Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
There's a Latin idiom that sounds like this: Noli equi dentes inspicere donati. Meaning, you don't look a gift horse in the mouth. A guy named John Heywood supposedly used this phrase in some Middle English text way back in 1546 but some experts think it's much older than that.
Since a horse's teeth can reveal a lot about the animal, including its age, checking its mouth would be a sign of mistrust towards the gift giver. This would be bad manners. So let's do that.
We at Bored Panda discovered a couple of Reddit posts (one and two) that asked users essentially the same question: what was the worst thing you received for Christmas? So given that the holidays are just around the corner and some of us will have to force a fake smile while unpacking our presents, here are a few memorable times when people were immensely disappointed by theirs.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
My grandmother bought me a little piano book when I was about 10. It was meant for a 6 yr old. It had some little electric buttons on it to look like a numbered piano, and nursery rhymes with numbers over the words so you could play the songs. Things like Three Blind Mice and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. It was a real baby present, and as soon as she gave it to me she was immediately embarrassed and offered to exchange it for something for an older kid. I guess she was also embarrassed because we lived 1000km away and didn't see each other very much and probably remembered me as a younger kid. I learnt every f**king one of those songs. She died 18 years ago now. I still miss her so much.
Bexxxxx 3 years ago
So cute that is was their worst present and also best present :)
Load More Replies...
Gary Davidson 3 years ago
I was 21, attending college and living in the school dormitory, about a hundred miles away from home. I came home on Christmas break to find my mom installed a clown lamp in my bedroom while I was away. LOL! I told her, "Mom, you gotta' realize I'm 21 now. I'm not your 8 year old baby anymore!" She replied, "You'll always be my baby." 21 years later, she passed away on the day before Xmas, and 15 years after she died, I found out through a DNA test that I was adopted. Then it all made sense how I was so important to her. Thinking back on my words to her back then, it probably shocked her. Now, they just make my heart sink.
Auntriarch 3 years ago
Every body says I'm not your baby any more. That just proves you are her baby Gary
Load More Replies...
Davo gifman 3 years ago
Grandparents try so hard to please. Love to all Grandparents, and Happy Holidays to everyone!
Jason Alexander 3 years ago
You are an amazing grandchild! What a beautiful memory. I just lost my grandmother in Feb, and this made me cry.
Kika González 3 years ago
That doesn't sound like it ruined your Christmas. I wish I had a memory like this
Momma Panda 3 years ago
Sometimes you buy something and later, when you try it you realise it's not what you expected it to be. It was supposed to be a toughtfull present. And it is. Embrace it
RELATED:
#2
It was a shirt that had "I'm not a gynecologist but I'll take a look anyway". It was from my stepdad's mom. She knows I want to be a doctor and her English is no bueno. I found it hilarious. Once we translated it to her she almost cried from embarrassment. I proudly wore it for the rest of the day.
Kelly Cannon 3 years ago
My husband also did not speak English when we met. He gave me a tshirt that said "1 tequila, 2 tequila, 3 tequila, WHORE!" I tried to explain to him I couldn't wear it, and he was like, but it has sparkles! It's pretty! 🤣 (we've been together 20 years now, and his English is much better!)
Janice Waldon 3 years ago
I don't drink tequila but I would have worn it! That's far too clever to waste! 😆
Load More Replies...
Johan van Luijn-Hermans 3 years ago
Ok I will say what some think. This shirt is awesome hahaha
Jason Alexander 3 years ago
Aww, at least she wasn't sincerely thinking that was a great shirt; it's the thought that counts.
#3
Every year my Mom would take us all to Dollar Tree to buy one gift for each member of the family. At the time there was five of us kids plus Mom and Dad so we would get 5-6 presents all worth a dollar each. Christmas, we would sit around and take turns opening them. Eventually this would turn into gags as we got older. One year I thought it would be a funny idea to give my brother and brother in-law a s***ty can of beef stew... My brother in-law was so pissed off (he was a serious fellow). At first I didn’t know why and was in shock. I didn’t think a can of soup was that bad. Turns out my dumbass bought them Gravy Train a can of dog food. Which turned out to be hilarious to everyone else who were mocking me. My brother and I took it a step further though and decided we would try a few bites. It was the most awful thing ever. Wet, slimy, chunks, of puréed grit that makes me gag thinking about it but we were “tough” and could not show our disgust to the other. When my sister first got married (to the serious fellow) we each got her pregnancy tests which turned out pretty fun. All of our gifts we could have perceived to be the worse. Honestly it did suck sometimes seeing kids at school with iPods. None were great, most were thrown away or broken minutes after receiving them. We were poor. What started out as a $20 Christmas for Mom and Dad has created years of fun memories.
Bexxxxx 3 years ago (edited)
I never understood people being DEVASTATED over gifts. Can you imagine if Christmas was normally just a fun dollar store goofy gift holiday? No expectations of expensive gifts, just seeing who could get the most laughs? That would be so much fun :)
Load More Replies...
Robert Martens 3 years ago
You probably had the Gravy Train with the photo of the Cocker Spaniel on front. Everyone knows you need the Golden retriever can, it's the best tasting.
Kady LaHaie 3 years ago (edited)
Grew up poor as s**t and we had a similar tradition. Mom went to the Dollar Store, bought a load of assorted items, and wrapped them and put them in a big sack. On Christmas Eve we would take turns pulling random things from "Santa's Bag." It was hilarious because inevitably our burly working men would end up with pink sparkly mittens and the ladies would get motor oil and duct tape.. As teenagers we always had friends/significant others living with us, and it was a perfect way for our poor parents to give gifts to kids they didn't know well. (Swapping presents was allowed.) This was how my dear friend Oven Mitt Shawn got his nickname. We still do Santa's Bag 25 years later, and now I'm the mom who gets to buy all the items.
Runsfromelk 3 years ago
Reminds me of my late Grandmother and the WAY TOO practical gifts I got from her. The best was a year I was gifted a clothing rack, a shower soap dish, and a toilet bowl brush. Thanks Grandma. So what you are saying... is that I'm dirty and have a small rack. Much Love,, Miss her much.
Suzanne Clark 3 years ago
Most people don't remember the majority of presents they receive, it's the strange, quirky, or goofy gifts we remember years later.
Daisychain 3 years ago
That's like my favourite Christmas is when we were driving from Illinois to California so we could fly to Hawaii to where we were moving. We were in a hotel in Albuquerque NM with a little 12 inch tree and my brother and I each got a Walkman and three cassettes. I chose Michael Jackson, Madonna, and the Jets.
Load More Replies...
Margo Evans 3 years ago
I remember One year had a dollar and my parents and sibs added up to seven people and I found a package of ten combs on sale . Everyone got a comb and so did i plus my mom with her long hair got the biggest comb and I had fun showing the other kids how to make music with a comb and a cigarette paper.
Kim Blizzard 3 years ago
We can afford to buy "nice" presents, but I would love it if the family did something like this instead. It would be more fun and oddly meaningful LOL
SoozeeQ 3 years ago
I have a friend who has a deal with her adult family that they all have to buy gifts for each other from the thrift store. The trick is to find the nicest gift possible and not just cheap, tacky junk. One year her youngest son and his wife gave her the cutest set of chicken-shaped egg cups. She loved them and proudly displayed them. I commented on how cute they were, and that's when she told me the thrift store story.
Load More Replies...
Jackie Nettleton 3 years ago
Hey I always think that the time spent with family that love you is by far a better present than what ever you could buy and they did a great job with what they had. Be proud of your family it’s much better than some that give very expensive gifts but barely look at each other
Crispy Toast 3 years ago
I remember being really broke one year, and I went to a local dollar store and filled two gift bags with candy and trinkets for my folks. Mom said they had the best time unpacking them. Did the same awhile later for a friend who didn't have much for her kids that year. Big fan of dollar stores
#4
A giftcard to a lingerie store from my grandma. The f**ked up part wasn't the gift itself, but the fact that she made my poor 19 year old brother go in and buy it. As he told it, the conversation went something like this: Cashier: "shopping for your girlfriend?" Brother: "no, my sister...well my grandma..." Awkward silence...
Daria B 3 years ago (edited)
Meh, honestly, I understand the impulse for small talk, but these things better not be asked. He might be shopping for a woman in his life, or for a theatre play, or as a drawing object for his next comicbook series. Maybe he just wants to wear it on his head. Maybe he's leading a double lifestyle. Who cares.... I sometimes buy childish stuff (like pretty hairpins, action figures etc.) for myself because I like cutesy stuff and the cashiers give me looks of disappointment when I say, "no, it's for me". When they inquire further, I just say I like art such as comics. They have nothing to say after that. But I guess I get a pass. Looking ethnically different, weirdness is expected by default. ♡
Andy Acceber 3 years ago
Eh, I don't think that's that bad. The brother is an adult. Boobs exist. I mean, if the sister doesn't like the gift card, then clearly it's the wrong present, but it's not a big deal that brother is picking up the card. He's helping grandma. When the clerk asked, he didn't have to engage. If he wanted to, all he needed to say was, "Nope. I'm not doing the shopping at all. My grandma wants to give this gift card to someone, and of all people, she asked me to help her out." Then laugh about it. (If he's worried about what he said to the clerk, don't be. I'm positive lingerie clerks hear odd, garbled, mispoken things all the time.)
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
Don't see a problem here. "I'd like to buy a giftcard." "For your girlfriend?" "No, for my boyfriend."
Niamh Nomen 3 years ago
My first partner, who I was married to at the time, his sister and his mum both found it hilarious to torture me with anything that had to do with like, sexy things? (I learnt later than I am asexual, but as a 19 year-old, very sheltered person raised in a religious cult, I didn't know that was an option.) My first Christmas married to him, his mum and sister bought me a Victoria's Secret gift card, which they knew would embarrass me, made a ton of jokes of an embarrassing nature, and then insisted on driving me to the shop the next day and basically force-marching me into the shop. It was very embarrassing and my relationship with them only deteriorated from there. I am, happily, no longer married to that person and I don't have to deal with people trying to force me into the mould of who they think I should be.
juice 3 years ago
that's horrible. they obviously knew what they were doing, what malicious people...i’m glad you don't have to put up with them anymore.
Load More Replies...
Rachael Sampson 3 years ago
I find those questions so dumb. Who cares what your gender is! There are men who love lingerie for themselves. Don't assume and don't ask when it's none of your business
Davo gifman 3 years ago
I'd be like "if my grandma wants to wear something sexy; then she's going to wear something sexy!"
#5
Christmas morning around the tree with my family and gf at the time. We are all opening presents and I open one from my gf. I unwrap the box and inside I find a flat billed baseball hat. Strange, I neither wear hats, nor give a s**t about the team whose logo was plastered on the front, let alone the sport. So, I pull it out and hold it up so everyone [but mainly my gf] could see. All the adults give a quizzical look. Even my little sister makes a 'huh?' face.
*You say, "But totes, maybe it was gift to a male friend. Are you against your gf having male friends??" No, I am not. Just wait:
So I say something like, "uh thanks, hun." Her face drains of color. She says 'oops, that is for some one else, must have brought it inside on accident.' Then snatches it out of my hands.
