Not big on giving gag gifts but I’ve used these to box presents in and they definitely raise some eyebrows before opening. Prank Packs

lol can't think of anything. Never seen them before.

Jrb, those are good!

Lars they look far more to be a hindrance and danger than a help!

Those boxes are a riot. Wish I’d seen them sooner. No, I don’t get or give prank gifts. The world is already too full of useless junk.

I don't like gag gifts either. They go straight into the Goodwill bag. My sister sends stuff from the $1 store and then pays twice what she spent on postage. I've tried to be nice and hint that the gifts were not wanted. Finally I said last year to not send ANYTHING. Did she listen, of course not. She sends old DVDs of movies we have already seen or books we will never read. She is a control freak.

I guess if my sister cooked more, she would know what is practical and what is not. I'm sure she had reasonably good intentions, and she didn't have to give me anything at all. As I said, I do appreciate the thought.

I also wish I had seen those prank boxes before. I think I will have to stock up on some of those. They remind of Chindogu.

As a prank, I once wrapped my father's present in silk and sewed it shut. It took him quite a while to open it, but I knew he would have a pocket knife handy.

Jrb - Loved some of those Prank Packs. I wish some of them were real.

No, I don't give or get gag gifts, but those prank boxes are funny. I see Amaz*** has your claws and has lots of comments similar to yours-the reviews suggest using for a kids halloween costume or a gag gift. Sounds like a trip to Goodwill.

I have something similar, for 2 fingers and a thumb. I like it for certain purposes. It's good for smaller things, for lids, and for balancing when I have a larger silicone mitt or other kind of potholder on the other hand. The fact that yours look like lobster claws is amusing, but you just might find them to be useful.

Edit to add, I like my little one better than my husband does. My fingers are slenderer.

Not intended as gag gifts but I have received some strange gifts over the years from school Santa shops.

Not gag gifts but I try to give funny gifts that are useful. Example, the other night minion is CONSTANTLY (think every single time we speak) complaining about people using his ketchup or mayo that he leaves in the fridge at work. I get it,it irks me too but CONSTANTLY whining about it doesn't do anything. So this year, I bought him a box of ketchup packets and a box of mayo packets that he can keep locked up in his locker. No need to share or risk of doing so unwillingly. He laughed when he saw it but then of course found something wrong with it. He likes his ketchup COLD and so keeping it locked up it won't be chilled. I guess I gave him another gift. The opportunity to *itch about something, anything. Sometimes that's the best gift of all.

I wouldn't waste money on gag gifts like those mitt things you got though. I dont like getting stuff like that either. Like you said, if they were actually useful they would be nice. The way they are they just take of space.

Elery's family used to exchange gag gifts at Christmas, but no other gifts, it was part of the family Christmas party to see who could give the most outrageous gift. Many of the "favorites" were recycled for next year's party.

I do not give gag gifts, nor do I often receive them. I do occasionally use outrageous greeting cards, but only for specific people, like my good friend and ex boss. We do not exchange gifts, so I always shop for just the right card.

Those pot lifters do not look useful to me either, although maybe I could do something like lift the rack to my canner. I can see really burning myself with something that only covers a couple of fingers and a thumb.

My daughters are polar opposites when gift giving. My oldest is very practical and usually gets me a gift certificate to the local farm store to use for a new gate, a watering trough or a new halter for the horse. My youngest is very sentimental and will make something like a wall hanging or t-shirt with a heart felt slogan. It's not a gag gift but a person only has room for a certain number of wall hangings, the tshirts are better.

Merry Christmas anyway, no matter the gifts. I'd rather not exchange gifts at all and just spend the time with my family, cooking and eating, laughing and playing with the grandkids. I don't need anything else.

Tonight we'll be opening our books and chocolate. Elery's middle son and his family went to Iceland a year ago and learned about Jolobokaflod. The Christmas Book Flood. On Christmas Eve everyone exchanges their gifts, and it always includes books. The evening is spent reading and drinking hot chocolate. I like that idea a lot and am adopting it as a Christmas tradition promptly.

Annie

I don't care for gag gifts - the last one I received was something to do with fishing in the bathroom and promptly got trashed. I think it's more fun to do a white elephant/re-gifting something I don't use or set a small monetary limit ($10) and see what people come up with.

I don't give gag gifts, but if I receive a gift that I don't like, I would never say anything to the giver besides, "Thank you for thinking of me."

I have some of that type of pot holders and my husband prefers them. I don't.

Not really into gag gifts and I don't buy them.

:Gag gifts" are exactly why I drew the line about giving and receiving gifts, maybe twenty years ago. Wasted money, wasted time. Sorry, but I dislike the waste. Bake me some cookies or a cake, and I'm happy. I'll bake a treat for you, too.

We do a game with friends but it "white elephant gifts" you are not allowed to purchase anything! Only things you have in your house and do not want or use. It is so fun and always a variety of things, some good, some bad. But does not cost a dime.

I agree, don’t like gag gifts. They are not the same as a white elephant gift given at a workplace party.

we have a friend who gives gag gifts. I find them ridiculous, but my husband gets his feelings hurt.

this yr the gag gift givers gave us a jigsaw puzzles of a leg lamp from the movie a Christmas story, and then sent priority male a cute box with two radishes in it.

I don’t get it.

