At last...my MIL Christmas Gift Thread, 2009 version

[donnajon]

I was talking with a balloon artist several months ago and he said his 13 year old dd made $50 an hour making balloon animals! He also said he has a friend who was a lawyer but quit because he made more money making balloon animals at corporate parties. I later heard a story on the radio about a guy who used to be a lawyer but quit to make balloon art. He made a forture. Must have been the same guy. They said he could make life sized Harleys! So, tell your son to practice!!!!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Hurrah!! Do you think we could get a photo of your husband wearing his shirt and beret, while your daughter paints starry night and the whole family is surrounded by balloon animals in the shape of fish mating?

Pictures! We want pictures!

 

[dislaney]

Add me to the list of people who want a pic of your DH in the Gondolier shirt and beret! I must also see this mating fish statue...

Add me to the list too.

 

[olena]

Sorry for the delay everyone, but as I posted before, my mother in law went on a cruise in mid-December, so we did not get together with her until the weekend of December 19th, and then I had surgery on the 21st. I am finally somewhat back to normal (whatever THAT is!) and ready to post this year's gems.

I have to say, the gifts this year were not quite as bad as in year's past, but they still left us scratching our heads and saying "huh?". Here goes...

My 14 year old daughter got a set of hand-painted ceramic trivets (at least I think they are trivets) with the word "Burmuda" painted on them. My guess is that she bought them on her recent cruise which stopped in Bermuda. What I couldn't figure out is why the local craftsman couldn't spell the name of his/her own country correctly. However, once she turned them over the reason became apparent. They said "Made in Taiwan". I guess what the most confusing part of this gift is why a teenage girl would need trivets. She also got a ceramic gingerbread man about 8-10 inches tall. Not sure what she is supposed to do with that.

My poor 17 year old son may have won the prize again this year. I always look forward to his gifts in particular because he always seems to get the most bizarre ones. I thought NOTHING could beat the animal noses and tails, or the roll of bible coloring pages but this is a contender. He had 3 small packages this year. The first one was some kind of hand air pump. I thought it might be something you would use to pump up a football or volleyball. Not THAT bad, right? But then he opened up the other ones. One was a bag of 100 assorted balloons and the other one was a book on how to make balloon animals. I guess she thinks that most 17 year old boys like to sit around and make balloon animals with their friends. He has started to look at colleges, and I guess if the whole engineering thing at Purdue doesn't work out he can always go to Clown College.

My 20 year old daughter is a psychology and art history major in college, which I guess inspired her gift this year. It is a "Paint Like the Masters" paint by number version of Van Gogh's "Starry Night". I am guessing that she thought my daughter would have lots of time to spend creating that magical masterpiece. She also got some hideous goldtone earrings with ice skating penguins on them. This is not the first time she has gotten penguin jewelry, and something tells me it probably isn't the last,

My husband's gift was pretty darn amusing as well. Somewhere, somehow, she found him a striped Gondolier shirt and a beret! LMAO If you knew my husband you would be just as amused as I am! He is about as conservative as you can get, and the thought of him wearing that striped shirt, let alone a BERET has me in hysterics!

As for me, I'm not quite sure what she was thinking when she purchased my gifts. One was a book called "African Gods Contemporary Rituals and Beliefs". I have nothing against African Gods, but honestly I have never expressed any interest in them at ALL. I'm not quite sure where that came from. She also gave me a bag of 100 straws, THREE small cosmetic bags, all of which look like they were the free gift with purchase items and perhaps the most interesting thing of all, a statue that, quite honestly, looks like two fish mating. I've never seen anything quite like it.

Well, that's it for this year. I hope you all had a great holiday, and may you all have a healthy, happy New Year!

Hope you are recovering well from your surgery and I'm so glad to see this thread this year!

Can you post a picture of the fish statue? A photo of your DH in the shirt and beret is probably never gonna happen, but it would be priceless...