And then I hold out the card that was attached to the wrapping: Hey baby, love ya lots. Merry Christmas.
And to clarify; yes, she was cheating. I guess there were tickets to some big upcoming game tucked inside the hat too. Needless to say it was f**king embarrassing to have to essentially break up with your gf in front of your family on Christmas morning.
*Typos and s**t: am not a writer.
**And Happy Holidays to you too!
Not Proud British 3 years ago
Well hopefully she felt bad for a very long time. You clearly deserve better. Hope you have many happy Christmasses to come.
Jarrod Nichols 3 years ago
She told on herself and you got away from a toxic person. That was a gift after all.
IlovemydogShilo 3 years ago
I hope you have a great Christmas this year, hopefully with someone who treats you with the love and respect yo deserve.
Marnie 3 years ago
Good reason to not include girlfriends/boyfriends in big family holidays. Each go to your own family holiday until you're married.
Lobo 3 years ago
Yeah, but then the cheating slutbag would have just kept it up with no remorse or consequences. I'll bet he was the one always doing things for her, taking her out, and buying things for her while the other guy was a fn deadbeat too.
Load More Replies... Dori Weishaar 3 years ago
That's the worst. At least you found out before y'all got married & or had kids !! Someone like that didn't deserve a nice guy... also mz karma - she'll find her lol
#6
Grandma got me a pair of jeans that were way too small with a card that read "Lose some weight, then maybe you will fit into these".
I was beyond furious, and our relationship was never the same. I didn't shed a tear when she passed away.
Irishwoman abroad 3 years ago
A friend of mine got a card with a picture of a baby elephant on it when she was 10, and a little pudgy, bless her. The message from nasty Grandma was along the lines of, "this reminded me of you". Who does stuff like that to kids?
Cheri Smallbeck 3 years ago
What a nasty, spiteful thing to do. I'm sorry. Some family members think they are allowed to say anything they want to without repercussions!
FABULOUS1 3 years ago
My grandma gave my brother coal one year, and the rest of us got nice gifts from her. We all returned our gifts to her and let her know what she did was not nice. She never really liked him for some reason.
Katie Lawday 3 years ago
Can't believe some of the comments on here, if you can not see that what grandma did was wrong, then you are deluded! We don't know if this person was excessively over weight or just carrying an extra pound or two, not that it should matter anyway, what a nasty, cruel thing to do!!
Nor 3 years ago
I'm wondering what other things she did to you so you didn't cry when she died! Stay strong, you!
#7
When I was 15, I really wanted a dog. My mom knew this.
Cue Christmas morning. After we had opened any other presents, my mom came back with one last one...it was a wrapped box with holes in the sides, bouncing/moving some, and puppy barks of cuteness.
I got sooooo excited to open it and meet my new best friend. When I opened it, it had a stuffed animal puppy (not taxidermized...), a bumble ball toy, and a small tape recorder with puppy barks.
My heart sank and I just sat there and cried.
Rumple Schleppskin 3 years ago
That is so my family. Asked for hockey skates, got figure skates. Sure I was still fast on ice and could skate circles around people, i never even tried out for hockey. Needless to say I was the first person to stop buying gifts.
Load More Replies...
Zoe's Mom 3 years ago
And then parents what to know why, in their 'Golden Years', the kids don't come to visit. This was especially cruel.
Dave P 3 years ago
and put them in the nursing home that is always featured on the 5 o'clock news for problems
Load More Replies...
kristina law 3 years ago
That is so cruel. Why would anyone do this to someone, let alone their own child?
Katinka Min 3 years ago
Why do parents do this to their children? It just destroys their child's trust. My mom did a prank on me, too, and for decades they laughed about it, until I eventually was mature enough ti understand that it was not really funny and put a stop to it. I just remember the shock and confusion I felt, and it wasn't made better by the rest of the family laughing at me. I was five or so - at that age, we don't have much of a sense of humor. We just learn, that our parents can't be fully trusted.
just another drone 3 years ago
Kinda like the time my folks took me to get a kitten then decided against it after I'd played with them and picked one.
Mateo Buysse 3 years ago
My mom still wonders why i do not trust her after she told me she read some diary about myself which was on my desk. It had the notification on top that it was confidential and should not be read by anyone. Her loss.
#8
I had left some video games in my mom's room, she found them and assumed my dad had bought them as Christmas gifts for me. So for Christmas, I got... my own games.
Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago (edited)
I know someone who had their phone confiscated by their parents and ended up getting it back as their Christmas present and nothing else. Whist her twin sisters were spoilt rotten.
Andy Acceber 3 years ago
At least it was accidental. I once had my brother steal something from me, wrap it, and give it back to me.
Vicky Z 3 years ago
It's the effort that counts? He went all the way to steal for you😅
Load More Replies...
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
Lol! That sounds like an honest mistake. In my teens I had a "friend" who was a total brat. I didn't like her, but her mom wanted us to be friends, so I could be "a good influence" on her (terrible strategy, didn't work, a good kid is not responsible for straightening out someone's horrible kid). Anyways, she was being especially horrible one year. She was demanding an expensive item for Christmas and making threats (I'll run away if I don't get it, I'll hate you forever, I'll tell people you beat me, etc.). So her mom returned all the gifts she had bought, stayed up the night before Christmas, and wrapped up every item that she had bought the kid throughout the year (she always got everything she wanted, so it was a lot of stuff). The kid had a fit and broke a bunch of her own stuff.
JD Dillon 3 years ago
It would have been even better if the mom would have given all of her presents to charity. THAT would have taught the spoiled brat.
Load More Replies...
Danielle Estep 3 years ago
Yeah my daughter lost her tablet and 10 months later she got it wrapped for Christmas.. it was only that long because we completely forgot about it and so did she.. until she opened it with that face like.. seriously mom
#9
My uncle got me a giant block of cement once. He put random things throughout the block and gave me a miniature hammer and chisel. I actually chiseled through the whole thing and found some coins and what appeared to be a arrowhead. My uncle is the strange one in our family.
Goth mouse (they/them) 3 years ago
It does! I loved the ones where you excavate a dinosaur or rocks or something when i was little 😄
Load More Replies...
ZAPanda 3 years ago
are you sure it was not an actual toy? you get these: dino-61c34...36a084.jpg 
Littlebunnyfufu 3 years ago
Those and they have this thing called "dig it" for kids who like gemstones and want to dig for them.
Load More Replies...
JitkaBlitka 3 years ago
I do that with my kids - I put plastic dinosaurs, coins erc to plaster, let it harden and my kids than "excavate". They love it, but it's a game, I wouldn't give it to them as presents. But it's not that bad comparing to the others here, also depends on your age - at 8 years I would be thrilled, at 15 not so much...
#10
My mother is terrible at gift giving. She shops for others with herself in mind, not them, so everyone gets s**t she likes but they don't. Or she buys it in March and then can't find it come December, and your gift is her telling you that's what happened. Or she'll buy, say, a book trilogy in an art box, and she'll give each book one holiday at a time, then the final gift will be the box. As I grew older, I started seeing this. I never got anything that I specifically asked for, possibly a close approximate at best. I figured it was because nothing I asked for interested her, so I tried something: I asked for something that she would be into. I asked for a Bible. I specified the brand, the translation, hardback/paperback, and the book cover including the color scheme. I got exactly what I asked for, down to the last detail. I kept it as a reminder of what not to do to my kids.
Bob Belcher 3 years ago
Same. My mother always gets my wife s**t gifts. This year I know my mom bought her a fluffy sweater that says "this is my hallmark movie sweater". We don't watch Halmark, we watch Bob's Burgers, Avengers, and stuff like that. I told my mother this and her reply was "I though every girl watches Halmark". My wife and I have been together for 18 years.
Load More Replies...
2x4b523p 3 years ago
I was looking for a way to describe my mother’s gift gifting when we were discussing this topic with friends. “She shops for others with herself in mind.” Yup, that’s it!
J. Normal 3 years ago
LOL... Roommate does the same... and then buy the same thing for herself. I tried to tell her that that is NOT ok... she does not get it. I now have a bunch of crap I don't like.
Load More Replies... 
Nikki Sevven 3 years ago
If you dared express even a mild interest in something to my mom, you'd receive absolute shitloads of items related in any way to that interest. For years. At first, most of the stuff was quality, but over time, it devolved to dollar store junk, even after you'd long lost all interest.
Parmeisan 3 years ago
Honest question. While I always try to give people things that I think/know they will like, I also always try to make the gift something I have some interest in or understanding of. I see it as a "personal connection" like the gift means more if it means something to both the giver and receiver. If I run out of ideas for things with personal connection then I'll fall back on things only they have interest in, but I try not to do that. Is this a bad habit?
Dodo 3 years ago
I think it depends on the gift. If someone is really bad at maths but you're interested in it, giving them a book on quantum mechanics is bad. If you enjoy art and a friend has wanted a de-stressor, getting them one of those mindfulness colouring books is good.
Load More Replies...
Soleil SanMao 3 years ago
My mother has put me (her only child) and her only grandchild on the budget list. She buys us the cheapest crap and then insist that we wear/use it. And yes it comes with a story. I remember she bought my son a orange/yellow tank shirt with a huge lion on the front for his birthday. My son and I walked into the Target and saw an entire rack of that exact shirt with a big yellow clearance sign. He looked at me. I looked back at him. We never said a word. smh.
Alison Duncan Murphy 3 years ago
What's wrong with it being on clearance?
Load More Replies...
Martha Meyer 3 years ago (edited)
I think there must be some genuine condition underlying this behaviour. Nobody can be THIS blind otherwise.
Jaiforjesus 3 years ago
Your Mom sounds like she doesn’t, but you should really read your Bible. It is Gods one true word, life giving.
#11
It was the first Christmas my father and current stepmother had together. My step siblings each got a new laptop computer, I got a $20 gift card to McDonalds.
Zoe's Mom 3 years ago
Oh, just a wee bit. (wink, wink) Again, then the parents wonder why they don't visit.
Load More Replies...
kybourbonpearls 3 years ago
My dad was married to a witch who got her daughter over $600 worth of Abercrombie (late 90's when they were the IT store) and got mad at my dad for wanting to get me the same (cuz fair is fair)! She said they didn't have the money and told him to take me to Wal Mart instead. Sooooooo, he did. I got new clothes, the BEST electronic whatever I wanted, jewelry, craft supplies, toys, books, basically anything I wanted. It was one of the BEST Christmases I ever had as a child! Oh, and dad filed for divorce about 4 months after this!!
Stephanie Cunningham 3 years ago
My stepsister and stepbrother would come back from their mom's and grandparents' with heaps of really nice gifts. Our family was poor and couldn't afford a lot. The year they both got fancy boomboxes (it was the mid-80s), my aunt felt so bad for me that she mailed me a boombox after Christmas. My stepdad hit the roof because she did not send anything to his kids. I understand now that those material things don't really matter, but that's hard to swallow when you're 12 and the only kid in the house who didn't the nice gift.
