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My grandmother gave me trash bags made from recycled plastic for Christmas. If that wasn't bad enough my dad owned the company that made the trash bags.

that year for Christmas my brother got a family heirloom. Clearly I was not the favorite.

I got the guy version of this when I was a kid. Not nearly as bad as a family heirloom but still didn’t make me feel great.

When I was in the third grade, my grandmother gave me a few hotwheels cars. She gave my brother, who was in the fifth grade, a 20” TV. This was the 80’s. I was old enough to understand the difference and I was upset by it. My mom was pissed.

[Anonymous]

Wedding gift category:
-gift card already used (we found out only when we tried to buy something at the store; there were only few pennies on it).
-used mr&mrs glasses.
We
-book about how to cook a food that my spouse cannot eat at all

[Anonymous]

My in laws gave me a literal elf costume one year, when they got all of their kids and themselves, and the grandkids, matching christmas pjs. Mine had a hat, and bells, and lit up. I dont even celebrate christmas.

[Anonymous]

grandmas get a pass because sometimes weirdness goes on upstairs. I remember weird/off christmas gifts were one of the first signs of my own grandma's mental decline. She probably planned the heirloom thing and forgot about you, innocently.

sometimes i have a great gift idea for one person and the other one gets the shaft. it evens out eventually. plus, some people just are easier to get gifts for!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For my babyshower my MIL gave me what my best friend referred to as a "bag of rags". She gave me a trash bag that contained a few of DH's old baby blankets but they were all knit and were basically hanging on by a few strands of yarn.

at my friend's shower her MIL gave her her DH's old baby cup, spoon etc - they were disgusting and literally smelled and had like, bite marks on them. They were in a Ziploc, which she had to open among all the other nicely wrapped gifts. Can't make this stuff up.

[Anonymous]

OP Maybe your sister found the brand name discontinued item at an outlet or a place like TJ Maxx, doesnt mean she didnt splurge.


I have thought about getting my MIL trash bags, as a gag gift. She has a regular size trash can, 13 gallon I think, but uses grocery store bags inside it instead of buying trash bags. Drives me bonkers.