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OT - ThankLESS Thursday

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Submitted by Aniki-Moderator on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 10:29am

Yep, you read that right. I was talking with the neighbor last night and she was crabbing about the fact that her DIL returns every gift that she (and her hubby) buy for the grandkids. EVERY SINGLE ONE. She's ticked off because she spends a lot of time looking for age-appropriate, thoughtful gifts and feels like all of that time is wasted. Well, in truth, it IS wasted. So I suggested that, instead of buying actual gifts, she buys gift certificates to stores where DIL shops for the kids OR Visa/MC gift cards. "Damned if I never thought of that!!!" And that's why I'm here for ya, Barb. That's why I'm here. So you can crab to the right person. LOL!

There are 2 gifts which immediately come to mind...

  1. My BIl was going through an arty phase. Keep in mind... BIL has no artistic ability AT ALL. His "arty" phase was appreciating things which HE thought were bee-yoo-tee-full - and which most others found ug-uh-lee. For my 21st birthday, he handed me one of the most beautifully wrapped packages I had ever seen. It was obviously a professional wrap job and I carefully removed the bow and slowly peeled off the wrapping paper, removed the lid from the pretty box, took off the top layer of tissue paper to find...

    A small teacup attached to a matching saucer with some fake flowers stuck into the little square of green floral foam in the cup.
    Dash 1
    NOT my style, NOT my birthday flower. Not even a flower I liked. Gaaaaaah. But I sucked it up, worked up a big smile and said, "Oh, how lovely! Thank you!" I lucked out. You should have seen the wall hanging he gave my sister the following month...
     

  2. My ex fiance bought me a ceiling fan for my birthday. That's right. A ceiling fan. Nothing ornate about it. A plain-as-can-be, cheap white ceiling fan. Maybe it was to keep me from overheating while he waved around his turgid tallywhacker....

 

What is a gift you received for which you were THANKLESS?

Comments

DPW's picture

Submitted by DPW on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 10:35am

Oh, I've got you beat...

My ex bought me a laundry basket and soap as a birthday gift. He couldn't understand why I was upset. He thought because I complimented him on his durable laundry basket (as opposed to my flimsy one), he felt it fine to buy that for me for my birthday. Uh huh. 

classyNJ's picture

Submitted by classyNJ on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 11:00am

My first live in boyfriend bought me a vacuum and a suitcase LOL.  Returned the vacuum, kept the suitcase, packed and left. 

hereiam's picture

Submitted by hereiam on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 11:16am

Haha! This reminds me of the movie "White Palace" (Susan Sarandon and James Spader), when James Spader gave the not-so-tidy Susan Sarandon a dustbuster for her birthday. She told him to take that little m*ther f*cker home! I love that movie.

hereiam's picture

Submitted by hereiam on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 1:26pm

It's a keeper, it's got a lot of great lines (plus I love Susan Sarandon and James Spader).

Many years ago, when DH and I were first dating, I used a line from that movie on him. One day, he decided to watch it with me. So, I thought, okay, he won't really pay that much attention, nor will he remember the line. Boy, was I wrong. When Susan's character said the line that I stole, he just turned his head and looked me. It was so funny... and I was so busted! And, it was still true.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Submitted by Aniki-Moderator on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 1:32pm

OMG, your name is Nora and the ex is Janie!!! Wink

Hello, my name is Nora and you can all go fuck yourselves, I'm not Janie.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Submitted by Aniki-Moderator on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 11:20am

Giving a woman cleaning tools is such a BAD idea! Maybe if you've been in the relationship for some years and she expressly states that she wants the Dirt Sucker 9000. But she should still receive a LITTLE something personal. Like her fave lotion, some bath salts, or a pair of fuzzy socks for her eternally cold feet!

Cover1W's picture

Submitted by Cover1W on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 11:59am

DH gave me a Roomba for Xmas one year. I was speechless.  I think I said, "Really...?"  The lucky thing is he also got me some nice things and it was really for 'the household.' But it didn't go over well.

He also got me a set of new drinking glasses one year because our glasses were disappearing and we didn't have many left.  I was like, "Oh, great, drinking glasses because ours have disappeared.  Great. (sarc)."  And luckily he also got me other nice things.