DUN DUN 3 years ago
A. I don't like the sound of your step dad. B. I like what your aunt did. C. And the last line about materialistic things and being a 12 yo kid, it made me very emotional.
Load More Replies...
Anne-Sophie Dumetz 3 years ago
Ouch.... I had my step siblings get skis and holidays, while I got ./. Nothing ... but ouch, sorry you had to go Through that
Jo Choto 3 years ago
I know how that feels. Except it was me versus the boys. I am in the middle with three older boys and two younger. Every one of them got a car on their 18th birthday. I got a second had ring with somebody else's initials on it, like, not even close to my initials. This about sums up my life, I think.
Martha Meyer 3 years ago
Why is is it that so many men turn into awful fathers once there is a stepmother involved?
Rachael Sampson 3 years ago
They might have already been awful. But it's not just them. When stepfathers are involved moms can be bad.
Load More Replies... Niffler_13 3 years ago
It's not fair, but I have to ask, who paid for the laptops? Was it an equal expense from the father and stepmom, or did the stepmom buy them for her own children?
Debbie 3 years ago
or did it come from child alimony of the father of the kids. In that case, it's kind of understandable that OP didn't get any, but also it was still a very mean move.
Load More Replies...
Lsai Aeon 3 years ago
I'm with you on this one. EVERY year, my aunt would spend at least $1000 on her 3 kids for Christmas, she gave me a single coupon for a hamburger at McDonalds. Still waiting on this bitch to die so I can throw another party
Auntriarch 3 years ago
Don't wait. Have the f*****g party while she's alive, so she knows. Best regards, Auntriarch
Load More Replies... #12
My dad bought my mom an actual human skull for Christmas a few years back. He wrapped it in a box some toy came in. My parents are weird; this wouldn't have raised an eyebrow at my house. Unfortunately we did our gift exchange at my maternal grandmothers who is much less creative with gifts. My dad and brother waited for this to be the last gift given. It was a big presentation. Upon opening it my mom squealed and shoved it back in the box. She was excited but knew it would t go over well. Of course now everyone wants to know what is in the box. My grandma insists my mom take out the mysterious gift and show it to the room. My aunt started screaming, made her kids leave the room. My grandma almost fainted and told us to get it out of the house immediately. 'Twas hilarious.
tldr my dad se7en'd my mom on Christmas in a hilarious fashion.
Otter 3 years ago
Oh God, there was a real human skeleton in one of my college anatomy classes, and it was impossible to forget that it was from a real formerly living human. The professor said it was India, so everyone called it "Mr. Patel" in acknowledgement of its former humanity, and kept their distance. Who the hell would want human body parts at home!
TheDivineMsM 3 years ago
I can't believe no one wrote this yet.... "What's in the booooxxxx???"
Voodoops_13 3 years ago
There are VERY strict laws about owning, selling and moving real human remains in the US. I agree that remains should be treated with respect, no matter how old or where they come from.
albernistuff 4sale 3 years ago
There are folks with a sense of humor, and those without. The sad/funny part is many who lack humor will protest they do have it, just the joke is crude/gross/etc.
Parmeisan 3 years ago
I think that's too simplified of a view. There are many *types* of sense of humour and if you meet someone with an opposite type, you are both likely to think the other lacks a sense of humour. e.g. I don't really "get" most physical humour, like falling or getting hurt or even to some degree fart jokes. But I know that's just me, these things aren't objectively unfunny. Also one of my best friends LOVES fart humour and over the years I've grown to appreciate it more, if only because I get some joy from knowing how much she'd laugh at it. I find plenty of other things funny and share a sense of humour with many family members and friends. Humour is complicated and sure there are probably people with no sense of humour at all but I suspect in most cases it's just a different sense of humour, not a lack of one. :)
Load More Replies... Not Proud British 3 years ago
That is someone's loved one. As a mark of respect, the skull should be buried and left to rest in peace, not displayed as some sort of novelty item. That was a living, breathing, human being once. Not cool man.
Zoe's Mom 3 years ago
People donate their bodies to science all the time. Once they are done with the bodies, they DO NOT GIVE BACK any parts or ashes to the family. That is written in a contract. So if someone can use the bones, skulls, why not? The person who donated their bodies didn't care. For me, it's the soul that carries on; not the physical form but that's me.
Load More Replies...
Sasha 3 years ago
Parents sound great, this would be the kinda thing that i would love. Something that i like but others think is weird, in a box that suggests that its something normal that most people like but i hate as a prank. (I spent a lot of time receiving gifts im was supposed to like instead of what I actually liked because my family couldnt accept what actually made me happy. They eventually gave up on trying to change me and started getting me what i like, to this day when i get gifts from them i get so amazingly happy over that, cause feeling understood and accepted if f*****g priceless.
Jason Alexander 3 years ago
Lol, I love the fact your parents have odd senses of humor and are able to share that together.
#13
I got an empty box of a toy I really wanted. I was 9.
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
I’m going to go out on a limb here...Asswipes!
Load More Replies...
Channon Doughty 3 years ago
Had an awful time at life, so they spread the misery and wrap it up in all sorts of justifications, like "the world is a cruel place and it's my job to prepare you for it."
Load More Replies...
Jason Alexander 3 years ago
What in the world is wrong with all of these parents? That's just ugly. How is that even remotely funny? The best part of Christmas is seeing your kids open up something really wanted.
#14
My grandmother gave my boyfriend a coffee mug with a German Shepherd dog on it. He has never owned nor expressed any interest in German Shepherds.
He uses it at work. It's a great conversation starter.
"Oh do you have a German Shepherd?"
"No."
"..."
Vic 3 years ago
Do you have a German Shepherd?? Nein!! Keeps them wondering if you said no or have 9 German Shepherds..
Hobby Hopper 3 years ago
But, you're obligated to say "Nein!!" with an exaggerated German accent.
Load More Replies...
Glirpy 3 years ago
Typically, I wouldn’t expect a grandmother to give a boyfriend anything, so I would say it was thoughtful. Until you’re engaged the most you should expect is a free meal.
Mancbranch 3 years ago
I had a German Shepherd, but the farmer asked for him back as there was no one to look after the sheep.
Boudica 3 years ago
Brilliant, not watched that for ages (used to watch with my dad) Thanks for the chuckle, and memories!
Load More Replies...
Daniel Marsh 3 years ago
"No, but my gf's grandmother is a bitch." (Apologies for the language)
Angela Colón 3 years ago
An old roommate gave me with a daschund but I own Chihuahuas. She can't read English nor speak it. She speaks Spanish . As do I so I just thanked her. I use the mug every morning. Reminds me o her.
Christine Stewart 3 years ago
I could totally see my mother doing that because she thinks that if you like dogs in general, you must think this is cute. No clue that people might actually have preference for a particular breed...
#15
I got a book called "Coping with Being Adopted" from Santa while I was in high school. Was news to me....
Penelope 3 years ago
That’s something my little brother would have done…wrap that exact book up and label it to me, from Santa. 😂
Lilia Loewenberg 3 years ago
I think this person was actually adopted and this was their parents way of telling them. That was a terrible thing to do.
Load More Replies...
Auntriarch 3 years ago
Preparing to be dumped in a nursing home that features on Channel 5
Load More Replies...
#16
I had mentioned to my uncle one year that I wished I could grow a beard like his. Come Christmas time my uncle hands me the present he got me. I unwrap it and what do you know...It's his beard in a Ziploc bag.
Gaya Knust 3 years ago
At least it's funny in the sense that he was being cheeky, and not in a much darker way.
Load More Replies...
Kosh1k 3 years ago
It'd be kinda funny if it was a fake beard, but actual hair? Gross.
Load More Replies... Nor 3 years ago
Your uncle seems to have a literal sense of humour. I'm sure we'd be great friends!
Vicky Z 3 years ago
I remembered now that there is some kind of tradition in a country that when someone compliments you for something you HAVE to offer it but they also have to refuse! I wonder if this is why he took it literally!
Load More Replies... 
#17
When I was 13 I was taking drum lessons and was desperate for my own kit.
My mum worked at the Early Learning Centre (preschool age kids shop for non-UK chaps). Mum and Dad got me this little plastic toy drum and made me play a tune on it.
I tried my best not to look upset, I failed and stopped just short of bursting in to tears.
Turned out to be a sick joke, the drums were wrapped up in the dining room.
Wandaluzt 3 years ago
Who are you talking to? The Reddit poster from a year ago? Because they aren't here to see it.
Load More Replies...
Aimee Bachna 3 years ago
Omg. When My brother wanted a drum set one Christmas, (he was only allowed to practice on a wooden block that had a black rubber pad on it) he was so disappointed that there wasn't a drum set under the tree. Hours later, my dad said, "Jeff, can you get something out of the trunk of my car?" Jeff moped out to the car and alas, a full high end blue sparkling drum set was in the trunk! all 7 of us cried. Miss my dad, he was the best.
Dina Anastasakos 3 years ago
Why do some parents feel the need torture a child before giving them the gift??
Katinka Min 3 years ago
What is it with the stupid pranks parents play on their kids on christmas, of all days. That is punching down - and not funny.
OhHai KThanks 3 years ago
Nah that shits hilarious, gotta prepare them for disappointment early in life. Besides, the kid got his gift, so fair does in my eyes. Had my dad give us a gift one year of an Xbox (1st one) and it was just the box with some pieces of a broken plate (one that I had smashed a few days earlier) inside it. He laughed, I just went to the kitchen to grab another plate to break and found the Xbox in the cupboard. Parents deserve a little fun around the holidays, especially if their kids are little shits (like I was).
Load More Replies... 
BarBeeGirl 3 years ago
All I wanted when I was 12 was an acoustic guitar. To call what they gave me a ukulele would be an insult to ukuleles. It was a kid’s pretend guitar that I promptly put on the floor and “accidentally” step on it. Good ending tho - at 34 I bought myself a guitar. Now to learn to play it!
Lilia Loewenberg 3 years ago
Awww, they just wanted the real drum set to be a super secret surprise. I think they're sweet!
Hannah Edwards 3 years ago
These “jokes” are ok if they have got the real gift too. But the person who made out that they’d bought their kid a puppy, when they hadn’t, is going to hell.
#18
This wasn't my gift, but it was the most awkward situation ever. So a few years ago my grandma had her legs amputated. Don't feel bad, since then, her health has improved a ton. Anyway, last Christmas my Aunt bought her socks. It was sooo awful
Laura Estrada 3 years ago
Talking about awkward situations, my poor sister in law had struggled with weight most part of her life; few years ago during a Xmas family celebration she was recovering from a bariatric surgery, and her toxic mother, gave her a box of chocolates as a gift, at the same time my mother in law gave a card with money to her youngest (favorite) daughter. A very heart breaking thing to witness.
Rumple Schleppskin 3 years ago
These should help keep your stumps warm, plus you can hide hard candies in the bottom.
Kori Chamberlain 3 years ago
I read "leg" at first, and was like "so what? Hows that embarrassing?"
#19
Book about how to take criticism, gifted by my mother-in-law.
