Stupid Gifts

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Anonymous
Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
edited June 2014 in Life After Breast Cancer
I love H2B to pieces, but he has not always been on pointe when it comes to gift giving. For example, over the years he's given me:

2 Russian-style fur hats

a Korean typewriter

31 helium balloons for my 31st birthday (that WAS kinda cute, but they filled my entire bedroom)

A four-foot tall painting of an African fertility doll

And the kicker:
A massager with a long handle for Christmas this year because I was having problems with my back (sweet, but hard to store, y'know?)

Anyone else gotten some WTH? gifts from family/friends/partners?
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  • BMD
    BMD Member Posts: 1,492
    edited June 2007
    An old bf of mine once gave me the following on Christmas:

    A sewing machine, vacumn cleaner, set of pots and pans. Needless to say I did not marry him.
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  • Gus
    Gus Member Posts: 251
    edited June 2007
    My hubby knows that anything with a plug does not count as a gift, so he usually does pretty well. I did get a digital photo frame for Xmas that runs through a slideshow of my family photos. It is a lovely gift, but it sits on a table across from my computer that also runs through a slideshow of my family photos as a screensaver. I'm thinking he could have put the money for the frame towards some jewelry!

    Sue
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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2007
    My ex gave me a car vac for my b-day the last year we were together...hmmmmm wonder if he ever figured it out!!!!

    Jule
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  • BethNY
    BethNY Member Posts: 2,710
    edited March 2008
    years ago I wore a diamond heart pendant that belonged to my grandmother. I wore it every day, and never ever took it off. My then boyfriend, bought me a birthday present. We had been together for over 6 months, so there's no way he didn't know I wore a necklace every day.
    I opened the box, and it was a small diamond heart necklace. What was I to do? I felt bad, so I took my grandma's necklace off and pretended I liked his better.
    Funny, that my grandma's necklace sits in my jewelery box to this day, and I have no clue what ever happened to the one he got me.
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  • iodine
    iodine Member Posts: 4,289
    edited June 2007

    My dh gave me a Serrious (sp) radio set up for Christmas. I know he wanted one, but I still have no idea why he gave it to me. The wires go all over my car and there's even a thingy to have it in the house, too. Oh, well. Maybe the subscription will end someday.

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  • jasmine
    jasmine Member Posts: 1,286
    edited May 2008
    Brenda, if that sewing machine was a Bernina, I would worship the ground he walked on if it were me.
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  • mccarroll
    mccarroll Member Posts: 360
    edited June 2007
    Brenda, I'm with you on the Bernina. I've been sewing since I was 5 and my biggest complaint thru this mess has been the inability to SEW!! I got a Bernina 1230 for my 16th anniversary (16 years ago) and I still love it!

    Stupid gifts??? My MIL gave me paper napkins for my birthday one year. DH is very good .. no plugs (except the sewing machine).

    Karen
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  • jasmine
    jasmine Member Posts: 1,286
    edited May 2008

    Wow! Paper napkins....what was the reasoning on that one????

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  • mccarroll
    mccarroll Member Posts: 360
    edited June 2007
    They "matched" my lenox every day chinawear! I still laugh when I see them (yep, I never used them). This is the same MIL who came to "take care" of me during one of my AC tx and thought that since i wasn't throwing up, I was well. I got to wait on her for the week. Oh well, it only made me stronger!

    Karen
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  • sherloc
    sherloc Member Posts: 1,047
    edited June 2007

    Hubby bought me a ceiling fan for our first Christmas. He has since improved.

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  • lizws
    lizws Member Posts: 1,892
    edited June 2007

    My husband bought me an electric knife for my birthday one year.

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  • tflowers
    tflowers Member Posts: 442
    edited June 2007
    The first year we were togeather, mu hub bought me fishing boots!!! Next gift was a fishing pole that he lent out to a friend the next day and lost.

