Last Christmas I gave my aunt a linen kitchen towel that had a clever Scottish poem on it and which I had purchased in Scotland.

This year, my aunt gave me a linen kitchen towel that had a clever Scottish poem on it but SHE didn't purchase it in Scotland. I had.

Yes, it was the same towel. My gift wrap was better:)

Oh, patser, don't you hate getting re-gifted your own gift?

I guess the worst gift I got was from the MIL. She had asked me what I wanted/needed and I told her that I would appreciate a knit hat and scarf to match my red wool dress coat. I told her black or navy would probably look the best.

She bought me exactly what I asked for. Except the hat and scarf are traffic cone orange.

Well, there is the dollar store for next year for you sister--but pick out what you really want and wait and see!

Why not just stop the madness?, LOL.

I no longer exchange gifts with anyone but my DH and DS, unless someone is staying with us over the holiday. My mother and stepfather do get gifts for their birthdays, but not for the Yule holidays. I told my very large family about 20-25 years ago it was just too much stress and too much money. I'm not sending you or your children anything - so save your spending for your spouse and children.

No one wants the dollar store gifts, so just cut it out entirely.

Cindy, she didn't want you to get hit!

I got a bag of horse treats (plus other OK stuff) from hubby. Yeah the horses will like them, but I would rather have had a cone orange hat and scarf - lol.

Hubby also bought me long underwear and wool socks. I picked them out and brought them home and he wrapped them. Works for me.

I wanted a snuggie/snugglie too and Mom bought me one and right now it is draped over the sofa in the computer room.
It's too thin to take the time to put it on.

These stories are a riot! Mcmann, is your sister trying to be funny, perhaps?

I exchange token gifts with distant in-laws, and received from one of them a dollar-store figurine attached to a one-inch-square box. I regifted it to an eight-year-old, figuring she might have a treasure small enough to fit in it.

This is hilarious!!!

My MIL would often give things she found at garage sales. The worse gift I ever received was a robe and nightgown set. I was newly pregnant with our first child and for christmas she gave me this set. The only thing is it was "SEE THROUGH" and I mean just that. When I opened it up she said to me, " You can take it to the hospital." I never did wear it.. Another year she gave me another one and it was a v-neck all the way to the waist.. UGLY... I pitched it... She gave all of us daughter-in-laws and daughters one in different colors..

Susie

I have a really hard time buying gifts so I let the kids pick out dh's gift. I don't think he was as excited about the chainsaw as they were. lol! Even better, they want to get him a riding lawn mower for father's day or his birthday.

I found out in advance what I was getting for Christmas. Dh took my 6 yo dd shopping while I shopped with the boys. She came back toting a Bath and Body Works bag. She "Don't look in the bag Mommy. It's a surprise. And Daddy and I looked at jewelry boxes, but we didn't get you any."

was going thru the cedar chest and found these plates the kids had made in the 80's...(you decorated this paper, sent it into texas-ware and got a plate back) i think the kids got a kick out of those. and one less item for us to keep, lol...

My family has decided to not exchange gifts at Christmas or Birthdays any more. Except for the kids who are under 18. Makes life a lot simpler and avoids getting unneeded, unwanted, foolish "stuff."

So at Christmas for the last two years we have played the Dirty Santa game and that is a lot of fun.

mcmann, those things you mention would be great for the DS game.

Sue

DH told me that each year he would take our 3 boys out Xmas shopping for a gift for me.
He would give each of them $20 to buy me a gift and they could spend whatever was left
on themselves! Needless to say, I got really cheap gifts.
LOL, Kathy G in MI

My MIL would say we'd go to the "after Christmas" sales, but that never materialized. Once Christmas was over it went out the window. She never brought it up, I didn't either, I would have felt funny asking when she was going to buy me a present.

Well, we're a really small family -- so I rarely get a bad gift... except from my 99 year old great-aunt in a nursing home... but that's the one where 'it's the thought that counts' comes in...

