What's the worst Christmas present you ever gave or received?

A second hand address book!

I suppose I might have made new friends if I had contacted the addresses in the book!

When I was in my early teens my parents gave me a home perm kit!

My mother used to give me hideous jumpers. Year after year after year.

Some years ago my OH gave me an electric sewing machine, even though he knew I hated sewing.
I did try using it a couple of times but could never seem to get the tension right. Then I decided to oil it, followed the instructions but happily unfortunately I couldn't get one of the bits to fit back correctly.

Husband came in and fixed it and crossly told me not to touch it again. I told him that would be a pleasure and it's been in the loft ever since. tchsmile

The worst present that I've ever given, is a box of handkerchiefs. tchblush

Many years ago, when my mother used to still give me a sort of stocking, I saved what seemed to be the most interesting present 'til last.

It was a rectangular, quite solid sort of thing, which when I opened it contained half a dozen yellow dusters

There isn't an emoticon that would even come near to the disappointment that I felt.

For the first Christmas after she was married,DD2's MiL gave her a yellow satin handbag. She had used at a relative's wedding and it sported a large grease mark. Needless to say, their relationship after 10 years, has not visibly improved!

The one Christmas when I was a 'fiancé' my soon to be MIL booked me into her 'old ladies' hairdresser for a cut and perm. I had taken years to grow my long, poker straight hair (like a blonde Cathy McGowan) and my own mother was a (wait for it) ..... HAIRDRESSER!

A friend of my mother, who was not short of cash, once gave me a pale lilac petticoat that was clearly well worn.

The worst I gave was a tin of paint to an uncle - it was what he wanted, but it seemed far too utilitarian for my taste.

I must be very lucky, nothing I've been given comes to mind.
I did give my grannie a sack of coal one year. She was delighted, seriously!!

I was a teenager in the sixties and really, really, really wanted a pair of trendy boots. Sure enough, on Christmas morning, there was a shoe box shaped parcel. Unfortunately, it contained a pair of ankle length, sheepskin lined, lace-up boots which I never wore. Like phoenix, there is not an emoticon etc! I suspect that is when I started to really disappoint my mother!

On the other hand, my presents are always just what the recipient wanted.

My DH had a great Aunt who gave presents that she had horded from the past, such as war time tea towels ( unused) with moral boosting mottos and 1950s tubes of water colour paint. Dried up of course. When these gifts ran out she recycled what the family had given her and her husband in previous years. We all cottoned on and became careful to give her presents that we would like to receive back at a future Christmas. X

I don't remember stuff like that.

One of my closest friends is a size 8, so what possessed her husband to go into a shop and choose a size 22 nightie for her Christmas present I can't imagine!

One Christmas, with all the family, boyfriends and husbands gathered around, we all opened our crackers as you do. Out popped the usual array of goodies: tape measure, fortune telling fish, whistle, etc. out of mine popped eyebrow tweezers; my mother's subtle way of telling me my brows (and probably chin) needed urgent attention.

A couple of years ago I spent Christmas with my brother and his family in Australia. They have a tradition of giving joke presents late afternoon. I was presented with a long thin parcel - I opened it to find a broomstick! I wonder what they were trying to tell me!

What a cheek! How did you manage to get it back Sunseeker?

My DS MiL (who was a witch with no disguise) once gave me a tin of M&S talc. It was a tin of talc and M&S had not had talc in tins for years, it was rusty around the bottom and a tatty bit of sellotape across the holes on the top. She also liked to make her own cards which involved cutting up last years cards and sticking the bits onto a bit of paper. The trouble was that she didn't seem to look at whatever she was sticking on so Christmas trees might be laid on their side with the top cut off.
She died with lots of money in the bank !!

I don't remember getting anything particularly bad, but I bought my mum, who had really painful feet, a foot spa.
She was absolutely furious!
I still don't know why, I thought I was being thoughtful.

I would like to know what you all did about the gifts. granny23 How did you get out of going for the perm?

I've made all my christmas cards out of some of last years cards. A collage of a christmas tree. Sticking lots of bits onto a piece of paper.... higidly-pigidly. . If one looked v. closely on some, the tip of the tree is squared off. Interesting kitsch I'd call it.
Hope your son's MIL had as much fun doing her's as I did with mine, tiggy

One disastrous Christmas my DDH presented me with a nightie - size 10 (I had just had a baby) a candlewick dressing gown in powder blue with a hole in the seam, royal blue sweat shirt with a large embossed owl on the front. I was so disappointed that I spent the rest of the day crying.

My ex once set a massive box under the tree, I was so excited, it was a mixer - another Christmas I was presented by him with a Jubilee coin on a chain, all I wanted was one of those silver fish on a chain that were all the rage in the 70s.

A few years ago I mentioned to my best friend that a secret fantasy of mine was to see my DDH in a nightshirt (in an excited state - get me?) We went to off Christmas Shopping and found just the thing. I wrapped it in Christmas paper and put it in his stocking. Christmas morning he unwrapped it, frowned and I told him to 'Quick put it on' he disappeared into the bathroom and came back wearing the red tartan nightshirt. Now, it was a medium but it came down to his calves and the sleeves hung about 6" from the end of his arms, he also sported a night chap which I didn't know came with it. (wee willie winkie had nothing on him and not a winkie to be seen) He stood by the bed and said 'Sorry but I don't really think it is me - can I change it?' I replied 'For a smaller one?' 'No, for a jumper' poor lamb. I just howled and howled with laughter. He often remembers this, usually around Christmas time (wonder why) I did tell him my fantasy but there was no way it was going to happen. wish I had taken a photo.

meant NIGHT CAP not NIGHT CHAP - now that would have been odd.

Lona The perm? I pretended to her that my Mother would be really offended if I went to another hairdresser and forced it back on her as an early birthday present. She did in fact have the cut and perm in time for our wedding. Looked better on her than it would have on me.

I am reminded that this little deceit was to haunt me for years because my DM announced (quite rightly) that she did not want to have the responsibility of 4 hairdos (me, 2x bridesmaids and her own) on the morning of my wedding. We went instead to the poshest hair salon in town and I emerged 4" taller with a mountain of big curls on top. (Pic on my profile) New MIL spent the reception telling everyone that my wonderful hair do was done by my mother, who always did my hair. She remarked on it often as our wedding photo was on her mantelpiece, so the fiction had to be kept up until the day she died. Oh! what a tangled web, etc. etc.

And very beautiful you looked granny23