Oh lordy, without a doubt my worst gift came from my father. It was a time when he and my sisters were collecting vintage rhinestone jewelery, which they called their Smaug jewels. Beautiful sets, aurora borealis finishes, that they crowed over and showed off to me every visit. I oohed and ahhed. They'd been heavy into it for about three years and had pretty big collections--I was in medical school with no money and certainly no time to go to flea markets. My father drew my name for Christmas...and got me...two iron skillets. I believe they are still in my garage, actually.

The most recent worst gift was a reed infuser I received a few years ago as a Christmas gift from a co-worker. The scent is "papaya vanilla" but it might as well be "eau de dirty socks" because it is still in the package and will not be opened...ever. I'm very sensitive to many strong scents and I even had to stop wearing perfumes a few years ago.

I was going to add it to the Hospice donation, but now I think it might go straight into the trash bin.

I still tease my hubby about getting me tennis shoes for Valentine's Day one year. I did need a pair, but... :)

Donna

You're all gonna laugh out loud about this, but the worst gift I ever got that turned into the best was my very first SEWING MACHINE! Yes, our first wedding anniversary, DH brought this thing home - an avocado green Kenmore. You have to understand this - I was a long-haired hippie who FLUNKED sewing in the mandatory home ec. class in the 9th grade. I hated the stupid apron they made us do, the teacher was such a snot, I had transferred to a new school and had missed a couple of weeks doing so. So I missed the fundamentals of using a sewing machine and she refused to show me ANYTHING to catch up. And anyway, sewing was so domestic, all I cared about was running around partying and rock'n'roll. But years later I grew up, started getting interested in quilting, etc. and realized that it was such a wonderful gift after all. I still have that old machine, only straight-stitch and zig-zag, heavy metal, but runs like a dream. I got a new one last year but I'm keeping this bad baby!

Worst gift I ever received was actually kind of funny. I do Christmas with my best friends' family every year, and the gift was from his brother. It was an Avril Lavigne DVD. I opened it up, tried not to look crestfallen (I was really hoping for a different movie, don't remember what it was anymore!), pasted on a smile and said "Thank you!" Will looked at me and said "Gift receipts on the back." I returned it and got a couple of CDs I was wanting instead.

We still laugh about it.

~ Kit

I guess I think of a gift as such, my expectations are low. Prefer to be the giver.

These are funny lol!!!!!!!!!!! My mother gave a very expensive robe I bought her to my sister and told her not to tell me!!!! Well, she forgot and wore it when she visited me, of course I recognized it!!!!!!!!! We laughed about it and mama still gives away some of the gifts we get her, so this year for Christmas I am giving my parents a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant.
The worse and really weird (to me anyway)was a gift from the mother of the guy I was dating.
She came over for Christmas dinner and brought me the half dead floral arrangement and gave my son a half eaten box of candy she had been given as gifts.
They were not wrapped but she did include a card and said "Merry Christmas" lol!!!!!!
She acted so please with herself!!!! If she had just said I wanted to share these with you, but nothing was said, she acted like they were brand new. I just said thank you but I really thought it was weird.
I'm a giver too, I really think most quilters are very giving people.
Rosa

My mom frequents this board, so I won't mention names! :)

One year, a few days prior to my birthday, I went to this person's house and she had on a sweater I had never seen. She told me that she got it at the Goodwill and asked if I liked it. I said yes. She said "Good, because it's your birthday present." And she was serious. Then she said she had been wearing it all day and wore it to some event that she had gone to.

When the sweater actually became mine, if I didn't already know it, I would have been able to tell it was used...it wasn't in the greatest condition. There were some holes in the knit, etc.

This was not someone down on their luck. They might have been a little tight at that time, but no where near being destitute.

Thanks for the laughs! These are great :D

I guess I should have said 'LOL' gifts because Nanajayne is right - a gift is a gift.

Keep the stories coming!
Marie

Reminds me of the gift I gave my mother this year. Driving up to Oregon for a sudden funeral, I took her gift along, a black sweater you wear like a jacket. Unfortunately, I'd left my funeral clothes hanging on the door at home. So, I stopped at a thrift shop for a pair of slacks and then ripped open Mom's gift and wore it over my shirt. Looked great.

I asked Mom is she liked my sweater and she said "very much". I said good - it's your Xmas present. I put it back in the box and handed it to her and she's wearing it already.

This is a fun thread! I'm always a lurker, but today I thought I would join in on the fun. I actually have 2 for very differant reasons. The first and not the worst of the two was a birthday gift from a crazy neighbor that had just moved into the neighborhood and practically invited herself to the party. She gave me a basket full of very suggestive sex toys and since friends and family insisted I open gifts in front of everyone, well you can imagine my ambarassment. My mom God rest her soul, was fumming and so was my hubby. And yet the worst was from my husband. We had just been married 1 month and he has always been a romantic at heart but not a great gift giver. I don't celebrate or even remember the month anniverseries as he does. He walked in with a present behind his back and when he told me it was our one month ann. and presented me with this large gift I was so excited until I opened it. It was a blender, a very unromantic blender! I was so upset with him, and as an example of what not to buy a woman unless specifed, I still have it 21 years later in the appliance garage as he calls it. I get the best presents now, he goes to the quilt store and the owner (my friend) tells him exactly what to pick out as I stop in a few days in advance to let her know. We are all happy now.

Riograndegal - Oh my! That is awful but my daughter and I still have tears in our eyes from laughing :D

Marie

Ritaweeda, I'll bet I had the very same avocado sewing machine, LOL. Gave mine away tho. Wish I hadn't.

Best one was the year my father decided to buy my mother a lawn mower for Mother's Day. We warned him he was taking his life into his hands doing such a dumb thing but he did it any way.
Mom was not pleased! I remember that was the year we all learned that if Mama ain't happy ain't nobody going to be happy!