 

[Wall-E1]

And strangely enough, these crazy gifts bring joy to you and all of us. So, in a way, even though your mother in law is not of sound mind and body, she can pick out the perfect gift to put a smile on all of our faces.

 

[IDoDis]

Thanks your sharing your wonderful "treasures."

My DH would have actually loved the balloons and air pump. He makes these each year for the school carnival. However, he's learned that the kids prefer crazy balloon hats over balloon animals.

The one missing touch in your threads are some photos. Would LOVE to see the gifts displayed in all of their glory.

 

[kamikazecat]

I am so glad you came back and posted this year. Someone dug up the old archives a few weeks ago and I was hooked.

 

[Angelrose]

Oh thank you Jeafl for another funny Christmas gifts from MIL. I have been looking forward to this. I needed a good laugh today.

 

[java]

Oh Jeafl! Thanks for posting this. A bag of strawsSo is she planning on a new job opportunity for the men of the family- son a clown and dh a gondolier? Maybe she wants you to move out to Vegas? Dh could work at The Venitian and I believe there was a wandering balloon maker!

 

[Disfan1]

Oh my... I almost missed this year's thread!

 

[christineann]

Thank you, Jeafl......you made my day. Hope you are feeling better!

 

[cjnix29]

Ok, I just found the community board, and if this thread is any indicator of the great people here...I'm a regular! Absolutely hilarious!!!!! Maybe she is just a re-gifter?!

 

[Jacoby 46]

Thanks, Jill...I look forward to your threads every year!! They never disappoint!!

 

[dolphinrescuegirl]

Thanks so much for sharing! I was having a hard time trying not to laugh too loudly (DH is sleeping). Hope you feel better and have a Happy New Year!

 

[Macca1111]

I think we need to see a pic of the fish statue

That's what I was going to say. And what, pray tell, is a trivet? I haven't had the pleasure of seeing one before I don't believe.

ETA: Apparently it's a hot plate. Learn something new!

 

[kristilew]

That's what I was going to say. And what, pray tell, is a trivet? I haven't had the pleasure of seeing one before I don't believe.

ETA: Apparently it's a hot plate. Learn something new!

Well, it's a plate to hold hot plates.....so you don't burn your table. Just what every teenager worries about.

 

[TLHB70]

Thank you for this! I have been waiting for this thread! I look forward to reading it each year!!!!!!! I have had family and friends in for the holidays so I have been away from the boards a while. I am so glad that I got to read this today.

Naw - I vote for the striped shirt and beret over the balloon animal thing!

OK - so not as wildly outrageous as some years, but still amusing!

I completely agree!

 

[ImMarcik]

You could make a nice family portrait with the striped shirt and the cookie monster sweater.

I'm glad I found this thread, thought I missed it this year.

 

[RUDisney]

The bag of straws and the balloons/balloon blowerupper/balloon book--maybe she was going for "THE BALLOON BOY"

ROFLMAO!!

You've got a point here. Perhaps MIL wants her grandson to be on reality TV.

Oh, wait--I get it!! The gondolier shirt and beret are actually a mime outfit--for when your son graduates from Clown College with his degree in Balloon Animal Making! Because, after all, that's much more lucrative than engineering, anyway.

My nephew was born on Leap Day. For his first 2 real birthdays, my brother and SIL hired a balloon artist for the party. The guy is in the Guiness Book for the number of balloons he blew up in an hour.

He is fantastic and NOT inexpensive to hire for parties. He is entertaining and not only does kids' parties, but adult parties, too. I hope they hire him again for the next leap day.

The gifts I received are starting to look pretty good after reading about yours.
Thanks for the laughs. Are you going to post a pic of your DH wearing his gift?

If your DH won't do it, please get your DS's friend who posed in the cookie monster sweater to pose for you.

Glad to hear your getting back to normal after your surgery!

 

[disneyfam]

And now Christmas is complete. I've been watching for this thread for weeks.

Thanks for sharing, thanks for the laughs.
Cynde