Best and Worst Presents You've Received?

[Matryeshka]

I don't mind getting regifts or free-for-the-giver, so long as it's appropriate for me and not used.

What I do object to is when I give someone a gift, like my best friend and I gave her an expensive coffee maker for her wedding..which was on her list. She gave it to me for my birthday and was shocked that I remembered that I gave it to her. SHE WROTE ME A THANK-YOU CARD. It was on my kitchen bulletin board! I spent $130 and I was in graduate school; of COURSE I remembered that I gave her something really expensive. In my graduate program, if we accepted the scholarship, one of the provisions was that we couldn't get a job beyond the penty-ante stipend we received for doing all of the professors' work. I saved for almost a year to be able to afford it and sold back books I intended to keep. I was sooo proud of myself that I'd saved and was able to buy it for her.

She never did anything like that again after she made the mistake of asking what I thought.

Then there was my sister who bought me these expensive, gaudy bee earrings. My lobes are small, and the earrings were so big I couldn't wear them. They hurt. Normally, that would just be a swing and a miss; I do love unique earrings. But about a month before then, I discovered I was deathly allergic to bees. My mother kind of said, oh what an interesting choice, to which my sister said, "oh, didn't you say she collected bees now?" My mom said, "no, I told you she was in the hospital because she was stung by bees."

But the person who takes the cake is my sister in law. She was a PE teacher, so I always got what was clearly her teacher gifts. I thought about giving her *my* teacher gifts, but the years it was the worst, I taught at a magnet school and got some damn good gifts. The worst of the worst was when she gave me slightly used foot pedicure set--I got one of those every year. But what was even WORSE about the slightly used was it was personalized--the bottle said "Ms. ___, Best PE Teacher!" She didn't even NOTICE until my brother--her husband, said something. Clearly, he had nothing to do with shopping.

My best present ever was this gorgeous, heavy silver hour glass from my parents. The sand was this silvery white, and shimmery, but it did not have glitter in it. It was beautiful, and unexpected. It was one of those things that I didn't know I wanted an hourglass, but once I saw it...IT WAS MY PREEECIIIOUSSSS.

The other was the year my parents gave in and bought my tickets for Skate America and gave me a portion for the plane ride. It wasn't an original gift,e xactly, but my parents are very adament--dad in particular--that gifts are things you buy and wrap and open, whether you want it or not! Besides seeing skating, it was one of the few years where they gave me what I actually wanted rather than what they wanted to give me or think that I should want. I'm working on them for Nationals.

On the whole though, I've been very lucky in gifting. Some of the stories here are

[Kruss]

Well, actually....from what I hear about what happens immediately after the baby is born....your sister probably needed them....(those who have given birth feel free to correct me)

True, but that is something to give in a less formal atmosphere. "Hey, I was at Sam's and thought you could use this, so I stopped by to drop it off." But wrapped with a bow and requested to open at a party while everyone else looked on? It was just weird.

[leesaleesa]

I don't mind getting regifts or free-for-the-giver, so long as it's appropriate for me and not used.

Back in the early '00s, animal prints were popular where I live. A friend was very into them and would ask why I didn't wear them-I remember telling her numerous times i didn't care for them at all.

I saw a very nice animal print blouse at Express and got it for her. She not only wore it on at least five or more occcasions, she regifted it to me in 2004-Used and unwanted.

She had her kitchen redone a few years ago, and I remember sitting at the new island idly wondering why the wine rack was put over the stove, and that the big blue wine bottle was really dusty. Guess who ended up with the hastily dusted bottle. Oh, and it was pretty much vinegar by that time.

Another friend was feeling pretty down, so I found this very nice little sterling pendant with a heart and inscription on it. Not only did she toss it on a side table with an offhand "thanks", she has never bothered to wear it. She often turns up in cheap costume jewelry, but never the little silver pendant. I wish she would regift it to me.

[Scintillation]

This isn't nearly as bad as some of the stories here, but this ticked me off this past Christmas...my sister has been struggling these past few years but loves her some nice skincare products, so I thought I'd be nice and get her a good cleanser and lotion. She returned them and got perfume instead, then told me she had some skincare already that she liked. Okay, fine.
Turned out she dropped $200 on Genefique, then came back to me like a month later and said she couldn't spend that much again, and could I get her those products I got her for Christmas again...?

[Rob]

My grandmother gave me the same set of books every year for several years running. It was a 4-book set about a girl detective named Robin (my name). She knew I read Nancy Drews and Dana Sisters detective books so it was actually a thoughtful gift except for the fact that she would forget every year that she already gave them to me, and she'd send them to me again. So she was thoughful and forgetful all at the same time. And my mother and I made it into a fun tradition of pretending to not know what was in the box and acting all surprised each time. Plus, my school library got all the extra sets so all the young girls read them.

I have a friend who gives unusual gifts, but the strangest thing she has ever given me was a small fake Xmas tree with lights strung on it with small "centerpiece" Robins all over it. It did require some thought --I know she made it because the Robins were from the centerpieces at a banquet she threw for a charity, and she was really proud of her idea. I put it out every Xmas in case she comes over, but the Robins fall off so they have wound up all over my attic.

My dad once made a big deal about what he was getting my mother for Christmas and hinted that it had a motor. She was driving an old unreliable car, so she thought he was getting her a new car. He got her a ride-on lawnmower. She still talks about that and she's 88, plus he's been dead for 38 years. Did I mention that mowing the lawn was his household task, not hers?

My husband makes me furniture for Xmas and I am never disappointed. He makes beautiful stuff.

[Wiery]

Truly amazing-thank you for sharing these personal and often stories!

My husband got me a new dishwasher for my birthday this year-I asked him if he would put it in my closet since it's mine, mine, mine!!!!

P.S. I got him a new vacuum cleaner for Christmas.

[victoriajh]

my hubby got me some really nice tiffany earings- all on his own accord! ( i was most impressed) my dad however once bought my daughter a baby bracelet in scotland - it is gorgreous and i love that he did that for his grandaughter- best gift ever and it was not even for me!!
my MIL never buys me anything (she did not give us a wedding gift even) but once she bought be these bags that you are supposed to use to organise your car items (????) as a christmas gift.... yeah, um thanks

[skatesindreams]

My grandfather was a piece of work but he was loving in his way. My fondest memory of him was when we were at their house the summer I turned 14 and I was in an incredibly awkward stage with thick glasses, braces, and bad hair. He came in the house one morning with a red rose cut from his garden and presented it to me and said that he did it so I would always remember that my grandpa was the first man to give me a rose. I will always remember that. So I guess that is the best gift I've ever been given

That's a memory to cherish, PDilemma!