Jo Choto 3 years ago
I'd look for "How to Deal with a Toxic Mother in Law" and give her that book.
Sordatos 3 years ago
What ig the the person is actually someone that can't take any observation without losing their s**t?
Load More Replies...
Aries Richmond 3 years ago
My mother in law gifted her children really nice expensive designer clothes last year, and I got a pair of pj pants that were from goodwill. Joke was on her though. My now husband ended up whipping out a diamond ring right then and there and proposed to me 🤣 best Christmas ever.
Sordatos 3 years ago
Why would she give you an expensive gift id your not her child?
Load More Replies...
Tara Markey 3 years ago (edited)
Just lost my mother in law last week due to Covid. And I know I'll never get over it. We all miss her so much it hurts. As mother in law's go, I got so lucky. My mother in law has always been just my mother. I'll miss her every day
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
I would read it, and then give her advice from the book every time we talked.
Daniel Marsh 3 years ago
Tell her, "I hope you read it, because I'm about to comment on your shopping and interpersonal skills."
Asphalt Bubblegum 2 years ago
Jo Choto: "I'd look for 'How to Deal with a Toxic Mother in Law' and give her that book." *Chef's kiss.*
#20
When I still lived with my parents they got me a cards against humanity deck. Right after I opened it they told me I’m not allowed to play it until I turned 18. I was 15 at the time
Jess-a-men 3 years ago (edited)
I did get a video game for kids 12 or older for my 11th birthday, but I got to play it anyway. The alternative is just silly.
Saint Jimmy 3 years ago (edited)
I had a polar opposite experience when I was 12, I was allowed to purchase a pretty excplict cd but my mother took it and said she would give it back when I was 18.
Load More Replies...
Lilia Loewenberg 3 years ago
Lol! How did they plan to stop you from playing it? Did they just expect you to obey their orders? That never works in my house.
colin dinsdale 3 years ago
Like you don't know anything about humanity alread? That's crazy to wait until you are 18
LynzCatastrophe 3 years ago
Did they even look at the cards? It really is more tame than they probably thought it was.
#21
My cousin had died in a drunk driving accident a few months before, so my mom got me a breathalyzer keychain. It wouldn't have been so bad, but the card it came with said it was "from" my cousin.. I see what my mom was trying to do, but still f**ked up, IMO.
Littlebunnyfufu 3 years ago
This is like parents who want to take their kids to the burn unit to explain how dangerous fire is. Ugh!
François Carré 3 years ago
Parents who do these kind of things and think it's educative really freak me out. Like they don't trust the trauma to be painful enough in itself, they feel the need to lecture on it. I lost some friends in drunk driving accidents when I was younger, I would have hated to receive a gift related to it, whatever the giver's intention.
Omi bub 3 years ago
My relatives also give gifts "from" deceased relative. I also find it f***Ed up
Katie Gaffney 3 years ago
My little kids 4 & 7 lost their Grammy this year on 12/22. I had got them each really nice scooters. Seeing Grammy who shops in September had nothing for them this year. So I wrapped the scooters and told the grandfather it was from her and him. They get to have that one last memory.
Load More Replies... meblablaing 3 years ago (edited)
she could have just given op a breathanalyzer on any other day of the year without the card. not an appropiate christmas gift imo.
Layla Corman 3 years ago
Look- Some kids just don't listen and actually have to SEE for themselves what happens IF... As parents, we don't actually want our kids to go through these terrible things so we do what we can to help them learn the "lesson". I totally get this. (Coming from a mom who shows her kid photos of "meth mouth" so kid learns the importance of good brushing)
Dumb person 3 years ago
Sure, but Christmas is not the time to be teaching that kind of lesson, especially when one is grieving...
Load More Replies...
Katie Gaffney 3 years ago
I am thinking to do this they may be a legitimate concern from last issues with the child and the drinking.
Load More Replies... 
#22
A calendar with half nude pictures of my father and stepmother
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
People from Alabama don't use calendars. They have no sense of time; that's why it's acceptable to be your own grandpa there. Lol.
Load More Replies... 
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
Why?!?!?!? Why would that even exist???? And why would they think anyone would want to see that????
#23
I am going to answer for my sister. When I was about five (making her nine) our uncle/aunt/cousin family asked me what my sister liked. I had no idea. All I knew was she liked to yell at me. So I dumbly replied she like hair ties. For Christmas that year my sister received an assortment of an insanely high number, like two hundred different high ties, scrunches, ect. She didn't let me live that down for a looong time.
Andy Acceber 3 years ago
Aw, that's on them for letting the five year old pick the present. Apparently at nine, your sister was already difficult to shop for. At least you didn't suggest anything cruel or self-serving. Hair ties was a fine guess.
Melanie McMahan 3 years ago
Truthfully, I'd be thrilled with 200 hair ties because mine either break when I try to use them (thick hair) or disappear the second I take them off. But that would suck for a child.
Load More Replies...
Jackie Nettleton 3 years ago
Why not ask the parents they are the one that are supposed to pay attention to that sort of thing
Gwyn 3 years ago
But why did they get her so many? 5 or so is more than enough... Those adults were just lazy.
Liesl English 3 years ago
I have a feeling they all asked him separately and didn't know that everyone else was getting the same gift.
Load More Replies...
Saint Lynnie 3 years ago
My oldest son is very difficult to shop for. He's the kind of kid that is into a lot of different things and when asked what he wants for Christmas, he never has a list, he always says that he just wants to have a good Christmas with all of the family (such an absolute sweetheart). So he's not materialistic, but rather sentimental... So I've found out that the best gift to get him is one from the heart. The rest of the family hasn't figured that out yet, but he's such a sweet kid that he appreciates and is grateful for anything you give him.
Nicole Payne 3 years ago
Um thats not right ... why would grown adults rely on the words of a 5yr old?
Sandy Price 3 years ago
Hair ties are good. Especially around 200. She had a lot to choose from. I'm sure they lasted a long time too
#24
My grandma gave me bright red undies with googly eyes on them and an extra piece of black cloth to put your d**k inside as the "nose"....I'm a girl.
Andy Acceber 3 years ago
I'm not sure if your lipstick is unusually large or if your "nose" is unusually small...
Load More Replies...
Sean Glynn 3 years ago
My wife always did 1 joke gift to our son, in addition to the real gifts. When he was 13, she got him underwearwith a reindeer on it, and a big red nose that played xmas music when pressed. FF to june. Son was doing his own laundry, forgot to wash underwear! He searched and found his joke pair, AND WORE THEM TO AN AMERICAN MIDDLE SCHOOL! First class, his underwear did sleigh bells every time he moved. He pretended it was his phone and he was playing games on it. Eventually, his teacher threatened to conficate his phone if he couldn't restrain himself from playing with it. He said he sat verrry still the rest of the day.
Kelly Cannon 3 years ago
I got something similar when I was around 15 - only they said "pet my worm"
Naomi Holt 3 years ago
Can you imagine everyone's response if you had said "Can't wait to see it on my bf!"😊
#25
My mother passed away when I was in high school. One of the years after she passed, my dad kinda-sorta forgot to buy me a big Christmas present. So I came downstairs, went to get my stocking (we still do stockings), and pulled out a fistful of 20s. He'd run to the ATM early that morning so I'd have something. The cash was great and all, but at the time, it felt awful because I just missed my mom, and wished we could have a "proper" Christmas.
Nice cuppa tea 3 years ago
Poor dad wad depressed and couldn't get his head around doing Christmas
Layla Corman 3 years ago
I'm going through something like that right now. My dad (my best friend, hero, most wonderful human on the planet), 78, is very sick, going through chemo and currently in the hospital. I'm so sad and depressed. Can't stop crying. I barely know Christmas is just days a way and I have a 10yo here. Her bio dad sucks and my dad stepped into that "man in her life" role so she is really sad too. I just really need to pull my s**t together and make Christmas happen for her. (Already have gifts, just need to wrap.).
Load More Replies...
Laura S 3 years ago
I feel this; you're waiting for a time you know you can feel joy and hope and warmth, reminisce on happy memories etc., it's already not going to be too happy because of your loss and what you were depending on to help you have some peaceful/less horrible moments didn't happen. Last year was my first Christmas without my mom who had passed a few months earlier and we woke up to no presents, just cash from my dad and then couldn't see family because of lockdown. I know Christmas isn't going to be the same for you after a loss and it's so much worse when traditions change and just make it glaringly obvious. I'm so sorry you felt that, it's a hideous feeling.
David Hiner 3 years ago
Tomorrow will be 20 years after my mother passed away. I was only 18 by a couple days when it happened. I took guardianship of my younger brother and sister (14 and 15yr). So I found the presents she bought....wrapped those....tried to do all the decorating and themes she did. Do the stockings...learn how to cook the turkey....tried to do everything the same as always...they also wished it was a proper Christmas.. A few days later I realized it wasn't a proper Christmas and probably made it worse
#26
Every year my family does a secret Santa on Christmas. When i was about 10 my aunt had to buy me a gift. So Christmas morning i open my gift, and i find a Christmas sweater along with a pair of my aunts s**t stained underwear. Apparently she was doing laundry and wrapping gifts at the same time and got the two mixed up.
Helen Haley 3 years ago
Hey now, not all aunts. I'm an awesome aunt. I paid for a fencing competition and bought a drone for christmas for my nephew.
Load More Replies...
kathryn stretton 3 years ago
An obvious accident she was excruciatingly embarrassed about. Feel sorry for the aunt.
kathryn stretton 3 years ago
And I hope you didn't make it worse by telling anyone.
Load More Replies...
Suzanne Clark 3 years ago
Hmmmm, sounds like folks are nipping a bit too much Christmas cheer while wraping gifts.
Danielle Schaefer-singleton 3 years ago
Lol..listen,,I'm an only child ,so I'm not an Aunt.( husband's sis is kidless) ..But I'm a cool mom..Ill be the substitute Auntie ANYDAY!!;)
Asphalt Bubblegum 2 years ago
Usually aunts are the fun ones entirely because they don't have any f**ks left to give.
#27
Probably a box of my grandmother's ashes wrapped to look like a gift.
My mother did this.
bbfa 3 years ago (edited)
The year my father died my mother had teddy bears made from a silky but dirty old shirt of his. He was a real d*ick. She actually thought I would feel sentimental and enshrine it somehow. I was totally creeped out & tossed it as soon as I got home. I didn't want to touch it.
Lindsey Leigh Phillips 3 years ago
Picked up my mom's cremains two days before christmas last year. Seat belted her into the car. Proceeded to drive around singing snl's 🎶it's my d**k in a box🎶 with "mom" swapped out for "d**k". But, then, i've likely gone 'round the bend. And my mom would've laughed.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
Haha! I love it when people can have humour with death. My great-grandpa LOVED Pepsi, but none of his grandkids liked it. At his funeral, after the preacher did his thing, I opened a can of Pepsi, and "poured one out" for Papa. I said, "The guy survived prohibition, but he couldn't resist that most heinous drink: PEPSI" . The older people were not amused, but all of the younger family members thought it was funny. I am 100% certain that Papa would have laughed too.
