I know we all have received at least one gift this year that we really wish we hadn't. I've already mentioned my dear son who received an outfit that just wasn't in his taste. Other than that I think our kids did very well. In fact, they've been playing board games that they got for the last two days. Are they not the best kids ever? And it's not like they didn't get great things. They're just that grateful for every little thing.
My husband and I, though, took one for the team. My mom is really not that gifted at giving gifts. Bless her heart. The funny thing is, I'm not sure that she tries. In our early years of marriage Sam was gifted a cookie tray. With no cookies. He's not a gourmet chef, nor does he bake. You have to wonder at her line of thinking on this one. Or if she thought of Sam at all. It was almost like she forgot about him, saw that she got me two gifts, and labeled one to him. We still laugh about that one. She's since done better in the gift department when it comes to my dear husband. This was one of those years. Sort of.
We put in a patio two summers ago and have a fire pit that we use frequently. I'd mentioned to my mom that it would be nice to have a log ring to stack wood in right there on the patio, but we were having a hard time finding one. (Okay, remember that I'm cheap? Yard sales weren't yielding up what I desired.) So she gifted us a log ring for Christmas this year. Actually, she gave me the box, it was addressed to me, but as I was going to open it she said "it's actually Sam's gift." You know what I got? "I didn't get you anything because your birthday is next month and I got you something really nice for that." It's the thought that counts.
My husband and I have stopped gifting each other at the holidays. We're to the wonderfully romantic point in our lives that if we see something we want, we buy it. It's just that simple. So instead of spending yet more money at the holidays getting something just for the sake of getting something, we don't even go to the bother. And we're both happy with this. Others are having a hard time comprehending. But this year we're truly gifting each other something. We didn't get it yet, but after the first of the year we're getting each other gym memberships. Nothing says I Love You like "honey, you're really fat and you need to work out." But we both need it desperately and spending the money on a membership will be the incentive we need to get off our lazy, ever-growing rears and work out. Yes, indeed. It's the thought that counts.
So what gift did you get that you wish you hadn't? You can spill here in a safe environment. (My mom doesn't have a computer so I'm safe here as well.) Let us all in on some good, clean holiday fun.
11 comments:
Your Mom and my husband's Mom must be from the same school of thought. You already know about the dress, but -oh- there was more. The same woman who pestered us for lists over and over again apparently didn't bother to reference them at all. She hadn't shopped for my husband one bit, so she drug him to Target on Christmas Eve and told him to pick out his gift. As for me? I got exactly nothing from my list. Instead, I got random Christmas ornaments that don't even make sense if you've ever spoken to me for two seconds. I do believe she may have spent $75 on really ugly beaded figures and REALLY sentimental, religious-themed ornaments. They would be fine for, you know, someone else. Just not me. Alexis got some outfits that are so big she won't be able to wear them until she's five and a cream w/ pink roses velour ruffly sweatsuit that she thought was pajamas. It's so bad it won't even be used for that. The only winner in the bunch was a Cabbage Patch doll, but then again, the kid already had two of them.
I don't know who she was shopping for, but it wasn't us.
This year I did pretty well, but the worst gift I got was from my mom (parents). She cut back this year and only gave one gift to each of us. I got a candle stand. You know the big tall kind with the glass bowl. Actually, it's not a bad gift, its just that with Peanut, I don't know where to put it so it doesn't get broke and I don't really burn candles. It's in my bathroom.
But in the past, my MIL has given me some awful gifts. For a wedding shower present I got a recipe box with my husband and his siblings favorite recipes; I got an ugly purse one year for Christmas; a pie pan; one of those rain caps old ladies wear, you get the drift. But the one that bugged me the most was our wedding gift. We got married the year my husband graduated college. For a college gift they gave him the old car he had been driving. Since we got married that summer, it became our wedding gift as well. That one bugged me for years! But my MIL is a kind loving person and can be very generous, her gift giving just leaves a little to be desired.
I think we all did okay on gifts this year - though the $120 worth if iTunes gift cards that my in-laws gave me should last for the next 5 years (thank goodness there are some long distance birthdays coming-up - regifting it is!)