Last year he got me a drill I really wanted though - THAT tool was a-ok because it's awesome and I really wanted it.

He saves himself pretty well overall.  Smile

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Submitted by Aniki-Moderator on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 12:33pm

Good grief! I think those things are fine IF YOU SPECIFICALLY ASKED for them. But UNASKED gifts for the household? SUCKAGE!!!

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Submitted by Aniki-Moderator on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 4:07pm

The first time my DH looked in MY toolbox, he oohed and aahed over my Stanley Antivibe Hammer. Can you guess what hammer he's been using for the last 8 years?

Exjuliemccoy's picture

Submitted by Exjuliemccoy on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 11:53am

I remember in my teen years, my stepdad once gave my mother a crock pot for Valentine's Day!  That did not go over well at all.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Submitted by Aniki-Moderator on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 12:36pm

Nooooo! Was he foolishly thinking she'd be ecstatic about planning romantic crockpot dinners for two?

Exjuliemccoy's picture

Submitted by Exjuliemccoy on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 1:37pm

I don't know Aniki, because thankfully they kept their adult stuff, you know, private. But it was chilly, very chilly, in our home for a few days.

I'm a practical girl, though. I like useful stuff, or experiences. DH has give me a commercial grade paint sprayer and a heavy duty, chain drive vacuum as V days gifts. But he better not forget our anniversary!

Exjuliemccoy's picture

Submitted by Exjuliemccoy on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 5:14pm

How many belt drive vacuums have we thrown away over the years? DH went on a quest to get me something I would love, and it just happens to be a vacuum. 

He also bought me a huge rock. It just happens to live in the swimming pool in the lovely back yard of our lovely home. I'd rather have real estate than jewelry any day.

advice.only2's picture

Submitted by advice.only2 on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 12:08pm

DH got me a steering wheel cover one year for Christmas. His reasoning was that the one in my car was shredding and this was a win/win (I get a new one and he got me an extra Christmas gift)

So the next year I got him a box of tampons and explained why it was a win/win. I need tampons every month and now he didn't have to worry about getting me some for my Christmas!!

He got the point!

classyNJ's picture

Submitted by classyNJ on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 12:31pm

My DH did get me a new front bumper one year for Christmas.  Mine was cracked and I hated driving my van.  That following year his oldest totalled it. 

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Submitted by Aniki-Moderator on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 12:39pm

That.Is.AWESOME!!!!!

While my DH is perfectly willing (and completely unembarassed) to buy me feminine products. he is a stickler about Christmas gifts being personal (he always buys me jewelry) and VD gifts being the traditional flowers and candy with some cute 'love" gifts, like that LOVE keychain or Be Mine stuffed animals.

CLove's picture

Submitted by CLove on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 12:28pm

ALthough she was wealthy, she used to walk around places and go through garbage and retrieve "things". So, 1. We all knew where our gifts came FROM 2. They were always either clothes or toys. Yuk. Just yuk! But we all hugged and thanked her and laughed later.

One year, I picked a bunch of flowers from her garden, as she still in her advanced age liked her garden. I left them on her doorstep, knocked, and hid. She was SO THRILLED Biggrin I never told her who it was. So this is the opposite of the topic, but there you go, theres always one in the bunch, right?

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Submitted by Aniki-Moderator on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 12:40pm

CLove, you also know how Great Gma became wealthy - she was...FRUGAL!

CLove's picture

Submitted by CLove on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 12:44pm

Now most of my clothes are resale (not under clothes) so I must have picked up some of that.

Exjuliemccoy's picture

Submitted by Exjuliemccoy on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 1:48pm

I can't remember the last time I paid full price for clothes. Too many great online consignment places where you can get high quality merch for less than the flimsy, low end stuff sold at Kohls.

lala-land's picture

Submitted by lala-land on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 1:32pm

My mom gave me a bright turquoise, acrylic, what I thought in the moment, handmade sweater for my 35th birthday.  But it had no sleeves and no front.  It turns out she went to a seniors craft sale and bought me a hospital shawl.  You know, to keep sick people warm in the hospital. I was speechless.  This was the first gift she had given me in 18 years and is certainly the most memorable.  Thankfully, she never bought me another gift again.

