Thanks for a good laugh this morning!

Thanks, that was funny.

OMG, that Sumo wrestler ornament is hilarious . I’d give it a place of honor on the tree every year.

The candle video made me laugh. One year my son’s then GF gave me a huge scented candle. The aroma was overwhelming. I had to put it in the garage. What is it with smelly candles?

Bwah ha....loved that!! The funniest EVER story about re-gifting happened to my best friend. About a year after they were married, she and her husband were invited to one of his co-workers wedding. My buddy, being a practical soul, decided that one of the platters they received but hadn’t used would make a great gift. She boxed it up and mailed it off to the happy couple. A couple of months later they received a lovely handwritten thank you note. (Names changed to protect the innocent, lol.)

Dear Beth and Tom,

Thank you so much for the lovely serving platter. However, we also feel the need to thank Sarah and Tim, as we discovered their sweet note taped to the bottom of the plate.

Thank you again for your good wishes.

Best,

Jill and James

Hahahahaha! That wrestler ornament! And the awkward platter "note"! And the melted maroon candles! Y'all have great stories!

My ex's grandmother always loved to give big bags of gifts to everyone at holiday gatherings, and they had a very large family - kids and grandkids galore. Each person received their very own bag, and among a couple of nicer (often handmade) items, there would be useful things -- Scotch tape, Post-It Notes, car wax for the guys; body lotion, soap, cooking items for the gals. We knew Mabel was really declining when she started including stranger things in the bags one year. A cousin got an expired deli salad. My then-brother-in-law got a can of FDS (yes, Feminine Deodorant Spray).

One year I gave my friend, who always had cold hands and was always losing gloves, a pair of red gloves trimmed with black faux fur, to go with her coat. A week later I was at her home and saw her little gift bags ready to deliver to other friends, and there is the pair of gloves poking out of one bag. I didn’t say anything but she saw my eyes land on it, and said “oh, I hope you don’t mind, they are so cute I thought so-and-So would love them.” Hmm. I let it drop, I know I had been the recipient of her re-gifts, too, but still.

Some of my favorite bad gifts include:

a gift card to a restaurant with the statement “I know you don’t really like it there but it was convenient for me.” Aw, how thoughtful.

Xmas ornaments, one for each of us, even though we don’t put a tree up. This continued for 10 years. Ten. Years. Maybe they thought we would give in and put a tree up?

The ornaments for my husband were always a Hallmark sports series, but never the full series. Maybe year 1, 3, 5-8. They leave the price on the box so it’s “collectible.” But who will buy an incomplete set of plastic, made in China ornaments years later? Of course, if I could sell them I would see a profit since I didn’t pay for them, so there’s that.

Two years in a row I received the same battery powered signing & dancing Xmas related figure. They didn’t remember getting me the same thing the year before. I do not like and do not decorate with those types of things so why they thought I wanted it, twice, is beyond me. I did wonder if they rebought the one I immediately gave to the thrift store, but they aren’t thrift store shoppers.

One year I got a cheap battery-operated clothes shaver from my then-sister-in-law. I knew she never liked me.

They say "it's the thought that counts", but sometimes it's more like "the thought makes things crystal clear."

love this thread!

Reminds me. My SIL and I don't usually exchange birthday gifts and are simply not close. One year I gave her a summer weight cotton robe for her (summer) birthday. It was lime with hot pink piping. Think Lily Pulitzer. Did I have any particular reason to think she would like or want this? No, it was just a fluke really I saw it and thought it was cute and don't most of us have ratty robes? It was not my most inspired gift giving, true. Anyway it was clearly a fail. The next time I saw her she handed the box to me and simply, nicely, said "I don't think i will use this."

Mmm, okay then.

I did wonder if they rebought the one I immediately gave to the thrift store, but they aren’t thrift store shoppers.

hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

OMG!!!! These are HILARIOUS!! Mtn, I guess at least your SIL feels comfortable enough in your relationship to have that level of honesty? Lol!!