I have never cared for gag gifts. Of course we had those ridiculous gag gift exchanges at work at one time or another that we’re funny, as in who could out-outlandish the other for less than $5.

Lars, I am betting your sister didn’t have a clue how small those pinchers really were. Nor did she read any reviews.

On a gift exchange ($20 limit) at work (a College) a few years back, I drew our Maintenance Superintendent's name. Bought a book, "101 uses for Masking Tape". Examples were halarious and she loved it.

Maybe turn them into something else...some part of a piece of art?...drill holes in the bottom and use them as hanging pot planters...lol?

The British Royal Family exchanges gag gifts. Apparently the Queen wanted to take the pressure of finding the "perfect gift."

https://bestlifeonline.com/royals-gag-gifts/

No. I dislike gag gifts. I have never given one either.

You could have a ”white elephant” party. Bring something you don't need, there‘s a random exchange, and then trading. I brought a jewelry box that everyone wanted, it was actually quite nice. Someone else brought slippers that looked like poofy basketball shoes. I got them! Kept them! Apparently they’d been passed around at this party for a couple of years, but I actually wanted them for a Halloween costume, and later my kids wore them for Halloween, too. THEN I brought them back to the white elephant party!

You poor thang. I see that your into cooking....and....hence the gag gift. I agree, not fun! A cute apron, with a cute saying that's funny....at least would be usable. At least your sister didn't ask YOU for a million dollars after she gave YOU a silly gift....thinking you could take out a loan. Mine would have. ☺

I don‘t necessarily think it’s a gag gift. I’m seeing 4+ star average rating on Amazon, they can’t all be by the Grady Stiles family, so someone might legitimately have thought them fun and useful.

I used to like them, now I see them as wasteful - of both money and materials.

I'm going to try to use them - for pulling out oven racks, but I am afraid of burning myself, and so I will not use them for carrying pots or pans. I find them rather slippery, and that scares me a bit. It's impossible to grip anything with those claws.

My sister is so clueless when it comes to cooking that she might have thought that they would be useful. I don't fault her for that and will try to concentrate on anything positive that I can say. I sort of think she does consider them to be somewhat of a joke gift, as this is something that she likes. As I said, she has a different sense of humor from me.

My family and never given or received gag gifts; we just don't like them period. Lars, those pot pincers appear to be akin to the silicone ones for helping grasp the inner liner of an Instant Pot to pull it out.

Lars, I hope you don't feel pressure to try to use them just because they were given to you. We don't want you burning those skilled hands. I replaced a couple of oven mitts earlier this year when in Fred Meyer. They had a style where all four fingers go in and a place for the thumb but they are only wrist length. Great for lifting out that roaster or casserole, quickly slipping on when a lid had gotten hot and they don't take up nearly as much room in my stoveside drawer.

I'm not a fan of gag gifts, either purchasing or receiving. Years ago DHs sisters had a gag gift type party for a milestone birthday for him. Lots of flowers dyed black, t-shirts with rude lettering that he'd never wear, things that were purchased, wrapped, laughed at to be polite then tossed. How many over the hill coffee mugs does one household need ;0)

I have a set of these that were in my stocking a couple of years ago. I agree, pretty much useless. BUT--they are great for taking the hot inner pot out of my Instant Pot. Better than my regular hot mitts because they grip better. That's about all I use them for, but it's enough for me to keep them.

Lars.....What did you buy your sister?

foodonastump giving you a "like" for the Grady Stiles reference!

I bought my sister a set of Mexican Dominoes, plus some extra trains and the score cards. The set of dominoes that I bought did not have score cards, and I think she will need those. Of course she won't be able to use them this year 😞 but she can save them for when nieces visit her or when her stepchildren and their families visit. They all like to play games, and sometimes she will have quite a crowd playing games at one time. I remember playing Clue at her house with some of her stepchildren.

Four of years ago, I gave one of my nieces the Black Card Revoked Game, and she really liked it, but then she's very much into games. She and her husband beat me at that game. I wasn't sure whether she would really like it, and so it could have turned into a gag gift. I was also surprised that she beat me at the game.

I finally figured out a use for these pot pinchers - I can use them to hold king crab legs or claws when I am cracking them. Now I just have to get some king crab legs to try them out on!

Great idea, Lars! Maybe a thought for New Years Day?

For many years, at Christmas I gave my brother-in-law a 6 pack of beer and beef jerky. It started very tongue in cheek, but developed into a 6 pack of craft beer and gourmet jerky (yes, there is such a thing). Now I give him a good bottle of scotch. His favorite is Balvenie that has been aged in rum casks.

I always put socks in DSIL’s stocking. Aren’t socks the quintessential joke gift from MILs to SILs?

I grew up in a family that did gag gifts. You have to know your receiver. Ours were inexpensive like less than $5 or practical in a way like the bag zapper and six pack of beer for the redneck starter kit. I enjoy them.

I gave my family a few this year that had a practical side, but made a statement. Dh got a snarky tshirt about being old, but knowing a few things. One of my sons refused to give me any ideas of what he wanted last year, but loves flavored tea. I bought him an excessive amount of flavored tea in various flavors and brands. He worked his way through it this year. I bought him a couple more variety packs and some honey sticks. He gave me a jar of dill pickles because I usually give him a jar of those and they are a weird gift.