Thursday, December 4, 2008

The Floor is Open...What's Your Worst?


Since we're all decorating (and photographing for the Gumbo Writer's contest...right?) our Christmas trees and thinking about what we'll get all the special people on our lists this year, I have a burning desire to know the worst gift YOU ever got.

Was it a mod wide tie sorta like the one pictured above? A dollar store hard-as-a-rock nasty fruitcake? A re-gifted item totally unlike anything you might desire or want, with the price or gift tag with someone else's name left on it? Something befitting a 3-year-old? Something so ugly and horrific you didn't know whether to laugh or cry?

Spill the beans -- inquiring minds really do wanna know! I promise not to laugh (too loudly) when you reveal your worst Christmas gift ever. And since I'm all about turnabout being fair play, below you will feast your eyes upon not one but two (2) such items I received when I was in my late 30s; from the same person, just a few years apart. Item #1, the handy household helper, was not nearly so subdued in color. Rather, it was a bright (eye-blinding) puce green model and much larger in stature than the one pictured. Item #2 is an exact model down to the very brand name.



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34 comments:

Michelle H. said...

Um...um... you left me speechless with the frog, and the hair remover had me wincing in pain.

A worst gift? A bar of soap from my sister. She loves buying little novelty gifts and she found it in an exotic store near where she lives. Supposedly it came from Puerto Rico and it was very fragrant - very, very, VERY fragrant. So much so that it irritated my asthma when I opened the gift wrap.

Anonymous said...

The gifts that have come my way were all used. I have given some real stinkers in some long ago and far away places.
Oren

Angie Ledbetter said...

mlh, a gift to remember, for sure! hehe

Oren, somehow I just can't imagine that. I'll chalk it up to youth and ignorance. :)

Debbie said...

Yeah. You win. I did get a huge salad bowl on legs (like they use to do salads by the table in restaurants) once. I think I misplaced it.

Unknown said...

At the risk of sounding like a Pollyanna (is that how you spell it?), I've never received a surprise gift I hated. I've received gifts that didn't fit or that I didn't use, but I always appreciate that someone took the time to buy me something they thought I'd like. What I hate is when people ask me what I want, down to the smallest detail. It's like they don't want to go through the trouble to think about it.

My mother-in-law, (OK here's my rant)used to go so far as to tell people to go out and buy something for themselves and she'd repay us. Later, she'd even ask us to wrap it.Finally, I told her, just give me the money. At least the amount was a surprise because when I purchased my own gift I was always afraid of spending too much, and I could spend more time and got better bargains after Christmas.

Angie Ledbetter said...

LOL, Debbie. Maybe it walked off by itself?

Hey, Nannette! Glad you stopped by. I heart your MIL story. Funny you should mention that particular relative... :)

Janna Leadbetter said...

ROFL! The frog is great. :P

There has to be something, but nothing bad comes to mind. My family has always been great at gift-giving, so I've been fortunate.

I guess I could throw out there that one year my dad gave both my sister and me Kleenex AND toilet paper in bulk from the wholesale club. He was being silly, but it's become an annual tradition. We expect it under the tree now!

Anonymous said...

I have to say...the worse gift I received (but actually liked it because it was so ugly) was a hummingbird feeder made from a Kaluha bottle. I will have to post a pic of it when I get home on my blogspot...my husband just sat and laughed and refuses to let me hang it anywhere to this day.

WendyCinNYC said...

I love the frog! I'll take it.

My worst gift wasn't too bad in theory, but it was the timing and the giver that sort of blew it for me. On my very first wedding anniversary, romance in the air, my sweet little husband gave me...a cap. A baseball cap. That said "Friends" across the front. Because I liked the show "Friends."

Romantic.

Melissa Amateis said...

Oh.My.GOODNESS. Those are hilarious!!! Wow.

Let's see...worst gift. Ah, yes. My mother-in-law gave me one of those long, button-up-the front nightgowns that hits the floor, is made of flannel, and worn all over the world by grannies and old ladies. I was mortified.

Angie Ledbetter said...

Janna, gifts to make the Italian heart go pitter patter! :)

LOL, Ang. Can't wait to see the picture.

Wendy...I hear ya! "Friends." hehe. Reminds me of the year a person very close to me on her 25th anniv. got a bass boat. Yeah...about that....

Anonymous said...

Worse gift that kept on giving, giving and giving: I happened to mention to my husband the second year of our marriage; I liked candles. Simple, I like not LOVE candles!! (Too much, they give me a headache) On Christmas morn, yup, you guessed it, I opened not one but 122 packages of candles. CANDLE CANDLE CANDLE. I was none too pleased after opening the 5th package... And it still causes a small burn to this day,lol!! It was the idea he put no thought behind it--just went to a candle flea market of some sort...

Jessica Nelson said...

The frog is kinda cute. :-) But the hair thing? Wayyyyy too personal. LOL

Let's see. I think a relative gave me some sort of fast food toy for Christmas once. It wasn't my only gift from her but I remember it the most clearly. Like she wanted to get me a pile of stuff so she just tossed it in. I really, to this day, have no clue what she was thinking.

