Maybe you can open gifts after dinner when all the guests leave. Open your gift and say, "Oh thank you skid!" Then give him an obvious wink and loudly whisper, "I know its from your father but the gesture is nice." Then tell skid what you want for next year and make it something really extravagent.

Why do you need to address skid about this issue?

The person doing the purchasing is living under your very roof.

Tell him to stop it and let SS23 be responsible for his own purchases, and thus his own image, which is what your DH is trying to bolster. Tell him you won't be thanking SS23, you will turn to DH and say "thank you for purchasing this gift allegedly from SS23."

I would take that gift and toss it.
Hide it somewhere like under the bed.
Or in the trunk of your car.
When it's time to open gifts that one will be MIA.
LOL
Bet son of H won't even notice coz he had nothing to do with purchasing.
}:)

I think DH is covering for his DS's inadequacies as a human being with any consideration for other people. He is trying to make up for his own parental inadequacies too.
I think you need to be straight with DH- I would be tempted to say that he should give the gift to a local charity,and he either do this himself or you will. Otherwise Still learning has the solution.

I would just thank stepkid and move on.

This isn’t worth the worry. If your husband wants to set up the pretense that stepkid gives you gifts just play along. You get what you want and your husband gets to think he is helping you and stepkid to bond. It is not worth fussing over. Eventually stepkid will either get you a gift from himself or your husband will get fed up of playing this game. Either way it doesn’t really affect you.

I am sensitive about gifts because I never got anything I wanted from my parents when I was young, my mother always spent the tiniest amount of money possible, or gave me something she'd had in the bottom of a cupboard for 20 years. Hence I am not able to brush off such things as maybe others might.

I told my DH years ago that he wasn't to prompt SDs or buy stuff on their behalf for me. I would rather have nothing from them. Personally, in your situation, I would tell DH outright that you do not ever want him to do this again and to please desist from buying you gifts on behalf of his son.

I agree that if this is bothering you, and it would bother me too, that it needs to be addressed with your DH. Yet, you already know that he will get upset by you calling him out on this. I am afraid there is no way to account for, or control, your DH's reaction. All you can do is communicate your truth clearly.

I know you don't want an upset but this is the sticky part of any situation, not just skid related. It boils down to letting it go on and keeping yourself fired up over it or telling the truth and setting things right. You have nothing to feel bad about when telling the truth about this. There is nothing to defend.

Ask him why he feels the need to present these gifts on SS's behalf. The why part matters. Ask him if SS does not want to buy the gift himself. Get to the heart of the matter with little emotion, keeping it all low key. If your DH gets irate then this is his issue that needs work.

Again, I know you don't want this bad scene but it may have to happen for this pseudo gift giving to stop. That is what you have said you want. You yourself do not have to be a part of this argument though. Let DH go steam by himself. For me, I needed to do this a few times over some things like this and my DH learned that I want the truth, I can communicate without anger, HE can communicate without anger, communication greatly improved. It must start somewhere.

Let it go until after the holidays, then discuss it with DH.

My DH is disabled and was having SD56 do shopping for me (2 years) both Christmas and my birthday, which is close to Christmas. I was ok with it, because I understood DH's difficulty in not being able to go out to do the shopping. Then came the gifts.

They were cheap jewelry which fell apart in less than 90 days. She would throw them in a bag, no tissue paper, no bows, no card, and leave the price tags on them, $19.95, $22.95, price range. Keep in mind, my DH always pays in cash, so I don't know how much cash he was handing her to buy. He is generous with me usually.

I loved the, fake, pearl necklace that came unglued in three days, with a price tag of $14.95 on the bottom of the box. I was furious, but didn't say a word, until it fell apart. I then took it to DH and showed him that it fell apart and the price tag on the bottom of the box.

I ask him; "Please never have SD56 buy me another gift. I realize you cannot shop for me, but I would rather not have a gift at all, then to have her buy for me." My DH was shocked and had not word to add. He was hurt that SD had done this, but didn't comment, of course. DH has not had SD56 shop for me again. DH goes with me, on a day out, and has me pick out something I like and he wraps it. I know it's not a surprise, but it's better than the insult I was receiving from SD56.

Have a talk with your DH about how it makes you feel to receive these gifts. I was gentle with the conversation, but it stopped the embarrassment of receiving these gifts that my DH would have never bought for me to begin with. My DH is frugal, but he has never skimped where I am concerned. He is very good about buying nice things for me.

It's not the price tag, it's the thought, I know. But gift giving should be sincere, no matter.

P.S. I am getting a small TV for my woman's cave this year; with Dish service paid every month. I love it!

(((hugs)))

What does your skid say when you open the gift supposedly from him and you say thank-you?

Regift the gifts “skid” gets you the following year. Lol

Don't thank him.

Ask questions as if you're interested....

Wow, where did you get this?
Wow, this must have set you back...
Did you look at any others?

Do NOT say thank you. Say anything that makes you appear grateful, but that will make skidutter something about how he doesn't know, dad got it.

Turn to dh...and say awww say you honey, you always get me the beat gifts.

I would sit DH down AFTER Christmas and just tell him that you would rather he not do that anymore. Tell him that you are great with SS not getting you a gift and it is more embarrassing to yo,u to have to unwrap a gift with everyone knowing it is really not from SS. Tell him it makes you very uncomfortable and you don't like going through it every year.