But I agree with a lot of people to 'just stop the madness' and quit. Now my sisters & I give to local charities instead of trading gift cards.. The little ones still get gifts..

Probably you all have read my post before about the Christmas gift I got year before last from my husband. He wrapped up the manual and the key to a new riding mower for my gift. Just what anyone my age would want. I never have seen it as he kept it at his business for mowing!

Sue

I got cashmere socks that are dry clean only...
like THAT'S gonna happen!

One of my sisters and I exchanged gifts for many years as adults. Hers to me became tackier, cheaper, and often something I'd found out later she'd bought for herself, used or worn it for a while, decided she didn't like it but couldn't return, sooooo that became my gift! One year I decided that I'd had enough of being mad about what I got, so told her I'd like to stop exchanging gifts. Problem solved. Now she does it to her grown kids/grandkids.

Shirley

In a Christmas exchange a friend got a glass duck with a candle in it that had already been lit and had soot on it.

The one who brought it got a nice gift.

The gifter is dead now(RIP) but when her name is mentioned someone will say "Remember that duck?"

I got back the reed defusior(sp)I bought her for Easter last year, because she wanted the one I got from my DD last christmas.She also took the tags off the gift we bought her son & said santa brought it. I messed that up when I called him after christmas .Unfortuntly he now knows his mother bought him NOTHING! Cheap cow!!

Never will forget , this was a gift to our office staff from our banker. One Christmas she came in with a huge glass bowl filled with candy, nuts, coffee and all sorts of goodies. After all the items were taken out in the bottom, was a note addressed to the banker, and signed by the company that was beside our office. We laughed when we saw it, said, she must have received it next door, and then brought it over to us to regift. Must admit we enjoyed the gift, but if you are going to regift, make sure you remove the personal notes.

My sister-in-law is an administrator for a small company and I seriously believe she re-gifts and has for many years. Probably the gifts her employees give her - mugs, weird trinkets, candles, ect. As if she doesn't know me and my likes and dislikes at all - or cares. I always pick out something thoughtful for her, I wonder if she re-gifts that too!

This year, however she actually sent me a gift card for a restaurant, along with a Map Quest map to show how to get there - about 50 miles away! She sent my Mom one too.

My SIL doesn't know about this site...THANK GOD...We had already agree'd not to exchange gifts this year...but instead we get this large envelope containing four boxes from Things Remembered...Inside were FOUR dogtags containing our initials on each one...My youngest DS loved his...The boys were a dark copper colored...Mine was sterling silver...with the WRONG initials...like I'd ever wear a dog tag...and especially with the WRONG initials...so mine will just sit in my jewelry box along with all the other jewelry she and my MIL have gave me over the last 30 years with the wrong initials...I know I'm being petty...but my hubster will never wear these things...neither the other son too...so I think its just $80.00 wasted...

my teenager on the other hand...loves his...it looks ghetto something he's in to..
{{gwi:1582802}}

my hubster snapped this of Carson the day they arrived...yes I belong to the "Pull your pants up...you look like an idiot" group on facebook...LOL

Patser, I think you should give your aunt the towel from Scotland again next year...you could keep this gift going for years. Think of all the money you'll save. I must admit that I believe in regifting but it must be something I really like. Lots of times we receive something we really love but just really don't need it...I think there's nothing wrong with passing it along to someone who might get some use from it. However, make sure there is not a gift card in it from someone else and make sure you don't give it to the same person who gave it to you!

I've never been into re-gifting but if I ever start I'm going to have to watch it. My memory isn't a good as it used to be so I can see how that re-gifting back to the giver might happen. I have brought a bottle of wine to someone's house and wondered if I was re-gifting one that someone had given to me....yikes....maybe I've already re-gifted back to the giver.

I got a very special gift from my MIL----a silver-plated
pair of turkey slippers to fit over the turkey legs!!!
I don't even have turkey dinners here--my daughter does at
her home. Don't think I'll even regift them---lol
Maybe I'll put them in our club's "white elephant" gift
exchange next year!!