    So I bought him underwear and a tie (he's a house painter)
    Long time ago and the gifts have improved.
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  • badboob67
    badboob67 Member Posts: 2,780
    edited June 2007
    My DH rarely gives me gifts for any occasion. The Christmas a few years ago that occurred while he was having an affair with a coworker brought a "lovely" gift...Looney Tunes character pajamas 3 sizes too big. Pretty much told me what they were thinking about me.I cried all day that Christmas. After a separation and reconciliation, the following christmas he gave me a new wedding ring.

    Now, if we're talking about mothers in law, I could write a book. My DH's family is very strange about gift giving. Most of them treat it as though they are catalog shopping and expect you to provide them a list of your expectations. Usually, my mother in law uses gift giving occasions to express her passive aggressive hatred for me. I remember one year there was quite a fuss when I was nearly electrocuted by our toaster. My mother in law said she would like to buy a new one and enquired as to the make and model of the old one--supposedly to be sure to NOT purchase the same. Yup...happy anniversary to me...she must have gone to 15 different stores to find the exact model that nearly killed me. I used to feel badly about it and felt like an ingrate when I received these kinds of gifts from her. Now I just smile and thank her profusely...and chuck the gift in the trash. I realize it's the thought that counts, but usually the thought behind the MIL gifts is hostile! LOLOLOL

    I remember my mom telling me she knew that her marriage was over when my dad bought her a pair of plastic shoes (HUH?) for Christmas! HAH! She has since remarried and my stepdad is an awesome gift giver.
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  • Chattypatti
    Chattypatti Member Posts: 241
    edited June 2007
    My husband and I decided years ago not to buy each other gifts anymore....just sentimental cards with a handwritten love note for each occasion. Sure cuts down on those (What waas he thinking?" gifts!! (LOL)
    Patti
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  • gwenn
    gwenn Member Posts: 106
    edited June 2007
    Over the years with my boyfriend Ive gotten good and bad gifts. But I come to love them over time. For example one year I got a tool box with tools. I opened it up and was like ?????? I asked why he gave me the tools. He told me that I was a single mother of a girl and that he thought over time I would want to show my daughter that I could hang pictures and do projects without asking him for help. I actually thought this was rather thoughtful of him given that I have an "I don't need your help" attitude. I did like the freedom that came with having my own tools.

    I got a dishwasher one year for christmas too. I was disappointed at the time but I do get a lot of use out of it.

    When I met my BF I told him to never, ever buy me clothes. I usually had clothes that people pick out for me. One year I got an ugly, ugly sweater from a boyfriend. I wore it a couple of times and hoped that it was enough. But no. He would frequently ask where or why I was not wearing this glorious sweater that he bought me. YUCK.
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  • christineK
    christineK Member Posts: 1,265
    edited June 2007

    A long time ago, I had a BF that I had told, NO candy, I am diabetic and NO flowers, they will die (I was going for jewelry) Instead, I got a dozen red roses, with a yellow one dipped in dark and white chocolate with a card that said "Your the one that stands out from the rest, cuz baby, you're the best" Not jewelry, but I couldn't be mad.

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  • iodine
    iodine Member Posts: 4,289
    edited June 2007

    Now, that boy does get points!!

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  • cbl
    cbl Member Posts: 123
    edited June 2007

    My husband often buys me things that I think are stupid until I actually use them - I wonder how he knew this was exactly the right gift. First time it was a sewing machine. I didn't know how to sew and never expressed any interest in sewing so why? I learned to use it and then learned to quilt a few years later. Now 16 years later I use that sewing machine everyday! Next was a boombox? why? Well of course it was so I could listen to books on tape or whatever I want while sitting in my sewing room using the sewing machine I didn't want or need! Most recently (but still several years ago) it was a digital camera. I didn't want a digital camera - I wanted a camera that took pictures I could hold in my hands and pass around and I certainly didn't want to sit at a computer any more than necessary. I use that camera a lot! I can take pictures of anything and everything I want and never worry about running out of or wasting film, I never worry if the picture came out and if I want to take a bunch of pictures my "blankets" (quilts made on the sewing machine I didn't want or need) I can do that without guilt. I have learned that if my husband buys me a gift I think is stupid I should be very cautious with it -- it is likely to become something I can't live without.