Load More Replies...
Briana Landers 3 years ago
Maybe ashes are just a hard thing to give to someone. My mom did something similar to me but a gift bag without warning of my bird's ashes. Id been devistated over that bird for days. My. Babyyy
Jay Duchesne 3 years ago
As seemingly awkward as it would be to open this, I would actually appreciate this gift, especially if it was my grandma's ashes because she was the most important person to me while alive and no one will ever be able to replace her.
Two Roaches 3 years ago
My niece has a necklace with some of my father's ashes she wears. I don't get it but it makes her feel like he's still with her. Your mom probably was trying to share that feeling.
Amber Rogers 3 years ago
That's different than just straight up receiving a box of ashes
Load More Replies... 
#28
My parents got me an acoustic guitar one Christmas. Problem: my brother was the one who asked for a guitar, not me. So essentially my Christmas present was seeing my brother absolutely gutted. Meanwhile I had to pretend I was happy. Awkward.
KT 3 years ago
i don't get how parents can be THIS daft. Do they not pay attention to their kids as individuals at all?
Rage of Aquarius 3 years ago
Pretty much, and in my experience, it's mostly dads. At least my mum knows the basics, but my dad just thinks of me as your basic teenager, which my tastes are far from.
Load More Replies...
Anaïs Grobin 3 years ago
Not necessarily. My mom has ALWAYS been like this. Until we were adults, she never really knew us individually and even now that I'm almost 40, she still attributes things to the wrong child. She had/has a strong bond with her oldest but not really with all the rest of us. She never knew our friend's names or our future plans or anything like that. It didn't affect us growing up, and I think my mom is incredible. She's an amazing grandmother, too!
Load More Replies...
SabbeRubbish 3 years ago
The ideal moment to show actual grand gestures and just give it to him. I'm sure he'll repay you somehow. No need to pretend you like it.
April Stephens 3 years ago
It's hard to imagine it just being an honest mistake, but still, it would have been nice if they all could have just talked about it, given the guitar to the brother who wanted it, and worked it all out instead of pretending everything was fine. 😟 Sad story.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
I was lucky; both my parents actually paid attention to their kid's interests. My dad became a distant a-hole when he got remarried, but that's a different story. We weren't taught to believe in Santa, and we didn't make wish lists for Christmas. Our mom always seemed to know what we would like, and our dad would remember things that we had mentioned months before. My mom was not always happy with the gifts that my dad bought us, though. One year he gave me a power drill, and my mom was like, "Why would you give a 16yo girl a power drill for Christmas?!?!?" And he was like, "Because she said she wanted power tools so she can build her own greenhouse. She told me back in April while we were planting flowers." Haha! I still have that power drill. I never built a greenhouse, but I built some raised beds for my tomatoes with that drill.
DelvianBlue 3 years ago
The same thing happened to me with a board game I really wanted. Except my brother and I didn't get along so well, so he used it to tease me and only let me play it if I was really nice. Of course I did plenty of things to him over the years so it evened itself out.
Delaney Hamilton 3 years ago
Something like this happened to me, but it was kind of more like a silly mistake, my mother had been wrapping gifts for days, and the boxes were the same size, so after wrapping them, she got the name tags mixed up. In the middle of me opening the gift, she jumped up and yelled "s**t!" Before taking it from me, handing it to my brother, and shoving a nearly identical box into my hands. We all had a laugh, and I said that gift was now in part from me.
Rumple Schleppskin 3 years ago
Or just hand it to him and say, Sorry Bro, I forgot to wrap it.
#29
My Mom rarely cared what gift we might actually want or what our personal tastes were and most often she would select a gift based on her own personal tastes. In the late-80's she decided to buy me a stereo as the main/large gift for whatever reason and she selected a Fisher Price (the children's toy brand) turn table (record player). This is after CD players were invented and of course nobody played records any more. The worst part was that she decided to treat this stereo as some sophisticated equipment that was too good for a child to play with so after Christmas she stored it, in it's original box, in our attic where it has remained until this day. It was supposed to just be stored there until some arbitrary time but my Mom is a huge procrastinator and that time never came. I'm still salty that she wasted all the money on that stupid gift rather than on something I might have enjoyed and actually got to use.
Lilah Emmons 3 years ago
Definitely Google the price and sell it. It's yours after all
Load More Replies...
Jessica Cole 3 years ago
CDs were around in the late 80's? Learn something new everyday. Was born in '86 btw 🤣
Anaïs Grobin 3 years ago
I was born in 82 and I didn't get a cd player until 1995- a discman. We had a cassette player boombox that could record, but we mostly used my parent's old record player to listen to Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Lynard Skynyrd, etc. That record player got use until we we are college aged!
Load More Replies...
Ginger Grumpybunny 2 years ago (edited)
"Of course nobody played records any more" in the late '80s? Really? I'm curious now as to where this person lives. I'm in Scotland and I have numerous vinyl records from the late '80s, when they were still a very normal thing to buy and play. I got a music centre (turntable, cassette player and radio - no CD player since both the players and the discs were still expensive in those days) as my main present in the late '80s and was delighted with it. I'm also a little puzzled as to why the recipient would be so disgruntled about the record player being stored in the attic, since they strongly implied they had no use for it anyway. A boxed Fisher Price record player is a collector's item nowadays, so perhaps it's a good time for the owner to sell it to someone who will actually appreciate it and use the proceeds to buy themselves a nice present of their own choosing.
#30
Grandms got me a douche and a hospital gown that "would make a nice dress if someone sewed it all up" for me. That was weird.
Irishwoman abroad 3 years ago
Sounds like Grandma got her gifts free from the hospital that year!
Littlebunnyfufu 3 years ago
This was what I was thinking, especially if it seemed odd given past behavior. My first response was get grandma to a doctor!
Load More Replies... 
Marybeth Porreca 3 years ago
Sounds like Gram had been in hosp, bad enough, but was broke too but didn't say anything
Danielle Schaefer-singleton 3 years ago
WHAAAATTTT...did you say douche..we don't use them in the hospital..gross!!! You win IMO..LOL
Lilia Loewenberg 3 years ago
Poor thing... Did she spend a lot of time in the hospital? Was she ill? Did she have dementia?
#31
Piles and piles and piles of Star Trek tots when I was like, 10 or something. Star Trek action figures. Star Trek micro machines. Die cast Star Trek ships. Star Trek puzzles. Star Trek toys. Star Trek everything. ...I asked for Star Wars toys.
François Carré 3 years ago
Did it help you to realize that Star Trek is significantly better than Star Wars ?
MikeWheelerFan 3 years ago
Why do you think Star Trek is better? I think they’re equal but if we go by personal preference I like Star Wars a bit more.
Load More Replies... Daniel Marsh 3 years ago
My parents wouldn't buy toys that we saw advertised on TV. So yes, in the late 70s/early 80s, I got a LOT of Star Trek toys.
Kainaath Khan 3 years ago
Do you know how difficult it is for adults to know and remember the different between star trek and star wars 🤔
ZAPanda 3 years ago
Wow, that is blasphemy. I mean really... in the book of Jedi, verses 9 to 12, it says, "Yea, thou shalt behead unbelievers who followeth star trek with thine light sabre."
Chris Scritchfield 3 years ago
At least they tried. I mean it's better than them getting you Buckaroo Banzai
#32
Peanut M&Ms dispenser. My own Mother forgot about my nut allergy that year.
Bri Lancaster 3 years ago
When there's more than one child, unfortunately parents do forget those things.
Crystal galvan mendez 3 years ago
I have 7 children. There is absolutely NO WAY a good parent can forget this
Load More Replies...
#33
A couple years ago my dad registered me to see a few of my favorite shows taped in NYC. I got super excited about it but then realized that he wouldn’t be paying for anything and expected me to stay with my narcissistic grandma in New Jersey who I avoid as much as possible. Then I found out that not only were the tickets to see the tapings free, but he had already told my grandma I’d be staying with her and she had all sorts of yard work and stuff ready for me to do for her once I arrived. Obviously, I didn’t go and my dad is still bitter that I didn’t appreciate his gift.
Per-Ole Sjuve 3 years ago
Maybe dad loved his mother and didn't see her the same way as his son? Seems like it was an awesome gift untill son found out about the strings.
Load More Replies...
Kori Chamberlain 3 years ago
It might have been a free taping, but it could have been hard to get on the list. And it was something you would have wanted to do. So that does sound thoughtful and budget conscious.
Jackie Johnson 3 years ago (edited)
Maybe there wasn't any way to afford accommodations in NYC and grandma wasn't keen on the bitter grandchild over and dad had to sweeten the deal by offering help around the house with things she had trouble doing herself in her old age. I've helped elderly people that aren't even related to me, without anything in it for myself, it wasn't the worst thing in the world.
#34
When I was a kid, my grandma heavily favored me over my little sister. One year she bought me a cool set of pokemon, which was my absolute favorite thing at the time. She bought my sister a weasel ball, ie a toy meant for cats.
Moosy Girl 3 years ago
Oh sh… I bought myself a weasel ball once, didn’t know it was meant for cats!
Stina Kolling 3 years ago
They're not meant for cats. They're just a toy that cats CAN enjoy as well as humans, like RC cars or roombas.
Load More Replies...
Andy Acceber 3 years ago
Those weasel balls were definitely sold in toy shops and marketed to kids for a while in the late 90s early 00s. I thought they were really cool. (As an adult, it is hilarious that basically a cat toy was marketed for children, but it worked! I know lots of people who liked them.) I wouldn't give grandma all the blame here.
Martha Meyer 3 years ago
Seriously, if you have a favorite child/grandchild/niece/nephew/whatever, get a grip on yourself and don't let it show.
Robert Martens 3 years ago
I feel bad for all of the poor, neutered weasels who gave up their weaselhood just so a cat can have a toy.
Goth mouse (they/them) 3 years ago (edited)
I got catnip mice from an old relative one year 😂🤣 at least the weasel ball looks fun, what was I supposed to do with catnip mice???!! 🤣
Jackie Johnson 3 years ago
Weasel balls are not meant for cats. They were very trendy toys at one time, for humans.
#35
My mom uses christmas presents to tell us where she thinks we rank in the family. One year she got me a woman's coat (I'm a middle aged man). Another year she got all the grandkids pajamas. She got me the same thing, kid's pajamas sized small (I'm 6-1 and almost 200 pounds).
Jebediah Chamberland 3 years ago
My parents got me a preteen xxs bra set once... I'm 26, a guy, and the opposite of tiny.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
I would turn totally petty. Tell her you want to take her out to eat, and you will be wearing those kid's pajamas to dinner... and nothing else. (I, personally, would be willing to follow through on the threat; even if I had to pay a fine for public indecency.)
#36
When I was 8 I got a lighter from my grandmother...
I am not done yet.
On the lighter was a marijuana leaf and it said "Natures way of staying high"
My grandmother had thought it was a cartoon of a plant giving a high-five, and I thought it said "Natures way of saying high" with "high" as in "hi" with a plant hand.