These are great stories. I'm glad I'm not the only one who has received some rather unusual gifts.

First let me say that I did tell her that I liked ugly things.

I have, sitting on my mantle, gifts from my brother's SO for the last two years. She volunteers at the hospice thrift shop and these items were things someone donated. Not a problem for me, but they do qualify as the most ugly homemade candy dish and candle holder imaginable. Actually, they wouldn't have been half bad if the colors weren't streaky, muddy green and brown. (She's just trying to get even for all the rooster items I got her for her kitchen one year.) LOL

Lol Liz...(who said).yes I belong to the "Pull your pants up...you look like an idiot" group on facebook...LOL

He's cute anyhow. The dogtags look good on him. :-) Can't believe they got your initials wrong. Yikes.

These are funny!!! Cashmere socks that have to be dry cleaned?? Never heard of such a thing,and sure as he** wouldn't want any,and i wear a lot of socks.Last year i told everyone to stop the gift giving to us and that we were only going to buy for the little grands and GGK'S.Dil still insists on giving us gifts,says they are from the GK's,and that's ok,but this xmas she gave me the exact same style color of dishtowels sets that she gave me last year with apples on them,and i hadn't even used last years yet.DIL's mom and brother also insist on still giving us gifts as we host the dinner here everyyear for xmas and t'giving.I still have the last 3 years worth of gifts from DIL's mom that have never been used and are still in the boxes.Will probably pass them along to my GD eventually.Not their DD though,another GD) Her brother last year gave us a nice box of different size picture frames which are great and were needed.This year he gave us both gift cards for walmart.Like those kind.
Kathi

Lauren got me Twizzlers because I love Redvines. She realized this after I opened it, told her it was the thought that counted. I took them to work because they taste like plastic to me.

I regift but don't wrap and just tell the person I got it from someone else and can't use it. Usually candles, incense or some strong smelling lotion or perfume. Most of the time, Lauren gets those gifts.

I won't be regifting my kitchen towel....I liked it enough to buy it, now I like it enough to be using it! The way I see it, my aunt gave me a great gift (unlike my mother-in-law who always gifts clothes that would only fit a 12 year old!).

Your other stories are great!

My boss was embarrassed after somebody pointed out the gift he gave me (a gallon sized jar of gourmet jelly beans and a nice bottle of local wine) was nice, but not suitable for a diabetic who does not drink ;). Things he knew about me, but did not clue in to when he chose the gifts.

The funny thing is, he DID put a lot of thought into the gift. He knows I like colourful display jars, and was sure DD and DH would also enjoy the jelly beans. And I am really into the "buy local" tirade - always have been, even before it was the new black - and drove out to the vinyard itself to pick the wine for me. He get points anyway....tee hee!

The other worthless gift I got this year was NOTHING. No gift from DH even though we agreed to exchange gifts this year. I got him concert tickets.

One year my DH bought me a sexy outfit from Fredericks of Hollywood. I opened it n front of my MIL. I was so embarassed I couldm't speak for the rest of the day. After they left, I yelled at DH and told him it was obviously a gift for him, not for me. I never wore it. It went out in the garbage before New Years.

This was not a gift, but this post reminded me of it. I bought a very funny sarcastic Christmas card for a very special work buddy that I had for many years. He and everyone else that saw it had a lot of laughs over it. Well, the very next year I got the same card back. This card went back and forth for about 15 years until he passed away. I still have that card with all the crossed off names and each year. We had a lot a fun with that card.

I forgot. Hubby's aunt always sent us Yankee Magazine. Now it is OK to read, but we live in PA.
His brother found out she was loaded and stuck her in a cheap nursing home (that took her retirement and ss) and now we get no magazine. They however, are taking a cruise to Alaska and getting new kitchen cupboards and denied taking her money - sure....