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  • Sandra1957
    Sandra1957 Member Posts: 1,701
    edited June 2007

    Has anybody ever received a bright, floral, BIG mu-mu?? He'll never do that one again. Oh the topper is I was only in my 30's when he gave it to me!!

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  • jasmine
    jasmine Member Posts: 1,286
    edited May 2008
    Lini -- I think a trip to Hawaii should have come with that...even if it was an afterthought you smacked into his head.
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  • Sandra1957
    Sandra1957 Member Posts: 1,701
    edited June 2007

    LOL!! I was so insulted that I probably wouldn't even have considered a vacation with him at the time.

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  • jasmine
    jasmine Member Posts: 1,286
    edited May 2008

    Who said he needed to go with you?! LOL

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2007
    Hmmm..I've enjoyed the plug in things DH has given me.

    I had three little girls and no dryer. He made a deal with Sears to deliver it when I wasn't home so it could be a surprise for Christmas. Well, they delivered it at the wrong time and I was home. LOL He was mad.

    I learned to sew (don't anymore). I had a sewing machine that I put on the table. That year he bought me one in a cabinet and surprised me! I loved it!

    I didn't have a microwave. One year he bought one and put it in the dining room and closed the doors. After all the presents were opened he and the girls led me to my gift so well hidden. I was thrilled.

    Perhaps I just didn't know any better. LOL However, we didn't have lots of money so I loved and need the items he gave me..well, maybe not needed.
    Shirley
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  • BMD
    BMD Member Posts: 1,492
    edited June 2007

    Sorry ladies. No nice sewing machine here. The old bf bought it out of a Fingerhut magazine. I think that is where he got all three gifts.

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  • ravdeb
    ravdeb Member Posts: 3,116
    edited June 2007
    I got a drip coffee maker years back and I really liked it (mine had stopped working and here in Israel, they are hard to find). An adult student I had at the time told me that was NOT romantic and he should be buying me other things. hmmmmmmm...now he only buys me jewelry. Brought me back a kind of necklace I'd never worn before (I'm small and this is big!) and my daughter looked at me and asked, "What was he thinking?" Turns out it looks not so bad on me!

    But..my cousin sent me shampoo when I was chemo...
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  • denisa
    denisa Member Posts: 160
    edited January 2022

    one christmas years ago my former husband gave me an ant farm.....

    and i have to say after i finished laughing, i actually appreciated it....



    denisa

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2007
    denisa..... rotflol!!!!!!!! Doghouse, for sure!

    Miss S
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  • 2up
    2up Member Posts: 1,358
    edited June 2007
    for my 35TH b'day, i got a jar of wrinkle cream and a dinner of kentucky fried chicken ............. of course the idiot manperson was having an affair at the time, but i thought that most men overcompensated when they were 'stepping out' lololol!

    now that we're separated (and he is broke) ......... i actually pay for my own gifts so that he looks good to our daughter ........... after 19 years of mostly retarded gifts, i'm finally getting things i actually want HA HA!!!!!!
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  • tflowers
    tflowers Member Posts: 442
    edited June 2007

    Jeez...I don't feel so bad about my green boots anymore.

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  • threadbear
    threadbear Member Posts: 50
    edited June 2007
    Ah, memories... Christmas of 1977. Been dating a guy for 3 years, and about 2 months before Christmas, he starts telling me that I will "love" what he got me for Christmas. And he kept telling me for 2 months how GREAT his present was. So, I bought him a couple of bookcases for the house he had recently purchased. And I couldn't help but think he was going to "pop the question". So, what was that "perfect" gift he bought me? A planter pole- a metal pole with hooks on it to hang plants on! (I was in to plants, but come on, it probably cost him $10.) I decided to give him one more chance, as my birthday was in February, but it was another stupid gift (I forgot what it was). So I decided that if the gifts he gave me bothered me this much, I must not REALLY love him,so I broke up with him a week later.

    And the next boyfriend wins the prize for being the "cheapest"- He invited a couple we knew over to his apartment to watch a movie with us. He provided drinks and potato chips, then when they left, he asked the guy for a couple of dollars to help pay for the snacks! I kid you not! I certainly could not see a future like that for me!
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