Brandon Marlowe 3 years ago (edited)
I was 12 when my Grandmother bought me a bong. It was another year or so before it became "useful".
Upstaged75 3 years ago
LOL! Is your user name based on the book series? I haven't found too many other people who have read those.
Load More Replies... Robert Martens 3 years ago
My grandma got me a crack pipe thinking it was for bubbles. She then got me a crack rock, which she though was for blowing smoke rings. Anyway judge, that's the story of how I became a crack addict, so it's not my fault.
Kori Chamberlain 3 years ago
Thats just an adorable out of touch grandma story. I mean, the lighter should have been recognized as an inappropriate gift, but the cartoon of a plant giving a "high" five? Priceless.
#37
My father decided that it was a great idea to give his medically constipated son toilet paper and wet wipes in front of the whole family as a "joke".
Nikki Sevven 3 years ago
Why does anyone think it's funny to embarrass their own children?! If you wish to have a quality relationship with your kids once they're grown, don't treat them like crap when they're kids, ffs.
#38
My grandmother was a piece of work. One year myself and my two cousins were at her house for Christmas morning. All the family was there and there was a big, gorgeous pile of presents wrapped in the corner. We (me and my cousins) were promptly told that those gifts were for the other grandchildren. When we gave our grandma the blank stare of confused children, she hurried back into her room, threw an old ziplock bag down at the ground between us (full of half used nail polish and broken jewelry) and told us Merry Christmas.
KT 3 years ago
was she crazy? Were there actually other grand children? I need to know more about this story!
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
Most probably there were more grandchildren. I can imagine that grandma had her favorite son and daughter who had the favorite grandchildren. Everyone else in the family didn't really count.
Load More Replies... Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
Wow! When I was a kid, my family spent one Christmas Eve with our stepdad's family (they opened presents on the eve). Me and my brothers got everyone some dollar store gifts (it was all we could afford). When everyone opened presents, no one had gotten us anything (I didn't expect much, but I thought they might get us socks or something). One of the uncles handed us a box of chocolates that he had just unwrapped, but the grandma said, "You are NOT family, so why should we get you anything?" My mom told us to go wait in the car. On the way out, we heard her yelling, "How dare you?!?!? YOU invited US! Those kids spent their own money to buy you all gifts..." We didn't hear the rest. My stepdad saw nothing wrong with the situation, so we left him there and rode around looking at Christmas lights.
snipergun 3 years ago
I'd be guessing it was just empty boxes wrapped. In some cultures (like one I grew up with) you have to appear fortunate. And if empty boxes wrapped make it look like that, then it's way to go. I hate it.
Kori Chamberlain 3 years ago (edited)
Ive done warpped fake gifts as decorations before, but I lived alone at the time, so I wasnt torturing anyone with them. Not a cultural thing here, I was just trying to make my apartment feel more festive without a tree.
Load More Replies...
#39
Ex GF gave me book on the history of gunpowder. I admit I enjoyed it as it was an interesting read. Problem was, I had already read it two months prior, because she had already given me a copy as my birthday gift.
Dodo 3 years ago
Two months? Jeez. I could maybe give it a pass if it was nearly a year. But that's way too close to not remember what you bought. (And if it's a memory issue, a) bf should have known and understood, and b) gf should have written down what she'd bought him)
Fluffy Griffin 3 years ago (edited)
For B)... I forgot a ton of stuff, but never write it down because "omg it's so obvious, I won't forget". I could see myself doing the repeat gift. 🤷 Especially if I had looked at it and thought it was the PERFECT gift.
Load More Replies... April Stephens 3 years ago
I'm scared I would do something like give the same gift twice because I'm so forgetful.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
I'm terrified that I am going to give a re-gifted item back to the person who gave it to me. I started making a list of what people gave me, and what I gave them every year.
Load More Replies... #40
Three years ago I got a shake weight christmas morning. When I opened it my dad laughed and yelled "it's for practice when you get bored in the dorms" while making a jacking-off/handjob gesture in front of my grandparents..
#41
My sister got a bag of Kroger shredded cheese from my aunt one year.
Victoria Pitt 3 years ago
I don't know if I would be mad about a cheese gift. Only if it was wrapped and not refrigerated then obviously you have to toss it.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago (edited)
I bet it wasn't refrigerated. Lol. I had a great aunt who would do stuff like that. We called her GrandMammy. She had dementia.
Load More Replies...
#42
I grew up really poor and received some batteries for an old toy car I already had lol. Looking back at it it's kind of funny but I remember crying when that happened. I was 7
#43
I was not the recipient of this gift but my uncle, who had 6 children at the time, was given a very large box of condoms from my aunt (his sister) . My cousins were not impressed.
#44
When I was sixteen years old, my sister gave me a copy of "He's Just Not Into You." I had just broken up with my first ever boyfriend. Since my birthday is in early January, it was also my birthday present, BTW.
kristina law 3 years ago
It's stories like this one that make me really thankful sometimes that I am an only child.
Upstaged75 3 years ago
My birthday is also in early January and people have always pulled that Xmas/Birthday gift thing with me too. I don't care as an adult but as a kid I always felt gypped.
MikeWheelerFan 3 years ago
My birthday is literally a few days after Christmas and this has never happened to me. What is wrong with a lot of families and friends?!
Load More Replies... MikeWheelerFan 3 years ago
My birthday is 5 days after Christmas and yet my gifts are still always separate, that sucks
#45
When I was in sixth grade in 1995 my parents got me a CD case.
I didn’t have any CDs.
Alan Connor 3 years ago
Worth it just for "The Dollar Album" (and the Dollar "Greatest Hits" underneath it).
#46
10 bibles. Not all at once, but every year from the time I was 6 through 16, my uncle gave me a bible for Christmas. Every. single. year.
Bri Lancaster 3 years ago
The same exact edition or a different edition each year? Just wondering, yes I'm aware they all say the same thing with varying words.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
One of my grandmas did this. It was a different type every time.
Load More Replies... ZAPanda 3 years ago
they do if you burn them or use them to make paper airplanes...
Load More Replies...
Guy MacGregor 3 years ago
Well if they are different translation, or studies / commented versions, that's interesting.
#47
For a secret Santa I received two of those free promotional tickets to the science museum that had already expired.
#48
my grandparents are notorious regifters. there was this old, broken pinball game thing that every time they'd gift to one of us, we'd leave it at their house. then they would find it and gift it again in a couple of years, as we'd forgotten. one time they gave my mom three wine glasses. one was chipped.
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
Should have taken the junk with you, so they'd run out of stuff to regift.
Katy McMouse 3 years ago (edited)
My sister-in-law lived in Florida with her family but came up to visit every July and every other Christmas. The year we had our second child, my husband and I spent money that we really didn't have and bought his nephews a nice Matchbox racing set for their Christmas present. We were informed that it was too much to carry back on the plane, so it would be left and played with when they returned the following July. Fast forward to Christmas the next year - in walk my MIL and FIL with a beaten up shopping bag. Inside was the Matchbox set, crappily repackaged and duct taped to hold the torn box together - they didn't even try to wrap it. When "She-Who-Must-Be-Destroyed" saw our confused faces, her response was "toddlers don't know the difference between new and used". I'm glad my two were still young and didn't realize where the gift actually came from. Plus, to make matters worse, a lot of essential pieces were missing, so in the end they couldn't properly play with it anyway.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
I think there is something wrong with all in-laws. My MIL and I usually get along great; she has welcomed me as part of the family since the first time we met 15 years ago. Since the pandemic, we decided not to visit her for Christmas, and just send cards (she lives 14 hours away). When we received her Christmas card, the outside was adressed to both my husband and me. Inside the card, she wrote, "Merry Christmas to my wonderful son, and his wife?" With a question mark. Wtf was that about? My husband said she was probably high af when she wrote that, but I think we are about to have in-law problems.
Load More Replies...
Kevin Beard 3 years ago
lol reminds me of the year that grandpa gifted us one wooden Dutch shoe. He's not a biological grandpa, he's Dutch, we are not. We didn't have much use for one ugly wood shoe.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
Seal that sucker with a wood sealer, and put a pretty plant in it. It's a great conversation piece. I have one on my porch with some thyme in it.
Load More Replies...
buttonpusher 3 years ago
This was happening in my family with a bottle of wine. Apparently it was shite. It wasn't regifted deliberately either, it would end up forgotten about until they were in need of a last minute gift. It didn't matter who it went to, relative or neighbour. Eventually it would make it's way back.
#49
When I was 5 or 6 I gave my brother his own Teddy bear. I wanted to give him something I knew he’d love so a week before Christmas I hid his favorite bear and wrapped it up. He was upset that he couldn’t find his bear but even more upset on Christmas when he realized the reason he couldn’t find his bear was because his dumb ass brother thought it would make a good Christmas present.
Fluffy Griffin 3 years ago
The idea is cute, but I would not have wanted to be in that house for the week prior. THE favorite toy is missing, the house gets turned upside down.
Load More Replies... 
#50
Not me, but about my brother. In high school, he was caught sleeping over at a girl's house and didn't grab all of his clothes before he left. My parents were really upset with him for this. They contacted the girl's family, wrapped them up in a huge box, and gave it to him.
The look on his face was a painful mix of shame, anger, and sadness.
Nikki Sevven 3 years ago
Denying the fact that your teenagers will have sex is the best way to have pregnant teenagers.
Load More Replies...
Littlebunnyfufu 3 years ago
This could've been handled so much better. Brother got caught with his gf, now wife. Mom came home and then just stood outside until his gf left. For Valentine's Day, she gave him safe socks (socks with a little pocket for a condom in them). Luckily, our family has a sense of humor and it was meant and taken as a joke.
#51
My parents always did a Christmas auction at their house with little gifts and silly ones. I spent $700 monopoly money on frozen cat crap.
Irishwoman abroad 3 years ago
Sorry, but that one made me laugh! I'm assuming it was a joke present.
#52
I didn't see my grandpa THAT often as a kid. So whenever he bought presents for me and my brothers they were always the cliche, "terrible grandparents gifts." One year, I remember he got me this INCREDIBLY freaky porcelain jester babysitting cross-legged on a pillow. When you wound up the key on the back, it would slowly start spinning at the hips while playing a song from a tiny internal music box. It made the best torment fuel against my brothers for a long time though. So that was good.
Harri Ellis 3 years ago
My grandparents had 29 grandchildren, over 70 great-grandkids. no gifts expected. I just loved being with them.....
#53
My (divorced) parents pooled their money to buy me a gameboy colour. The problem was they’d already got me a gameboy colour, but I guess they didn’t understand that it was the same one and thought it was new. They both looked so excited as I opened it I didn’t have the heart to tell them. So I just kept playing my one game on my new game boy colour.
Lsai Aeon 3 years ago
I'm guessing, since the options then were either Gameboy and its different game cartridges or the little handheld Tiger games. Mom and Dad didn't understand that the Gameboy could play more than one game and the cartridges were interchangeable. Maybe thinking it was like the Tiger hand held games where each "game" was a different one.