Thumper's picture

Submitted by Thumper on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 2:32pm

LOL...these are funny.

One year on Valentines Day (during the poor very poor years) my husband brought home for ME...a huge and I MEAN HUGE green stuffed frog. He thought it was the best thing ever. He was very proud of this..........wth lol

My now dead MIL would mail boxes of junk she had around her hoard. One of my favorite Christmas gifts to ME from her was a 1/2 bottle of used Avon Bubble Bath. The lid was wrapped in scotch tap. Of course she would call asking about her Magnificent gifts...Good Grief she always used the word Magnificent to describe her wonderfulness all the time. MAKE ME PUKE

To this day my stomach turns when anyone uses the word Magnificent.

She would also send drawings, Magnficent gifts she made all of which was worse than chicken scratch. THEN she would give us hand written instruction on how to duplicate her crap.

Followed up with yes,,,,,a phone call so SHE can ask if we loved her Magnificent shit.

She was a loon.

This is pre-cut her off years. Oh boyyyyy.

 

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Submitted by Aniki-Moderator on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 2:58pm

Oh my. A former coworker (we'll call her Marge) received a LOVELY anniversary gift from her loony MIL... A used electric skillet. And by used, I mean that the MIL had used the skillet to make a breakfast scramble, then put the skillet back in the box. Some months later, Marge received that gift in the mail. AT WORK. She opened the package and a nasty smell hit us all. When Marge pulled the skillet out of the box, the gagging began. You could tell there were old scrambled eggs and..,,STUFF in there. GREEN eggs. BLACK mold. SLIMY green stuff. It was, hands down, one of the most vile odors I've ever gagged over.

Thumper's picture

Submitted by Thumper on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 4:11pm

Ewwwww.

stuff like that is deliberate UNLESS the poor soul is diagnosed with dementia.

TrueNorth77's picture

Submitted by TrueNorth77 on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 4:15pm

I've gotten some doozies.

From an ex BF for Christmas- A ring! Which would have been great, except I had seen this ring in a cabinet by his bed almost a year prior to this, and knew for a fact it was his ex-girlfriend's ring. I assume she had given it back to him after they broke up. And he re-gifted it to me.  *beee* 

From my sister for Christmas- A Bill Clinton Bobble-head! Yes. I opened it and looked at it blankly and she said "I saw it and thought of you!". I have literally zero association with Bill Clinton, and have never so much as spoken his name in her presence. Pretty sure that was a re-gift also. I threw it out when I got home.

From another ex BF at Christmas- A case of oil! So he could change the oil in my car.....which he usually did anyways...

Last year from my Dad for Christmas-  A calendar that said "Mom on the Go", complete with stickers to mark events. Mind you, I have no kids of my own, and I'm not a mom. My SO and I laughed and laughed, but we hung it up anyway and by March we knew that we couldn't live without a Mom on the Go calendar ever again and it was in fact one of the greatest gifts ever. lol.

 

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Submitted by Aniki-Moderator on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 4:21pm

SG, when I saw "a case of oil", I immediately thought "Wow, an entire CASE of massage oil?? Woo hoo!". Only to read the next sentence. Damn, girl, no wonder they're EX boyfriends!

Mountains's picture

Submitted by Mountains on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 5:38pm

Yep, SD only gift to us was a wreath made of used shotgun shells which TSA kindly took off my hands when going through security. 

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Submitted by Aniki-Moderator on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 11:51pm

LMAO!

hereiam's picture

Submitted by hereiam on Thu, 02/21/2019 - 5:46pm

DH once bought me a bunch of gift cards because I told him I didn't want/need anything.

It really stressed me out because they were for a good amount of money and you hear about hidden fees and stuff and so I thought, "Do they expire? Is there a fee if I wait too long to use it all? Will this place go out of business before I use it?" And, it turns out, there was a fee on one if it was dormant for too long. So, I quick used those suckers up but it caused me some anxiety. He doesn't buy me gift cards, anymore.

He also likes to buy me stuff that HE thinks I want, because maybe I looked at it once at the store, or made a comment about a product during a commercial. I have to be very careful!