Did you get any presents that made you go hmmmm...

[Equidae]

Well, I know she meant well and I see (sorta) what prompted her to get it, but my new MIL gave me a very odd gift. They are two framed drawings that I think I am supposed to hang in the bathroom. I say this because one is a drawing of a bathroom stall door and under the door you can see Mickey's feet as if he is sitting on the toilet with his red shorts around his ankles. The other drawing is the same thing but with Minnie's feet and her skirt around her ankles (the feet on both are really the only thing you can see of the two). Just thought it was odd and maybe a little inappropriate (but then I can be a little conservative in some things!)

 

[Zandy595]

My MIL & FIL gave me a jar of body cream. And a $100 money order. I feel very uncomfortable when people give me money.

 

[ksjayhawks]

This is what my mil does. When a dgd or dgs gets married, they have to split what they usually got with the new spouse. For example, she sent the kids $50 for their birthdays. When our dd got married, she got $25 and her new hubby gets the other $25 on his birthday! When you start earning your own money, your Christmas check goes down--and then you have to split that, too, when you get married! They only have 2 sons, 4 grandkids--2 married, and 2 great grandkids, so it's not like they have to buy for a ton of people. Their farm is paid for. They have so much money, it is ridiculous--don't know what they are saving it for! (And, yes, I know it is their money and they can do as they please, but . . .you'd swear they are going to not have money to eat the next day they way they act sometimes!!!)

She used to buy gifts when the grandkids were little--but never get them anything off of their lists! Then for the adults it was which son or dil got the list in first--that's what the other son and dil got. Then shopping got "too difiicult" so she gave money. How exciting for little kids to get a check. The toys on their lists were pretty basic and easy to find. Oh well . . .

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Both of my daughters (one last night, and one today), looked perplexed at the dozen eggs, pack of English muffins, and canadian bacon they opened first. Thanked me, both said guess they would be making nice breakfasts the next day, and just well, looked confused, but good manners won out (LOL)....but, they were visibly happy, and laughing, and saying..whew, it made sense now..but we were sure wondering..when after another round of others opening a second gift, they opened their second gift and it was that toaster over that makes the egg mcmuffins. Lots of laughter and sharing of just what they thought when they saw the eggs, (granddaughter thought, wow, grandma and grandpa must have planned a camping trip) etc LOL!
We also gave both families a weekend trip to a local indoor waterpark, and because they do allow it, we'll all be bringing our egg mcmuffin toasters (we got one for ourselves), with us!

Oh Geez. Lauri hinted relentlessly about one of these things. That was the one gift she hinted about that I didn't get her.

Later that day she mentioned that she thought for sure the one thing she would get would be an Egg McMuffin toaster, I told her that I thought it was against the "husband code of gift giving ethics". You know the one. Section 3.6F paragraph 75 line R - "Thou Shalt Not Gift Dear Wife with Appliances or Though Shalt Sleep on Thou Couch".

I now know about Section 3.65F paragraph 76 Line S that describes the difference between okay and "fun" appliances vs stuff like Vacuums and Dishwashers.

 

[Mermaid02]

Without sounding petty (if that is possible) both my sil's gave me Christmas stuff. Decorating stuff.... plus that is also what they gave me for my birthday at the beginning of the month. It's also what I got last year. What the heck???? Frankly, we have just as many decorations in the attic as we do put out. I told my dh that next year he can tell his brothers that we have too many decorations and NOT to get me anymore.

 

[crz4mm2]

I am very particular about fragrances. I told my sister (who had my name in the family gift exchange) exactly what fragrance body lotion to get me from Bath and Body (she ASKED what I wanted). You guessed it, she got a completely different one.... sigh. Why ask if you aren't going to get it?

My MIL used to be the one who would ask for a list and then not get you what you wanted. Several years in a row I asked for a meat slicer. You know like a professional one you could lay a ham on and slice thin slices on. I finally got an electric knife...... So I gave up. She also used to try and give the grandkids the same things. The boys were just a year apart, but the girls were a few more years apart so that really didn't work, and most of the time they didn't WANT the same things. DSIL and I do NOT have the same tastes. She used to buy us the same things too.... sigh. Now we get $. Much better

 

[pooh4evr]

I got one of those tree face things from MIL for my birthday! I opened it and DH and I were like what is this thing- it made me think of the Ents from Lord of the Rings!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Well I did more than go hmm, I cried. DH and I really dont exchange gifts. I just picked out a shirt for myself from him. One year he gave me tires so I guess I should have not expected too much. I opened the package and it was a paper shredder. I just felt insulted. Yeah, we have alot of papers, but I told him if I needed to throw it out they would already be gone etc. He said he thought this would take care of unwanted papers etc. Gheesh.