Ida, my great-Aunt Edie was just like your ex’s grandmother!! Oh dear Lord, the boxes of Kleenex, opened bottles of perfume, a can of oysters, free promotional items from her various banks, insurance agent, etc...it was a riot. The kicker was, she was ridiculously wealthy and she & my great uncle never had kids. She had this kind of twisted sense of humor or something...some years you’d just get your can of artichoke hearts and that was that but some years she’d be a bit tricky and slip a $10,000 check into the back of the notepad or bury it into the kleenex box to see if you used your gift (this was for the gifts to my mom & uncle, not to us kids.) We’d have Christmas lunch at her like 200 year old house, and I remember my mom and aunt furiously inspecting all the gifts from Aunt Edie to make sure they didn’t overlook the check (she got mad if you missed it.) It was sheer lunacy, but so hilarious to look back on now.

some years you’d just get your can of artichoke hearts and that was that but some years she’d be a bit tricky and slip a $10,000 check into the back of the notepad or bury it into the kleenex box to see if you used your gift

Holy crap! :-O

Years ago, a woman I worked with moved to Florida and we kept in touch and exchanged gifts. One year she sent me a necklace pendant made out of a piece of barnacle. I am a petite 5 feet tall and this piece of barnacle was at least 4 inches diameter. It was wrapped all around and over it with brass wire with red rhinestones affixed to it. It was the ugliest thing I have ever seen. I never wore it but kept it for several years and would show it to people. It was pretty unbelievable.

Also years ago, I was feeling stressed out at work and my brother gave me a box of vitamins for Christmas. Maybe if he had packaged it as a care package with a pretty mug and slippers it might have been OK. But it was just vitamins. At that time, my SIL would buy the presents for her family and my brother would buy the presents for his side. I still think my SIL should have said something to him.

Office grab bags---We used to pick names so people knew who they were buying for. One year I got a sweater de-fuzzer. I never wore sweaters to work. The next year everyone was opening nice gifts and I got one of those empty soda cans that moves and plays a crazy song when you walk by it. I was a 43 year old woman! After that, I stopped participating in the grab bag.

I confess that I have been the bad re-gifter and boy, did I get burned. Normally, I'm a thoughtful giver of gifts, paying attention all year long to hear clues about what a recipient might like. In this case, however, I used to receive a Chanel No. 5 gift from my uncle every year. I don't wear scented products. My sister-in-law loves Chanel No. 5. So, every year, I would re-wrap my uncle's gift to me and give it, among other things, to my SIL. Well, one year, I guess my uncle got creative and had my name engraved on the perfume holder. I never even opened the box...oops! My SIL was incensed. I explained that I picked all her gifts very carefully, but that I knew she loved Chanel and I didn't so that's why she received it. We stopped exchanging gifts after that year (which didn't break my heart.) ;-)

For 3 years straight I received the exact same Christmas throw from a very good friend. A couple years ago, at Christmas time, she was over and I was showing her something in my guest room. I had 2 of them at the end of the twin beds. She noticed and she laughed that she had given me 2. My granddaughter spoke up and said something like “where’s the other one grandma?”. My friend went pale and confessed that she had purchased a bunch of the same thing at a big sale at the base BX. She still had some in her gift closet. We decided then and there not to exchange gifts anymore.

That is crazy that your SIL was incensed, Fun! I couldn’t imagine feeling any emotion other than humor in that situation! I mean, good grief...it’s a bottle of perfume! It’s not like you gave her a bag of poo, lol!

^^ Although ... is it too late to do just that? ;-D

I love these stories! I just imagine everyone’s expressions. :D

Also, I think we all know the same people!

@maddielee, that's so funny. I've always kept lists so I know what I give each person.

@User, the cessation of exchanging gifts was a positive enough, though unintended, outcome...no poo required. :-)

Thanks for the laugh, Ida! All too true, and I think I probably was the recipient of a regifted candle last year. I swore I would never re-gift a long time ago, so that ugly candle went into the donation box.

I love all the funny stories. An old and dear friend received the gift from hexx a long time ago. She had recently re-married after several years single. She was excited about the gifts she had bought her new husband and what he might have bought for her. I knew him pretty well too and couldn’t wait to hear what he had bought her. After we returned to work I asked her what she got from him. The funniest look came over her face, and she said ‘a dozen pair of hose’. I said, that’s it? Yep. This was before everyone wore panty hose much, so how he thought this was an even an appropriate gift is still beyond me. They were divorced within 6 months. We now laugh about it.