My husband and I do not exchange gifts as well, for the same reason as you and your husband - if we see something we want, we get it. The only exception to this rule is the Playboy calendar I get hubby every year to hang in his shop (a man can dream . . . I didn't look like that before babies, and I sure as heck am not going to look like it in this lifetime!)
Corgis don't have bent tails? How sad for you!! :-)
Good luck with the gym membership. John and were going to the gym religiously but then it became too much to get there - now we are purchasing a treadmill for home to go along with our elliptical machine.
Got a couple of doozy gifts this year but am SERIOUSLY too afraid to write about them. I have recently discovered that my family members read comments left on my blog then hop over and read those blogs (and the comments)
It's not safe to talk about these awful gifts ANYWHERE!! (I think I am being watched right now!)
Hallie :-)
This year I did pretty well on the gifts. I do remember one Christmas in particular that I was a little... OK? My step-mother-in-law, who always gave us lots of nice gifts, like nice pots and pans and TONS of things, gave me ONLY a basket of hair bows. Now, I don't mind just one gift, but I don't ever wear hair bows! I think she was mad at me, maybe because I returned the dress she got for my daughter because it was too small.
My husband and I DO exchange gifts. It's one of the few romantic things we still do. We try to get each other something we really want but have a hard time justifying buying. He got me martini glasses, Bath and Body Works, and Season 4 of 7th Heaven. I got him a subscription of Golf Digest magazine and ski boots. One year he surprised me with a cell phone that I said I didn't want because they're too expensive. He searched around and found one that cost $5.00 per month. Now I can't live without it!
BTW, I'm glad you post every day because I'm really enjoying reading it every day!
Usually the hubs and me don't exchange either, this year he bought for me and I didn't buy for him. Opps!
We didn't get any crazy gifts this year just mostly dupes for Hope and we can exchange those, yippee!!
We actually didn't get anything too bad this year. But it's typically my MIL. She will also ask what we want, but then not get it. Her biggest thing is not sending a gift receipt when she sends clothes for Gavin (and now Cooper). Sometimes the clothes don't fit well and by the time they do, it will be July and too hot to wear the sweatshirt and jeans. But one year she got me a turtleneck sweater set that had this whole cat theme. The black turtleneck had cat eyes and whiskers on the neck, the sweater had paw prints, cat sillouettes, "meow", and little fish outlines all over it. And it was gigantic. My MIL is about an inch taller and maybe 10 or 15 pounds heavier than me, but what she gave me could nearly fit my husband. So that went on eBay so I could get a little cash to get myself something else. We've finally just started asking our parents for gift cards to make it easy.
I wrote about my pearl earrings from my MIL on my blog ($3.85). It wasn't a bad gift, it's just that if you've ever met me you'd know right away I'm not a pearl earring kinda' girl.
My husband and I do not exchange gifts. If we see something we just buy it ourselves.
It was nice to see Luke wearing the jeans you made him. I assume he wears the shirt too, I just couldn't tell from the picture.
My husband and I also stopped exchanging gifts. It has something to do with our wedding anniversary being in January, though. We save our personal gift giving for then, since we receive gifts from other people at Christmas, and it really is more fun to shop for the kids at Christmas.
I had my own personal best Christmas this year, so no complaints there. Not even a gym membership. Hope you enjoy those workouts though!
My mother-in-law one year made us all matching flannel night shirts for Christmas. My shirt was huge, hung down to my ankles, and had a pretty pink bow, while my husband's barely reached his knees. After the laughter we figured that she had sewn the pink ribbon on the wrong shirt by mistake!
BTW, I love that you got all those Christmas trees! We have four, the biggest (almost 10 feet tall) is in our family room. As much as we loved a real tree, it sure does make it easier with the artificial ones! (Also, living in the south, the real trees were just not lasting...by Christmas morning they would be RAINING needles!) God bless!
Mr. Farklepants and I didn't exchange gifts this year either in lieu of a couch. And we are also at that romantic point where we buy our ownselves whatever we want when we want it. I didn't get any questionable gifts this year (or I should say so far because there is still one person who will be dropping by in the next couple of days) but one year this same person, a certain older female in-law gave me a ceramic bust of Lucille Ball. It had an "accident" when we got new carpet 7 years ago.
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