Fluffy Griffin 3 years ago
Plus they came in different colors. So maybe they thought each color was a different game/system 🤷
Load More Replies... #54
One year my parents and all of my aunts, uncles, and grandparents gave me scented lotion. I guess they all thought that's what you get 14 y/o girls?
Andy Acceber 3 years ago
Yup. When everyone gives you the exact same generic present, that's when you know you're difficult to shop for. Throughout the year, drop hints, point out things you like, compliment things. If it happens again the next year, work on expanding your relationships to people who really listen to you. Presents don't have to be expensive, but they should be thoughtful.
Jaclyn Levy 3 years ago
One year I got like 7 mugs from different people. Big oof.
Load More Replies...
Sally Horrocks 3 years ago
My daughter went through a goth phase in her teens. We were fine with it but other family members really hated it. One SIL gave her a pale pink scarf and glove set with pink feathery attachments. My daughter was proud of her extremely pale skin (she's a natural redhead and never went out in the sun) and the other SIL bought her a bronzing set. Sorry she wasn't the niece you wanted aunties!
Raven DeathShade 3 years ago
Dear goodness...depending on who gave it to me, I'd be either extremely mad or I'd thank them and hide it in the furthest recesses of my closet never to see the light of day. I'm Goth too :).
Load More Replies... buttonpusher 3 years ago
In my family once you got to that age you usually just got those cheap lotion/bath sets. Before that you got selection boxes. Nobody in my family put thought into gifts. They just got what was cheap or regift something.
#55
In the late 70's, all the cool kids wore Ocean Pacific brand clothing. We were kinda poor so my mom and grandma made most of our clothes. My grandma made me pants and hand stitched the letters O and P on the pockets. Looked nothing like the real thing. I had to wear them.
Sarah Sparkles 3 years ago
My mom made my clothes and I loved it. I always had unique outfits that no one else had. Only later in life did I realize she did it because we were poor. My parents hid it well and it taught me love is more important than things.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
Same here. My mom taught me to sew at an early age. That came in handy when I hit my growth spurt at age 11. I could no longer wear donations from the girls in my church. Me and my mom spent our afternoons at the sewing machine, making clothes and altering clothes. She always put a postive spin on it, "If you have to make it, or alter it, then it is something that no one else owns."
Load More Replies...
Hobby Hopper 3 years ago
I like unbranded stuff. If it was nice fabric, well made, and fit properly, she should have left the stitching off, and it would have been an upgrade over store bought.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
Aww! That's actually sweet! Grandma tried to give her grandkid something nice.
Cold Contagious 3 years ago
I remember the little silky OP dolphin shorts in the 80's. Seemed like everyone wore them but I never had any. I was very happy after the movie Dirty Dancing came out tho and everyone was wearing cut off jean shorts and white t-shirts. My well broken in Levi's never felt so good.
#56
Pink panties from my crazy grandpa. I'm a guy. It was back when I was twelve, that awkward middle school age.
Cold Contagious 3 years ago
John Tucker did, almost a entire high school of boys followed after.
Load More Replies... #57
I got a bucket.. just a bucket
#58
My aunt got my mom a wine glass that holds an entire bottle of wine. My mom is diabetic...
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
My MIL is diabetic, and she loves wine. She just has to be careful not to overdo it, and balance out her carb intake over the day.
Guy MacGregor 3 years ago
Sorry but I don't see the issue. Diabetes have to avoid sugar, not alcohol, or am I missing something?
Vince Wales 3 years ago
It's not sugar, but carbs in general that must be watched. Wine has carbs. So does beer. Liqueurs (cordials) have plenty. Hard spirits (vodka, rum, etc.) don't, as all the sugars have been converted to alcohol. So if you must drink... there you go.
Load More Replies... Goth mouse (they/them) 3 years ago
My mum is diabetic and has milk, gluten and nut allergies and relatives still get her chocolate 🤨
#59
A wooden pop out play set from my aunt, recommended age was 2-4, I was 14.
Upstaged75 3 years ago
Again, I'm an awesome aunt! I've driven over an hour to get my niece an Elmo power wheels car because she's obsessed with Elmo. That's just the most recent - every year I hunt down the best toys based on what the kids are in to. I put a lot of thought in to it. One Xmas I did the same for Paw Patrol stuff, which my nephew was crazy about.
Load More Replies...
Meggie Lovins-Kappler 3 years ago
I feel like this list makes aunts look really really bad... I've spent literally all year knitting new blankets for my 2 nephews and 2 nieces. Some of us care a lot about making sure their nieces/nephews get good gifts (even if the aunts don't make much money) and apparently others completely phone it in
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
It's just because this list is about awful Christmas presents. If it was a list about best Christmas presents, we would be seeing lots of aunt stories there too.
Load More Replies... Goth mouse (they/them) 3 years ago
Something my relatives would get for me 😩 for some reason they get me toddler things even though im an adult?!
#60
Toothpaste. Apparently it wasnt even that my breath stank, we were just out of toothpaste.
Kori Chamberlain 3 years ago
It would actually be better to just give less stuff.
Load More Replies...
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
What?!?!? Why didn't they just, you know, buy some toothpaste for the bathroom?
#61
We're not friends anymore and haven't been for more then ten years now. However we were very very close from ages 12 to 25. One Christmas when we were 18 her present to me was a wrapped up VHS taped I had loaned her years before and she had forgotten it was actually my tape of Wayne's World I was now getting back as she tried to pass it off as an actual gift.
Cold Contagious 3 years ago
Some friend, gifting a vhs movie she knew was never hers to begin with.
#62
One Christmas, my 4 year old brother got a TV with a DVD and VHS player in it, my sister got a computer.... and I got a bookshelf. I was pissed. My sister didn't even like computers, wtf? I guess to add insult to injury, a few years later she was given a printer. Like, she had a big heavy gift, she got all pumped in the days preceding xmas, and when she opened it, it was a printer. She cried. For like an hour. It was terrible. On the upside, we really needed a new printer.
Bri Lancaster 3 years ago
Oh it's pretty obvious. The parents were buying things for the household, and killed two birds with one stone and passed them off as Xmas gifts for the children.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
That definitely sounds like what is happening here!
Load More Replies... #63
My uncle presented my family with a very large gourd once. In the middle of a restaurant. No one wanted it. We left it there.
Andy Acceber 3 years ago
Aw, poor uncle. If this was an honest attempt on his part, I would have at least taken it. I have an uncle who gives really rotten gifts sometimes, but he means well. I also take them, thank him, and focus on the connection he intended instead of the gift itself.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
While that is an odd present, I think it was rude to reject the present. I had an uncle who gifted everyone ornamental cacti one year. No one really wanted them, but we all said, "Thank you", and took our cacti home.
Yort 3 years ago
It’s also rude to leave it in the restaurant for the staff to clean up! I’m sure it was easy to deal with, but it’s still rude. Also cacti are amazing, I’d love one as a gift. It’s really thrilling when a cactus finally flowers.
Load More Replies... Tobias Rieper 3 years ago
for gourds sake thats not very nice i think he regourded it as a unique present they certainly didnt think it was that gourd no more i promise i swear to gourd
#64
I was dating this girl. She knew I was self conscious about my teeth (I have fluorosis), so I wouldn't smile very much. When I did, I'd try really hard to hide my teeth. Well, this girl's family bought me a toothbrush. It even had my name on it.
Nikki Sevven 3 years ago
Do NOT assume that just because someone has issues with their teeth, it must be related to their lack of dental hygiene. Sheesh. Looking at you, dentists.
#65
My mom took me to her boyfriend’s family Christmas party in rural Michigan once. Someone gave me The Year in Clemson Football: 1993. It was very nice that someone thought enough to give me a gift but 9-year-old me really struggled with the logic behind the purchase.
Dodo 3 years ago
I'm guessing an almanac. And I'm hoping this happened in 1993, otherwise it's an even worse gift.
Load More Replies... #66
Years back my cousin bought me a rifle case. I had never owned a gun nor expressed interest in it. Just an empty rifle case.
Tobias Rieper 3 years ago
a gun rack i dont a gun let alone many guns that would nessasate and entire rack
Load More Replies... #67
One year for Christmas my aunt gave identical cuckoo clocks to my parents, my brother, and me and my husband. It was just confusing. We've never asked her about it.
Irishwoman abroad 3 years ago
Must have been going cheep! Either that, or Auntie is going s little bit cuckoo herself.
Bri Lancaster 3 years ago
Aunty probably thought, "they don't all live together so I'll just buy them all the same thing." It ain't that weird.
Jackie Johnson 3 years ago
Maybe she found a good deal and cuckoo clocks are really cool and also usually pretty expensive!
#68
I once got a used copy of the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack. Upon later investigation, the disk was cracked. The next year I received a copy of the movie. I have never expressed an interest in SoaP.
Kevin Beard 3 years ago
Ah yes, this reminds me of when my stepmom, got me a record album of Flashdance soundtrack. I was 8, wasn't into music, didn't have a record player, and had never seen Flashdance.
#69
I received a dictionary from my parents with the price sticker was still stuck on it, they bought it for 5 dollars. I wasn't even mad I didn't get anything the year before
Sarah Sparkles 3 years ago
My first Christmas with my inlaws everyone got really nice expensive gifts. I got a bottle of lotion with the $2 clearance sticker still on it. I didn't mind the price but the smug look on my mother in laws face let me know I would never be a part of her family... and I'm still treated that way.
Søs Rasmussen 3 years ago
The first ever gift I got from my ex inlaws was a set of clothes and the comment "so you have something nice to wear". I hated that bitch as much as she hated me.
Load More Replies...
#70
The same exact set of the same exact scent of axe stuff my grandma gets me every year. F**k axe.
Julius Zuke 3 years ago
Sometimes older relatives just don'tknow what to buy. My elderly aunt was one such person. To make it easier on her each year, I always hinted how much I liked Old Spice soap on a rope. I received that from her every year, it didn't cost her very much, and there was no embarassment. Sometimes graciousness is the best strategy.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
Your grandma didn't know what to get you, so she bought you a nice gift set. Just take the f*cking Axe, and shut the f*ck up! All of my grandmas are dead. I would gladly adopt yours if you don't appreciate her.
#71
My non-favorite grandparents once gave me a Peter Parker doll when I was like 17. I mean a doll too. I could undress him if I so pleased. He didn't come with a Spidey costume either haha
#72
My little sister who collected beanie babies used to give me, who did not collect beanie babies, beanie babies....
#73
I got a fake beer can full of handkerchiefs when I was like 14.
#74
A set of salt and pepper shakers... the gifts were donated to us and I don’t know how they forgot my parents had 4 kids
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
They didn't forget. They just didn't want to spend any money on your family.
Julius Zuke 3 years ago
I had a well-off relative who saw gift-giving as a famly obligation. Every year, we got the same token gift with his business's name on it that his clients got. We showed gratitude and let him off the hook and politely said we were not exchanging gifts next year, but were looking forward to seeing him next year. If people don't want to participate in gift-giving, be kind and help them to drop the obligation.
What do you think ?