That video was a riot. I have both given and received the "one true candle."

I have a friend who prides herself on her gift choices, but though I can see the thought that went into her gifts to me, they still somehow manage to miss the mark. For example, I sing in a couple choirs, so she will give me music themed knick-knacks--ignoring the fact (or unaware of it) that I have a small house and don't like or display knick-knacks.

One year she hand painted a wine glass for me with various images relating to my various hobbies. So obviously a gift that she put both time an thought into. But it is HUGE, easily twice the size of any normal wine glass. I would not have hesitated to donate it, despite the personalization, except...she also painted my name around the base. So I decided that I would use it all the time, figuring that eventually it would break. No dice. I've knocked the darn thing off the counter into the sink, and it hasn't broken yet. I have never owned such a sturdy glass. I guess I am stuck with it.

So funny, the video and the stories.

My sister used to work in a rehab center. Departments would give gift baskets to each other. They soon realized that the SAME gift baskets were saved passed around the following year.

Recent regifting story. My SIL's boyfriend passed away last spring. We were talking about what she could get my DH (her brother) for Christmas. I mentioned gloves. She said, "Oh, I have a pair that were supposed to be for M! (the deceased boyfriend). I said, "Okay......but please don't mention this to DH." I know my DH and I know this would bother him, getting a gift meant for someone else, and someone who has passed away.

Instead of saying thanks for the heads up, I won't mention it, or I wouldn't think of mentioning it, she began annoyed with me. Knowing her she felt it was perfectly acceptable to give a gift for Christmas and announce who it was really for.

Another favorite bad gift, all from the same person, was a pre-boxed dress shirt and tie set for my husband. The dark purple shirt (her favorite color, not his) was 100% polyester and the plastic box had a cut out so you could feel the material. Classy. It was also the wrong size but she said I couldn’t find your size so I just got you this, you can return it. Thanks, now we have an errand - the gift that keeps giving, I guess. When I returned it, $22 was put on a gift card at a store where we don’t shop. Months later, I used the gift card to buy HER birthday gift. So in the end, the gift did bring me joy.

The funniest part was one of my sisters saw the gift set and called it “your first court appearance” gift set.

Another year, she bought just a tie and said I know it’s not a long tie (that he requires because of his height) but I wanted to buy you a tie. I just gave, not regifted, that to my brother, I wasn’t up for another errand.

I'm so glad I finally opened this thread (I'd bypassed it thinking it was a sappy holiday theme). Loved the video (and the next two on rotation after it, as well).

Is it just me, or do some of your friends/family actually like those candles? My daughters are always trying to get me to buy them smelly candles. At least my oldest wants handcrafted natural scented ones, but my youngest will pull them off the shelf at Walmart begging me to buy one for her. They would be thrilled to get the peach candle in a gift exchange. I don't get it (but I may be biased since, as you may remember, we had to restore our entire home top to bottom after a house fire caused by a gifted Christmas candle).

Funniest gift story for us was when we arrived at my grandnephews 4th birthday party and I bent down to wish him a happy birthday my eye fell on the unusual necklace he was wearing. I asked about it and reached out to examine it further, his mother (my niece) spoke up quickly before I actually touched it (bless her soul), to explain that it was a dried turtle's foot on a genuine leather thong that his grandma had made special for him. We looked at each other our eyes wide and then had to turn away or we'd have both lost it. My sister (Jack's grandma) is what you could call a genuine character. To be fair, I think the kid loved it.

I do like scented candles and right now have Bath & Body Works Snickerdoodle going, which smells delicious to me. I even gave a new Snickerdoodle candle to someone recently, but then had to send her the link to the SNL video. She thought it was hilarious too. (And we then had a good laugh over SNL's "Dick in a Box." You've seen that one, right?)

Ida, I saw the Justin Timberlake one years ago and couldn't stop laughing. I haven’t seen it in a while so will have to google it and watch again.

Speaking of SNL skits, last night‘s NATO skit was pretty funny.