I hate jam

annifrance - we have neighbours like that too. The last jam was pear jam, still haven't opened it. And I have a jar of bottled cherries, which are a pale yellow colour and look more like pickled onions (I wish!)Bought at a village sale.
I think it's a tradition going back to the days when there was a food shortage in the winter so you had to preserve the summer harvests of fruit and veg.
A friend bought an old house, almost a ruin, and found a range of shelves full of jars of preserved veg. and fruit, maybe still edible? We've got jars of jam going back at least 3 years, but we eat very little jam now.

Like Bijou, I dislike cut flowers. One of my daughters has sent me very expensive bouquets and one of them was a disgrace.
I casually mentioned that whilst cut flowers are lovely, a plant lasts much longer. She took the hint and has since given me a garden centre voucher.

You haven't said if you are a young or old Gran but it seems all end up liking jam. I think it's compulsory. Reminds me of the years of hiding bath salts at the back of the cupboard until they turned into solid blocks, then chucking them out when no one was looking, as it was the 'gift of choice' from my boys! Good example though of 'say now or forever hold your peace/piece (stop it!)'.

As this is the time of year for fetes, summer fairs etc. I've been doing my bit supporting, either buying or donating etc. Anyhow I won a raffle prize on Saturday, great, a tall glass jar with some chillies in oil. Interesting, I wonder how I can use this, checked the label and saw 'use by September 2010' had to double check. I wonder if it's been doing the rounds since then?

I try and try to hint at what I would like as a present but my hints always seem to fall on deaf ears! Over the years I have hinted for a steamer (I bought one eventually, only to be given an electric one several years later which is only used at Christmas and Easter, luckily the 'giver' sees that I use it), a banana holder (still to get), a stainless steel tissue box holder for my sixtieth, very expensive but thought as it was a special landmark year (bought quite a nice wooden one - online, but seriously would love a stainless steel classy one!).

Perhaps I should ask rather than hint! TBH I probably do sometimes...still don't get said item as they are seen as practical...yes, but I want one!!!

Oh God am now afraid to give anyone anything !!!

My teenage GD complained that nobody gave her any 'smellies' for Christmas. What's the betting that her stocking will be full to overflowing with bath/shower gel, body lotion, handwash - you name it?

Our local Food Banks, who always welcome toothpaste, soap, shampoo, handwash, etc. are also over-run with body lotion.

Number I thought that may be a mistake!

That should have read 6 to a bag!!

In the days when we did car boot sales, I used to save up all my body lotions and put them into plastic bags, 56 to a bag, and sell them for £2. Now they just sit on my dressing table till I run out of space, then disappear into a drawer.

My aunt was very pleased with a detailed ceramic model of a cottage. Envisioning a whole village my cousin said she'd get her one each Christmas and birthday. 'What on earth for?' asked my aunt 'I've got one!'
When at university my daughter's friends, seeing her room, asked whether she collected pigs. The weary reply was 'No, but I have a mother who thinks I do!' I have no idea how that happened, one cute piggy present, I guess!

Cut flowers. They don't last long and they are a waste of money. I like flowers growing in the garden but every birthday I am inundated with expensive bunches.

Being too polite I feel may have altered my life.

In 1970 I had a severe operation to remove part of a scare that was due to a childhood illness.

The first night, just after having the op and when I was in the intensive care ward, I woke up wanting to go to the loo, but couldn't find a bell to press.
I didn't want to shout out as there were others in the same ward who had also just had operations.
Due to this confusion, I had a seizure, while covered in wires. I dropped to the ground and my head swole up. Despite this the operation did help and I am fine now, but it did take 26 years before I fullly recovered.

Oh dear! I hope I am not that friend of granoffour as I have been known to give home-made jam. Don't think it can be me as none of our friends have 4 grandchildren. I tend to only give it to our sons who I definitely know eat it. We could start a veritable gransnet swap-shop for all those unwanted but well-meant gifts!

Please send all unwanted jam and preserves my way, in fact send everything my way (with the exception of body lotion, I could stock a small shop I have so much of this.)

i love the body lotion and scented candles - always welcome presents.

Our French neighbours (plural) every autumn give us jars of a sort of jam/chutney with walnuts and figs. This despite the very visible prolific fig and walnut trees in our gardens! And I don't like it! Even OH has got sick of it. But how to know how to say something very politely in French is something of a mountain to climb!

My partners mother was a very generous lady who loved to surprise people. Unfortunately our tastes were very different. When we went shopping together I had to reply very carefully to every question about whether I liked something, or I could find it in my birthday/Christmas presents. I was never sure whether she was suggesting a garment for me or for her and I got very good at saying 'That would look great on you but it's not long enough for me' or 'That colour would suit you to a T but make my skin look yellow'.

I also have large collections of collectable ornaments hidden away in boxes in a cupboard that have been given to me for presents just because I happened to say that something looked cute at some point. It DID look cute but that didn't mean I wanted it and it's hard to stop once it's started without appearing ungrateful or making someone feel bad.

I once suggested to my Mum that I would love things like good paint brushes, rollers, etc that I use a lot of or other things I use in crafts that cost a bit over the year but apparently those wouldn't be 'proper' presents.

I love scented candles! As I said on another thread, we are all different. But my daughter hates scones which unfortunately her mother in law makes every time she visits and encourages her to eat lots. The first time she went there she politely said how lovely they were and now doesn't like to say anything.

My pet hate is scented candles (open the window for fresh air!) and, on being polite about one such offering was inundated with them as presents. One kind hearted donor bought me a really upmarket one for £50 and I am afraid to say that, since it was from a shop with a generous exchange policy on unopened goods, I changed it for a lovely bag.

I find that research tells us that scented candles are at the top of the 'Ten Most Unwanted Presents' list.

How about donating unwanted body lotion and such like to a Woman's refuge?

Being too polite and trusting has been a life-long problem. Only now am I realising that its not working for me and to change. It's not easy but luckily my children have no problem saying if they don't like something I buy them and just give it back! I loved all your posts and so true to our generation I think, brought up in 1950's or post-war.

I have a theory that the same bottles of wine, chocolates, body lotions etc do a never ending circuit of all the good cause raffles within a fifteen mile radius of wherever you live.

All the several local choirs around here seem to run raffles for their funds.

There seems to be a class of items whose only function seems to be a raffle prize! Haha, I know just what you mean! They regularly turn up as prizes at our photography club breakfast meetings .

My lovely DS almost always buys me a box of Lush products for Mothers' Day. I haven't the heart to tell him that I have a stack of these things at the top of my wardrobe because it takes me forever to get through them. At least this year he didn't get me a gift set containing bath bombs and suchlike - I never use them, because I can't get out of the bath once I'm in!

As a student on teaching practice I was in digs and on the first night was given cheese and biscuits. The problem was that the cheese was a processed cheese and I hated it. Because I was a polite young lady I ate it the first night. The next night there was a bigger serving. I sneaked most of it into my pocket and on the way to school put it into a bin. I was there a month and goodness knows how many pounds of cheese was put into that bin. I am no longer so polite !