Least romantic gifts

phoenix

I have mentioned both of these before, but one Christmas I was presented with a gift that seemed to be the right size and shape to be the tablet I had been dropping hints about, but no, it was a digital air compressor for inflating tyres I think it was prompted by the fact that I had had a flat tyre a few weeks previously.

The other was also a Christmas gift. The large, and intriguing parcel, albeit beautifully wrapped was somewhat disappointing. It contained a new toilet seat.

I would love an air pump! Was only hinting about these last weekend!

I did once buy my dh a 7 inch desk fan

My rubbish present story isn’t about me, but my friend, a really lovely person.
For some unknown reason her MIL really didn’t like her.
She was also very rich.

For my friend’s birthday , the one gift she gave her was an egg timer in the shape of a snowman.
Her birthday is in July.

What a horrible woman.

Thankfully she has been her ex-MIL for many years.

Years ago, when DH was a manager at Superdrug, he asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day. I said anything as long as it's not from Superdrug.

He got me two deodorants ("But I thought they were perfume!") and two lipsticks. I never wear lipstick. They had half price Superdrug stickers on them.

The worst though not to me, we were on the school bus and a girl in the sixth form opened a box to find two real cows eyes and a note saying "I've got my eyes on you".We lived among a lot of farmers.

I got a stainless steel saucepan for an anniversary one year.
It was a very nice saucepan and it lasted me years but not exactly romantic.
DH is now much better at choosing a more appropriate gift.

For our first wedding anniversary (paper) he bought me the Omnibus Book of Horror Stories! He did write inside that it was no reflection of our first year

My late father was absolutely hopeless when it came to presents for my mother. He usually gave her dreadful jumpers in colours she hated or something else totally inappropriate. One year, however, he surprised her by giving her a beautiful gold necklace. Naturally she was thrilled. But when his credit card statement came in, he didn't have enough money to pay for it so my mother had to give him the money.

One Christmas my husband gave me a dissection kit with scalpels etc. True, I was doing a biology degree at the time but it didn't involve cutting up dead animals, thank heavens.

My mistake was to try to spare his blushes by seeming enthusiastic.

He is now my ex husband of nearly 40 years and I am fairly sure that the series of disappointing presents over the 20 years we were together had nothing to do with our break up.

Least romantic? Probably the electric sander I once got for Christmas.
But I was delighted - I was renovating our house and it was what I'd asked for!!! ?

I was given an automatic tin opener which I then had to put up on the wall myself.

ExMiL 30th birthday, three small Tupperware containers. ExH, Mother’s Day present when children were tiny, an electric carver and another time an electric sink food waste disposal unit.

DH gave me a wheelbarrow once.
Well he did need one!

Not a present but when I was sorting our loft to move and going through the many many cards to throw out there was a valentines card from DH with his signature in and that was it. We can’t have been speaking that day. It went in the skip.

My husband gave me a set of drain rods for my birthday, along with his helpful explanation of how to use them.

My x bought me an umbrella for Christmas once hence X.

One Xmas I got a potato peeler in my stocking from DH. He hated the one we had and I often ask him to peel the spuds. He redeemed himself the following year by hiding a beautiful pair of earrings as a surprise.I think he realised his error !Actually using the potato peeler always made me chuckle.

One Christmas my gifts from my partner included a set of Joseph Joseph chopping boards from John Lewis costing c£75.

I can think of many things to spend £75 on, as a special Christmas present, but chopping boards isn’t one of them

Seven months pregnant, my ex presented me with a bouquet, a new watch and a very romantic card for Valentine's day. Found out just three months later that his latest 'bit on the side' had been given exactly the same.

Well, after reading a thread on GN I bought myself a soup maker. DH said ‘That will do for your Valentine’s gift.” In response, I bought him a spaghetti measurer as he said he always has trouble getting the right amount. No expense spared, 3.49p. How romantic are we!

When l was down in the mouth over some romantic mishap, a friend presented me with a lemon "to cheer me up". And not even in person, she despatched it through her husband.
Well it was the though that counts....

We've been together for 18 months so this is our second V-day, and the first one where we're going out together in the evening.

Our romantic destination? The local premiership rugby!

I had hinted for a garden sunlounger. Christmas morning he went out to the shed & came in with a large box. It contained a clothes airer because I'm always doing washing ?

Every Christmas for the first few years of our marriage, I always got something I needed for the kitchen. One day, my husband walked in from the garden and said “I need a new hosepipe”! Oh, great said I, you can have one for Christmas! My husbands face was a picture, he said “I don’t want a hosepipe for Christmas” He realised what he had been doing, and it’s become our joke over 46years of Christmases. I always get a little token for the kitchen in my Christmas stocking.

We don't exchange presents on Valentine's day - just nice cards and a special evening. I did get a wheelbarrow once, long ago, for a birthday but usually the presents are more exciting. He says he knows what he is getting me for my birthday in April but I haven't dropped any hints so have no idea what it could be!