What's the worst gift you've ever been given?

The first Christmas gift I received from my mil was a plastic duck shaped pencil sharpener! The second year I got a tablecloth and napkins (I did use them but they weren't a very personal gift). The third year a solid silver napkin ring accompanied by her condescending remark "I knew you wouldn't have one" - she always thought I was common! Mind you, my dh didn't do much better as one year she bought him a gardening book - useful but pretty mean. Then we discovered she had given their gardener the same gift!

My father bought me a dressing gown. It was bubble gum pink nylon with a full floor length skirt and tight top. It was truly horrible. My future brother in law saw it and thought it so lovely he bought my sister one! Poor girl!

After a date I was given a gift of a hideous plastic centrepiece flower that I think was supposed to be a lily. You would have to work hard to create something so hideous!

Many years ago, a secret Santa present at work turned out to be a wooden slug. I was 50, the giver was over 40 and I still have no idea why she thought I would like one. I have always refused to join in secret Santa gift giving ever since. I hate joke presents and would definitely prefer nothing than for someone to waste money on tat that would go straight to the charity shop.

An Oxfam address book, obviously bought in haste, by someone I USED to love.

A box containing some very out of date tea bags (smelt very musty, ugh). From the same person another year, a pretty little jewellery box, which that person then asked me to give back, as it wasn't intended for me!

My mum said "Oh, love. I hate to see you struggling along with heavy bags of my shopping. Here, take £5 towards it, and get yourself a shopping trolley."

I was convinced my (ex) husband had bought me a longed for sewing machine for Christmas when he staggered in with this large wrapped present, put it under the tree and told me not to touch it. Now, I had said to him a couple of weeks beforehand that having to walk up quite a long and steep hill to Tesco with my daughter in her pushchair while I was almost 7 months pregnant was wearing me out a bit and that he might have to help me by doing a Saturday or late night shop. The longed for sewing machine turned out to be a shopping trolley. One of the many reasons why he's an ex.

An electric toothbrush from my then boss. I didn't know how to take this.

American tan, what a treat!!!

A shoe box with 3 pairs of " wait for it..." extra large tights ,I take medium, in American tan. Wrapped in recycled Donald duck Christmas paper. It was from my inlaws for my April birthday.

A star shaped velour box. I received it from someone via secret Santa at work. I threw it away.

..

The day after Boxing Day 2023. I'm very unwell in bed with my first (and only) bout of Covid. My sister and brother-in-law called with our Christmas gifts, but understandably didn't come in as they normally would.

My son bought my gift up to me. It was in one of the long festive gift bags that usually hold a bottle (in fact I'm sure that it was the bag that came with the wine she'd won in a raffle the week before!!). I asked my son to open it and he went into an exaggerated musical scenario to amuse me.

When it was apparent to him what the gift was my son became convulsed with laughter and for a moment couldn't move. And when the gift was eventually revealed to me it was ................... a half-size loofah!!!

It really made me laugh and I think that my health started to pick up at that point.

For the three previous celebrations (birthday, Christmas, birthday) she gave me small umbrellas (although still with tags they were obviously from the Charity shop where she'd often boasted she bought gifts). She knows that I only ever use one of my two Lulu Guinness birdcage umbrellas and have for decades.

Now the odd thing is that my sister is mega-wealthy. They earned mega-bucks in the Middle East as ex-pats (no tax) and they have a six figure company pension plus their State pensions as they'd paid 'their stamps' throughout their quarter-of-a-century abroad.

She's been the same since childhood so I'm never really surprised!!

..

For years I've tried to downplay the importance of gifts, Xmas or B'day, as it's so hard for people to get the right things without a tightly specified list -- which rather takes away the point of it all?

I still recall something I bought, as a well-meaning 7 or 8 year old perhaps (mid to late 50s?), we didn't have a telly, but one evening a week I could go next door to our elderly neighbours, who let me see Take Your Pick & The Army Game with them (they'd become aware we were too poor for a TV). One evening I think I saw an advert for some Cyprus Sherry, (must have been near Xmas), and I suppose I thought that was a very sophisticated gift for my mother. I had just enough pocket money for it, and the shop-keeper down the road knew me well ( I was always on errands there with a little list) so he let me buy it.

On Xmas Day I discovered that it was horrible, I should NOT have wasted my money (!), all of which put a black mark on Xmas. I think they kept it to give to a distant relative they didn't care for and rarely saw, the following year.

And looking back, that incident may well have influenced my thinking about presents ever since (if you actually get something nice, think yourself lucky)?!

A set of 10 soup bowls from my DH. He didn’t even like soup.

When my children were small they bought me a box of Ferero Rocher for Mothers Day. I didn’t like them, but of course I was so happy that they had thought to buy me a gift I made a big fuss, saying there were my absolute favourite. Yes, you’ve guessed it, I then got them every year for various occasions! But I have eaten so many over the years I have now grown to love them 🤣❤️

Ah, that's lovely!

My son aged about 8 or 9 I think, bought me MUM roll on deodorant for Mother's Day! He thought it was the perfect gift. Accepted graciously on the day, he is often reminded of it nowadays. He's 38

There are some really horrendous gifts on here- but did you all really pretend to like them? I'm never sure whether it's best to lie and run the risk of getting it again, or to be honest and risk giving offence!

My husband has always been terrible at gifts. The worst one was a telephoto lens for HIS camera, that I had said was too expensive for me to buy for his birthday. I was seriously considering divorce….I still am!

A secret Santa gift, so I never knew who it was from.

It was a book titled "How To Poo At Work ".

I am definitely not from the ladette, gregarious, coarse culture that might have seen the funny side of it.

I brought it home - goodness knows why - and shoved it at the back of a cupboard.

I was talking about secret Santa presents with DD and her then boyfriend, and he said it was really funny, and asked if he could have it.

With pleasure!! (She's no longer with him!)

The first Christmas I was with my (now) husband, my future MiL gave me a double layer nylon nightie, wouldn’t have been too bad except when I stayed there, in my own room of course, she used brushed nylon sheets. You can imagine the sparks flying!

DH and I usually asked each other what we wanted for Christmas or bought something we wanted for our house. One year I decided I wanted him to buy me something as a surprise instead. I dropped hints about perfume and a bag I liked and kept my fingers crossed. Christmas morning he handed me a rather large box and I had absolutely no idea what could be inside. Turned out it was a pair of Wellies! He did get the size correct so I suppose he gets some brownie points for that. Needless to say I now just tell him exactly what I want. Lesson learned!

Two pairs of second hand (well worn) shoes from Next from a friend for Christmas. Size 6 - I am a size 5

That's just reminded me, I was on a "girls" holiday for one of my birthdays, and was given a huge (and I do mean HUGE!) ahem.... personal item, as a joke.
It was put in a drawer under my bed when I came home, and I forgot all about it.

My ex reached into the drawer and pulled it out, a couple of years later