HotmailUsed socks, old candy: Holiday gift horrors
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When I think back, I have never been so glad to call someone an ex-boyfriend.
— Lara Martin, Arlington, Va.
My sister's new husband bought her a Wonderbra one year. It accidentally got thrown out with the wrapping-paper trash!
— Jo, Oak Creek, Wis.
My still-new husband bought me a secondhand, ratty, stained pair of maternity sweat pants when I was six months pregnant. The sweats weren't even gift-wrapped. They were still in a bag from the consignment store they were purchased from.
— Gina Anton, Billings, Mont.
Hi! Nothing says love quite like a box of Duraflame logs! I am completely serious! I had been dating this elegant, educated man for a year and had purchased presents for him, his children, parents and other family members for Christmas. I went all out. On Christmas Day he had me open one of three horrendous gifts — one being the case of Duraflame logs! I had told him I only wanted things for Christmas I could use! Believe me; he took me up on it! (I'm no longer seeing him)!
— Anne Marie Ross, Ocala, Fla.
My ex-husband gave me money one year for Christmas. I cried the entire day. To me, that one act really reflected just how far off-course our relationship had gone ... we divorced a couple of years later.
— Teresa, Charleston, W.Va.
I met my ex on New Year’s Eve. A group of his friends and family gathered at a cabin to celebrate and my sister, who was dating his friend, brought me along. My ex gave his sister this fleece zip-up body lounger blanket with holes for her head, feet and arms. When my birthday came along in May, I got one too. The bad part of it was he gave it to me in the package it was shipped in, the date on it was 12/19 — weeks before we even met!. Regifting at its best!
— Ka Murray, Chicago, Ill.
One year my sister-in-law's husband gave us all the same gift: a calendar book published by the oil company he worked for. The books, though unused, were all leftovers from the previous year!
—Kathleen, Roswell, Ga.
My father was not into Christmas and certainly didn't care much about getting or receiving gifts. One year he found an uneaten box of candy samplers that I'd given him three years before. He wrapped it up and gave it to me for Christmas. Knowing he was waiting for a reaction from me, I acted like I'd never seen it before.
—Anonymous
By this time, the candy was discolored and rancid. I kept it my freezer, re-wrapped it and gave it back to him (without a word) the following Christmas. Never saw it or heard about it again after that.
—Janice Mitchell. Bethlehem, Pa.
Office antics
Queen-size pantyhose from my husband’s female boss. And I am nowhere near a queen-size person.
— Becky, Moorhead, Minn.
When I was new at my former workplace the receptionist thought it would be hysterical to give me a plunger and a roll of toilet paper at the company Christmas lunch.
It was totally unexpected and beyond humiliating.
— William, Concord, N.H.
For Christmas, my male boss got me (a female) a bar of glycerin soap with a penguin embedded in it. I don't even like penguins. The soap was half-melted as well, as if it had been sitting in an attic or something. So, was he trying to tell me I stink? Or was he merely very bad at re-gifting?
—Anna
Gag-worthy gifts
I had a friend who just moved into a new home. I had a piece of pottery custom-made for this
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— Sally Manush, Godfrey, Ill.
A guest brought an opened, half-empty box of wine as a hostess gift that he had taken a "swig of," as he put it.
— Trish
I once received a worn and cracked hockey puck as a Christmas gift. I don't even like hockey! And even if I did, the puck was not usable. Receiving no gift at all would have been more festive than that.
— Elaine, Wash.
While opening my gift, my grandmother proudly announced to the family that my gift "didn't cost her a dime." As I waded through the sea of tarnished and tangled jewelry, she explained that she won it all playing "sweepstakes." This craptastic set included six (count 'em, 6!) angel on my shoulder pins.. It was the only Christmas gift I've received from my grandmother, ever. In hindsight, that's probably a good thing.
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Natalie, Waukesha, Wis.
My husband and I were both married before and have children from our previous marriages. His daughter at the age of 15 gave me for Christmas a box filled with: toilet paper, burnt cookies, a clothespin, broken toys, matches and dog food. She claimed it was a joke, but it brought me to tears on Christmas Day, a day that should have been filled with joy.
— Amy Kautz, Merrill, Wis.
12 HO scale boxcars from my husband. To make matters worse, he gave them to me in front of my father, who wasn't happy with the gift ether. And beyond that, I collect teddy bears and turtles.
—Merrie, Milton Freewater, Ore.
One year for Christmas, I received hair curlers with hair still wrapped around them.
—Nicole Anderson, Phoenix, Ariz.
I once received a half-used jar of Peanut Butter! Now I love peanut butter, but I'm pretty sure I can buy it at the store on my own. Half-used —seriously. Worst gift ever!
—Brendan, Portland, Ore.
For Christmas that year, I got a musical carousel with horses that moved up and down —something I would never have chosen for my home. But the kicker was the brass plate on the front that said: "To 'Ricky' and 'Lucy' on your wedding day"!
—Anonymous
Pigs feet from my brother in law one year.
—Anonymous
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