Bad Presents
This is a thread wherein we talk about specific stupid/lame presents we've received for occasions such as birthday or Christmas where you find yourself either immediately wondering in you can take it back, regift it to someone else, donate it or just chuck it away. You can also discuss presents that you hated at first but either it grew on you or you found a different use for, or one that you thought was okay at first but turned out to really suck.
I find that there are various people in my family that, despite my having a typed wish list as well as an Amazon Wish List, they have no clue about what sorts of things I might want.
I find that there are various people in my family that, despite my having a typed wish list as well as an Amazon Wish List, they have no clue about what sorts of things I might want.
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I think I'll go download a rom of Fantasia now.
No, not a hat, scarf, and pair of gloves each, one set between us.
Let me put this into further perspective:
- We are 19,20 and 22.
- These were the cheapest stuff you can get, (people from the UK will recognise the brand "thinsulate"...
- We got her a nice Bailey's glass set
The cheeky cheap old cow.
(I was heard his end of the conversation, then he filled me in on it)
Grandma: "Oh hi Andrew! I'm doing some christmas shopping, and I was wondering what I could get the boys for Christmas"
My Dad: "Oh thats nice. How much were you looking to spend?"
Grandma: "Oh no more than £5"
My Dad: "Oh ok. £5 each"
Grandma: "Oh no! £5 maximum"
My Dad: "......"
Grandma: "...."
My Dad: "Oh I guess you could get them some Hats, Scarfs and Gloves (implying each)"
Grandma: "oh okay then!"
I seriously wished she had never bothered. Better to get no present at all then be insulted!
(And I wouldn't have had to waste £12 on her present! >: /)
EDIT: She literally does this all the time. All. The. Time!
(And we always tell Dad to tell her not to bother. We don't like her very much, she is an aweful person)
One year she bought my little brother an Austin Powers figurine.
(Which was pretty cool, but my little bro was like 8 years old back then)
Another year she got him a Flash Gordon. A FLASH GORDON!
A few years ago, she got my older brother a Magic the Gathering Starter Set.
My older brother has ZERO patience. He is the sort of guy that plays Call of Duty religiously for god's sake!
And she grabbed a card game deck off the market, (even worse was that its an old one. Basically valueless both collection wise and competatively).
He didn't even open it. It was buried in the pile 'o' boxes next to the TV.
(I opened it for curiosities sake about a year ago, after playing some Duels of the Planeswalkers)#
EDIT: She is the ultimate present Troll.
Here's another one:
My mother hates After Eight mints, and for several years my grandmother decided out of all the chocolate to get her, she gets her After Eight mints.
She also sends people presents wrapped up in wrapping paper from old presents.
Sometimes in paper or bags the same person sent their present in to them the previous year! XD
God I hate that woman!
He liked cars.
No, actually, all he ever did was play with cars.
Maybe if he had it now, he'd like it, since he's currently into old cartoons, TV, and toys, but an Autistic person who is exclusively interested in cars, has ZERO interest in anything else.
(A cheap little car toy would have been a more useful present to him at the time)
Those toys are still up in loft though somewhere, still in their box.
Bet they aren't worth anything though sadly...
There's no need for that sort of talk here.
Yeah... not kidding.
Attachment not found.
BUT.
...Every year, my grandmother gives me one of the ugliest sweaters I've ever seen. This would be fine, but the things are also itchy, and have some weird thing or other sewn into them seemingly randomly that will poke at me and otherwise make the thing actually painful to wear. Now, THIS also wouldn't be too bad, but I'm generally expected to WEAR the thing for a solid day in her presence afterwards to show appreciation for the thing, which is....
I don't like to do that.
Now, I love my Grandma. She's amazing. Paranoid sometimes, and sometimes a bit too open about her sex life with Grandpa, but a wonderful woman all the same. I know she's trying to pick out something she thinks is nice, I just wish the end result of that wasn't an itchy, painful torture device that I'm stuck walking around in for several hours before getting rid of the thing.
I'm a strong believer in the notion it's the thought that counts, so often I just think about getting someone a present and then don't bother.
but nope.
My father earns... a lot. He's a great CEO of something-something big company, I don't wanna give names.
He owns a PC, two laptops, an iPad, 4 smartphones and he travels around the world on his own expenses, whenever he pleases.
He got me a $10 mens perfume-thing for Christmas... which he probably got from someone else and didn't like.
He topped the present with the usual: "Are you still wasting your life with those crappy movies of yours?"
...sad part, this is normal for me. I've gotten used to it.
But he asked it Romanian, so it sounded more like "Shmorgy smorgi?"
... Or is that Swedish?
...presents are deeply personal.
I hate receiving presents that mean nothing to me. I hate having them around me, I hate having to keep them in my small apartment for no apparent reason. They take my space away.
Thankfully, it seldom happens, and that is such a privilege. It is now about the 11th year where the present-giving among family follows rather strict rules. About 70% of all presents given to me and my siblings are Amazon wishlist presents. No bad stuff there. Then there's a percentage of munchables, which doesn't ever go wrong, and then there's almost always a flashlight from my stepdad of 14 years (or assorted other LED gadgets. I now have an impressive collection, but this year's mofo of a flashlight beat them all
Got a two-day longbow crafting course this year from my brother. He'll participate as well. Looking SO forward to this.
My Amazon wishlist is for family only and entirely off-limits for my friends (I expect more of them
As much as I'm in terror when I feel like I've chosen the wrong present, so much do I enjoy when I feel like I picked the right one. If I can pleasantly surprise the one I give a present to, I feel like I've personally crafted that item, wrote that book, composed that music, directed that movie, designed that game. If I can also watch the person while listening, watching, reading, playing and enjoying, I feel... ... fulfilled or what have you. Like, you know, Christmas.
Believe it or not, I don't really like romanian language. It's very hard to work with when you write lyrics.
Then again, once in a while, someone gets really inspired:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQbv1HS47qs
YES!
Three years ago, my bro started crying for real, of joy, when he opened his present and found Gimli's Axe from Lord of the Rings there. He wanted that thing for such a long time, hehe! Totally worth it!
And sometimes I do compose stuff for my friends/family... lately I had a blank-period in which I couldn't compose anything. At all.
Until three nights ago ^^ And it's a surprise for you guys.
Anyway, I agree it is definately the thought that is more important than the gift value. Which is great when you're a student with no money.
It's funny, because people have been calling English unfit for lyrics for centuries.
Huh? Oh, the topic is bad presents. I'm another guy who's hard to buy presents for, because if I want something and it's cheap, I go ahead and get it. If I want something and I haven't gotten it, that means it's too expensive for me to recommend as a potential gift. I think most of my gifts this year were edible, either goodies or restaurant gift cards, and that seems to have worked out.
I think the worst gift I've ever given was an oil filter for a car that I didn't need anymore, to someone with a similar model car. She said that was quite a surprise.