Angie Ledbetter said...

LOL, Kimmi. Whatcha gonna do with these men?

Jessica, there's just no accounting for taste sometimes. :)

Suldog said...

Serious answer: I've never received a gift I didn't like. I love whatever anyone gives me because of the love behind the giving. I know that sounds all holier-than-thou, but it's true.

Rachel Burton said...

Is that frog a toilet brush holder?? Wow. A couple of years ago, my dad gave me something called an Inflate-a-Potty. It looked about how you'd expect it to, though much closer to the ground than a real toilet, and came complete with TWO squares of toilet paper, just to get you started I guess. In his defense, it was suppsoed to be a joke, but I shudder to think how much he paid for it!

Terri Tiffany said...

LOL!! Did you regift it at the next party you went to?
I once was given a tool box for Christmas and didn't know whether to be glad or cry. My husband was a carpenter then and I guess the inlaws thought I needed my own for projects in the house.

Amie said...

Is that frog a toilet brush? If so, I once received a frog toilet seat cover that would look SMASHING with it. But the worst Christmas gift I ever got was from a former boss (who, I might add, is Jewish)--a set of stacking red and green votive holders that spelled NOEL--and the L was broken.

Angie Ledbetter said...

Suldog, I couldn't agree more. As long as the good sentiment is there, it doesn't matter what's in the box. One of the very best gifts I ever got was from one of my kids when they were young. I was presented with "a box full of love." Oh, how his siblings have hounded him about that empty wrapped box, but I cherish it. :)

Why, Rachel, yes it is! But a mildly colored nice one that could almost blend into the background. Mine, however, was shocking puce and large enough to reach the top of the toilet tank from the floor. LOL Daddy sounds like a hoot!

Angie Ledbetter said...

Nooooo, Terri. I don't know what happened to it. Was your toolbox at least pretty? (hehe)

Dadgummit, Written. I'd love to send you the holder if only I could find it!!! Laughing at your NOEI votives. *grin*

Anonymous said...

I don't have one that can top the two you've posted. That frog is truly a beauty challenged gift.

My brother sends us cheese every year from a local business in his little town. The only complaint I have, because the cheese is an excellent cheese, is that there is no mystery to what we'll receive. It's a round of cheese every year.

I know, it pales in comparison to your frog and hair removal system.

Jenni James said...

Okay, so I know I'm TOTALLY selfish and crazy... but I can't stand the game Scrabble. I don't know why. It just drives me nuts. It always has. Well, my grandma got it for me for like 3-4 years in a row. The same game. My younger sisters got super cute earings and jewelry and stuff, but grandma had it stuck in her head that I loved scrabble! LOL! I never told her I didn't like it. And just last year (13 years later) I was able to hand over my last still wrapped scrabble game to a friend who's kids destroyed hers. LOL!

Angie Ledbetter said...

JyLnC, yeah, but who in your house.......cuts the cheese? (couldn't resist!)

LOL, giddy. Poor granny and the groundhog day Scrabble gifting. :)

Carrie Wilson Link said...

Nothing I've ever received can even compare!

Linda Hoye said...

Oh too funny.....!

My worst gift? A laundry basket. Don't ask.

Lori said...

Maybe if you used the hair removal tool on the frog....

Worst gift - a toss up between the burgundy striped velour-like furry shirt and the weed whacker I got for Mother's Day (both from the ex-husband; and yes, that explains the divorce to some extent).

Lori said...

Maybe if you used the hair removal tool on the frog....

Worst gift - a toss up between the burgundy striped velour-like furry shirt and the weed whacker I got for Mother's Day (both from the ex-husband; and yes, that explains the divorce to some extent).

Lori said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Angie Ledbetter said...

Carrie, I'm really glad about dat! :)

Dellene (love that name), and of course I don't mind if you play along. Me loves bloggy friends' commentary! Sorry 'bout your boxers & laundry stuff, tho. LOL

And you too, Linda. What's up with laundry baskets?? (Please don't tell me it was a MIL gift!)

Angie Ledbetter said...

L.O.L., Lori. Maybe I coulda tweezed out the toilet brush if I'd have thought of that! Oh my...on the weed whacker. Did you use it on the ex's bahonkus???

Unknown said...

LOL ... I think your worst gift trumps mine ... which was a broom. No kidding ... a broom! I'll say no more! :)

Small Footprints
http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com

Angie Ledbetter said...

Small, I can only imagine. May your stocking NOT hold household cleaning items this year! :)

Kathryn Magendie said...

LAUGHING!!!!

My first hb gave me a sheer pink genie outfit - itwas a 'nightie' but ...gawd it was awful - even he knew it was awful when I put it on - the salesgirl had talked him into it -- it went backto the store...laughing

Angie Ledbetter said...

Bet his sorry tail didn't get no three wishes neither. LOLLLLLL

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