I was once discussing “unexpected” gifts with a friend when she recalled being intrigued by the unusual shape of a wedding gift from one of her close friends.
She couldn’t wait to return home from Honeymoon to discover the exciting contents.Finally, two weeks later, my friend and her new husband sat down to open the gifts they had received. Leaving what they thought was the best until last, they opened all the other gifts before turning their attention to the funny shaped gift that had intrigued them both so much. As they tore off the wrapper their faces dropped. The unusual wedding gift was actually a wind up hamster, complete with its own plastic ball!
It struck me then that we’ve all got “gift tales”, good, bad and sometimes funny. I started talking to friends and family and found that they were all eager to talk about gifts they’d received and were just as enthusiastic about good ones and bad ones. Here are some presents that got the thumbs down.
- Tacky ornaments
- Plastic bottle filled with sand and sporting a Santa cover (door stop)
- Getting the same kind of present from the same person over and over again
- Pair of woolen tartan knee socks
- Fold away executive “table tennis” table
- Cheap perfume or toiletries
- Dalmatian bathroom set complete with toilet roll holder, towel rail and soap dish (sorry no pictures)
- Clothes that don’t fit – or worse, horrible clothes that don’t fit!
- Cheap socks and underwear (often given to men � poor things!)
- Soap dressed up as rabbit
- Bathroom scales (what did they mean?)
- Inappropriate vouchers – Boots vouchers for a man, Marks and Spencer vouchers for teenagers
- Stuff that looks cheap – like a cheap ugly polyester tie
- Dashboard cleaner
- Set of blunt knifes as a romantic 21st Birthday present
- Viz annual (very adult content) for a 10 year old
- Second hand mixer (wedding gift)
- Domestic appliances from spouse/ partner
- Cheap thoughtless present from a close friend or relative.
Now you know what to avoid – just hope you didn’t buy the Dalmatian bathroom set or the soap dressed as a rabbit! I’ll post the “good” gifts shortly. In the mean time, please post your own bad gifts here!