Flying Captain 3 years ago
Reading some of these stories...I appreciate Vietnamese culture to absolutely under no circumstances open gifts in front of the one gifting you. Either bc you are not good at keeping a straight face or bc sometimes not even a straight face would rescue the situation and the gifter just looses face. :D
Katinka Min 3 years ago
This is a depressing thread. But it makes me appreciate my parents. They weren't always great but they tried, poured tons of love, time and money into us - and we always had great gifts at christmas. Not many, but good ones.
V V 3 years ago
The year my Aunt Doll mixed up mailing labels and accidentally sent me the "honeymoon starter pack" intended for Cousin Denise while 3 states away my soon to be married cousin is trying to figure out why she's getting She-ra action figures a month before her wedding.
Anony Mouse 3 years ago
I sent my 3 year-old nephew a Williams Sonoma cookbook and watched my mother open Curious George Goes to the Zoo on Christmas morning. Whoops.
Load More Replies...
ThoughtsAreNotFacts 3 years ago
Seems a lot of people use gift giving as a way to express passive aggressive family issues. That's humiliating and childish
Victoria Pitt 3 years ago
Well. My mom (75 yo) is VERY excited about my new bf and our first xmas together. He and I are in our mid 30s. She's knows he plays the guitar so she called me and asked me if he would like a jean jacket with a guitar embroidered on the back. Mom, no, just no! lol (sure somewhere there is a a hipster dying to wear this item in an ironic way, but that's not my bf.) Thank goodness she asked. I persuaded her to get him some locally made chocolates instead.
2x4b523p 3 years ago
We didn’t have much money so christmas presents were mostly to restock on clothes and shoes. Since I was about 12 I would get stuff for my dowry. In my country dowry wasn’t even a thing anymore but while my brother got new jeans, hoodie or trainers, I got set of drinking glasses, silverware, hand crocheted table doilies, towels and similar stuff. I had to get my first job at 14 just so I can buy myself some charity shop clothes because I had literally nothing to wear. I moved to another country at 23 leaving my “dowry” crap behind.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
I'm American, but my great-grandma was obsessed with making me a Hope Chest. It's the same concept: you get big chest (wooden box) and start filling it with things you will need when you get married and start a family. She didn't just do it for Christmas, she would randomly give me stuff throughout the year and tell me to put it in my Hope Chest. She was born in 1918, and I know she was just trying to help me. I regifted some of the items, sold some of them, and kept some of them. We were very poor too, and I started doing odd jobs around the neighborhood to buy shoes when I was very young (around 10, I think). I was born in the 80s, and my mom was a bit archaic too. She made me take etiquette classes, and riding lessons, even though we really couldn't afford it. She would say, "Better skills can land you a better man." Gross! I don't fault her for that, though; she was trying to give me a better life.
Load More Replies...
Violet Jensen 3 years ago
My girlfriend is getting a book about how to accept God and become not queer anymore. My transgender lesbian girlfriend. She got excited and peeked at her gifts from her parents early and that’s what she’s getting. My heart bleeds for my sweetheart… I got her a necklace with a galaxy design on it and a ring with stars because she loves jewelry and outer space :)
Tamra Stiffler 3 years ago
Violet, I'm so sorry your girlfriend isn't being accepted and supported by her biological family. But life has shown me that we can choose another family when we're old enough, and it sounds like you're the start of her new, chosen, family. I can't think of a better gift - to give or receive. Many blessings to you both. ☺️
Load More Replies...
Kris Dargan 3 years ago (edited)
I don't have a horrible gift story but my dad was an auto mechanic so I'd get a huge box,unwrap it and box says fuel tank. But there's a smaller box wrapped inside. Unwrap oh a water pump. But another box lnside like Russian dolls. After 4 or 5 boxes I'd get a tiny box of earrings or something. Made it impossible to guess my gifts too. This is my first Christmas without him. Feels very odd 😥 His mother dutifully sent me a $5 check for Xmas every year that dutifully bounced every year.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
Me and my brothers would do that to my dad with one gift every Christmas. Sometimes we would put a brick in it to make it heavy, or wrap the outermost package in an odd shape. He loved it. We had a falling out, and didn't spend time with him for years. In his later years, he made an effort to reconnect with us. He told me one day that he missed getting his Russian doll presents, so we started doing it again until he died. The holidays always seem odd after a loved one dies. You expect them to always be there. It will be ok, though. You will get through it. Just hang on to the memories. He would want you to be happy. Sending you virtual hugs!
Load More Replies...
Joel Moore 3 years ago
Back in the old days (1980's), before cameras were digital and phones only hung on the wall, we asked my in-laws for a point & shoot 35mm camera. Our kids were toddlers and we wanted something we could quickly grab and snap a pic when the kids were being cute. My MIL was one to get you what you asked for, so she bought a pretty nice camera. On Christmas morning we opened the gift and found their much used P&S camera in a box. It turns out they liked "our" camera so much they decided to keep it and give us theirs. Over 30 years later I still shake my head over this one.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
Wow! I often buy presents and then decided I want that item myself. But I go ahead and give the gift I bought, then buy myself another one later.
Load More Replies...
Felix Feline 3 years ago
My wife's grandmother was very generous. Piles of beautiful presents, but one year when she was mentally slipping, she took all of our presents away after we opened them and gave them to my BIL and SIL. They did NOT return them to us later.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
The BIL and SIL not giving them back is more messed up than what the grandma did.
Load More Replies... Flying Captain 3 years ago
Reading some of these stories...I appreciate Vietnamese culture to absolutely under no circumstances open gifts in front of the one gifting you. Either bc you are not good at keeping a straight face or bc sometimes not even a straight face would rescue the situation and the gifter just looses face. :D
Katinka Min 3 years ago
This is a depressing thread. But it makes me appreciate my parents. They weren't always great but they tried, poured tons of love, time and money into us - and we always had great gifts at christmas. Not many, but good ones.
V V 3 years ago
The year my Aunt Doll mixed up mailing labels and accidentally sent me the "honeymoon starter pack" intended for Cousin Denise while 3 states away my soon to be married cousin is trying to figure out why she's getting She-ra action figures a month before her wedding.
Anony Mouse 3 years ago
I sent my 3 year-old nephew a Williams Sonoma cookbook and watched my mother open Curious George Goes to the Zoo on Christmas morning. Whoops.
Load More Replies... ThoughtsAreNotFacts 3 years ago
Seems a lot of people use gift giving as a way to express passive aggressive family issues. That's humiliating and childish
Victoria Pitt 3 years ago
Well. My mom (75 yo) is VERY excited about my new bf and our first xmas together. He and I are in our mid 30s. She's knows he plays the guitar so she called me and asked me if he would like a jean jacket with a guitar embroidered on the back. Mom, no, just no! lol (sure somewhere there is a a hipster dying to wear this item in an ironic way, but that's not my bf.) Thank goodness she asked. I persuaded her to get him some locally made chocolates instead.
2x4b523p 3 years ago
We didn’t have much money so christmas presents were mostly to restock on clothes and shoes. Since I was about 12 I would get stuff for my dowry. In my country dowry wasn’t even a thing anymore but while my brother got new jeans, hoodie or trainers, I got set of drinking glasses, silverware, hand crocheted table doilies, towels and similar stuff. I had to get my first job at 14 just so I can buy myself some charity shop clothes because I had literally nothing to wear. I moved to another country at 23 leaving my “dowry” crap behind.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
I'm American, but my great-grandma was obsessed with making me a Hope Chest. It's the same concept: you get big chest (wooden box) and start filling it with things you will need when you get married and start a family. She didn't just do it for Christmas, she would randomly give me stuff throughout the year and tell me to put it in my Hope Chest. She was born in 1918, and I know she was just trying to help me. I regifted some of the items, sold some of them, and kept some of them. We were very poor too, and I started doing odd jobs around the neighborhood to buy shoes when I was very young (around 10, I think). I was born in the 80s, and my mom was a bit archaic too. She made me take etiquette classes, and riding lessons, even though we really couldn't afford it. She would say, "Better skills can land you a better man." Gross! I don't fault her for that, though; she was trying to give me a better life.
Load More Replies... Violet Jensen 3 years ago
My girlfriend is getting a book about how to accept God and become not queer anymore. My transgender lesbian girlfriend. She got excited and peeked at her gifts from her parents early and that’s what she’s getting. My heart bleeds for my sweetheart… I got her a necklace with a galaxy design on it and a ring with stars because she loves jewelry and outer space :)
Tamra Stiffler 3 years ago
Violet, I'm so sorry your girlfriend isn't being accepted and supported by her biological family. But life has shown me that we can choose another family when we're old enough, and it sounds like you're the start of her new, chosen, family. I can't think of a better gift - to give or receive. Many blessings to you both. ☺️
Load More Replies... Kris Dargan 3 years ago (edited)
I don't have a horrible gift story but my dad was an auto mechanic so I'd get a huge box,unwrap it and box says fuel tank. But there's a smaller box wrapped inside. Unwrap oh a water pump. But another box lnside like Russian dolls. After 4 or 5 boxes I'd get a tiny box of earrings or something. Made it impossible to guess my gifts too. This is my first Christmas without him. Feels very odd 😥 His mother dutifully sent me a $5 check for Xmas every year that dutifully bounced every year.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
Me and my brothers would do that to my dad with one gift every Christmas. Sometimes we would put a brick in it to make it heavy, or wrap the outermost package in an odd shape. He loved it. We had a falling out, and didn't spend time with him for years. In his later years, he made an effort to reconnect with us. He told me one day that he missed getting his Russian doll presents, so we started doing it again until he died. The holidays always seem odd after a loved one dies. You expect them to always be there. It will be ok, though. You will get through it. Just hang on to the memories. He would want you to be happy. Sending you virtual hugs!
Load More Replies... Joel Moore 3 years ago
Back in the old days (1980's), before cameras were digital and phones only hung on the wall, we asked my in-laws for a point & shoot 35mm camera. Our kids were toddlers and we wanted something we could quickly grab and snap a pic when the kids were being cute. My MIL was one to get you what you asked for, so she bought a pretty nice camera. On Christmas morning we opened the gift and found their much used P&S camera in a box. It turns out they liked "our" camera so much they decided to keep it and give us theirs. Over 30 years later I still shake my head over this one.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
Wow! I often buy presents and then decided I want that item myself. But I go ahead and give the gift I bought, then buy myself another one later.
Load More Replies... Felix Feline 3 years ago
My wife's grandmother was very generous. Piles of beautiful presents, but one year when she was mentally slipping, she took all of our presents away after we opened them and gave them to my BIL and SIL. They did NOT return them to us later.
Frozengeckolover 3 years ago
The BIL and SIL not giving them back is more messed up than what the grandma did.
Load More Replies... You May Like 40 Ugly Christmas Sweater Ideas That You May Need This Holiday Season People Are Cracking Up At These 50 Funny Christmas Cards Folks Created To Congratulate Their Friends And Family To Pass The Time, Here Are 80 Best Christmas Episodes You Can Watch
Aivaras Kaziukonis
Justina Čiapaitė
Larysa Perih
Related on Bored Panda