 

[experiment626mom]

My MIL gave me a jar of eye cream. When I looked at her curiously, she told me it was for the bags under my eyes. Hmmmm...I don't see any bags!! Must have been one of the overstocks at the dollar store.

 

[Zandy595]

Well I did more than go hmm, I cried. DH and I really dont exchange gifts. I just picked out a shirt for myself from him. One year he gave me tires so I guess I should have not expected too much. I opened the package and it was a paper shredder. I just felt insulted. Yeah, we have alot of papers, but I told him if I needed to throw it out they would already be gone etc. He said he thought this would take care of unwanted papers etc. Gheesh.

I know how you feel. DH didn't get me anything at all. Never does.

 

[Nancy]

My MIL used to be the one who would ask for a list and then not get you what you wanted. Several years in a row I asked for a meat slicer. You know like a professional one you could lay a ham on and slice thin slices on. I finally got an electric knife...... So I gave up. She also used to try and give the grandkids the same things. The boys were just a year apart, but the girls were a few more years apart so that really didn't work, and most of the time they didn't WANT the same things. DSIL and I do NOT have the same tastes. She used to buy us the same things too.... sigh. Now we get $. Much better

My MIL never gets what I asked for either. I can't tell you how many years I asked for an electric knife and new bathroom towels, but never got them, instead she buys clothes that I would never wear. She told me that Christmas is for personal items and she can't but things for the house. But that is what I want, I will buy my own clothes! My Mom buys me things wfor the house...I got new pots and pans the one year..when MIL saw how much I liked them, she finally got the hint...only now she doesn't buy me what I need, but it is household. I got a new tea kettle yesterday. Her question before I even opened the gift was, "Do you need a new tea kettle?" I said no...and then unwrapped the tea kettle. She also tries to but my girls all the same things, my girls are almost 13, 16 (Tomorrow!) and almost 18...big difference between what a 13 year old wants and an 18 year old. She still thinks they are little! They got pj's yesterday, 13 yr old got Carebears, 16 yr old got Scooby Doo and 18 yr old got Pebbles. No clue what she thinks when she is buying this stuff. Just had to add: when I first started dating my DH, she would buy his sister and I the same things in different colors, she thought it would be "Cute" if we dressed like twins....we were both late 20's at the time, we were no longer wanting to look "cute".

 

[PixiePop]

Well, my DS6 received a dolphin snow globe from my father-in-law. I actually thought he had opened someone else's gift, when I asked if he was supposed to have opened it, the response I received was yes, it plays "Born Free".

But, I guess it beats the present my mother-in-law got him.....NOTHING!

 

[figment52]

Well, I know she meant well and I see (sorta) what prompted her to get it, but my new MIL gave me a very odd gift. They are two framed drawings that I think I am supposed to hang in the bathroom. I say this because one is a drawing of a bathroom stall door and under the door you can see Mickey's feet as if he is sitting on the toilet with his red shorts around his ankles. The other drawing is the same thing but with Minnie's feet and her skirt around her ankles (the feet on both are really the only thing you can see of the two). Just thought it was odd and maybe a little inappropriate (but then I can be a little conservative in some things!)

Those would be perfect for my Mickey bathroom .... where did she find them?

 

[Equidae]

Those would be perfect for my Mickey bathroom .... where did she find them?

I don't know, but I'll ask when I see her tomorrow.

 

[hucifer]

I got an ornament from my MIL that says "2003" on it. Yes, I got it this year.

WTH?

 

[LadyBears]

My in-laws are not exactly the best in gift giving either. I don't expect much from them at all - ever!

This year -
They gave me some plastic figurine of a victorian style Christmas horse & carriage. Not even DD can play with it because the pieces are all glued to one solid base. It says collectible, but it is solid plastic.

They gave my DD6 a Spice Girls barbie doll! ??
Gee thanks, but she doesn't know who they are - they broke up before she was born!

The only improvement this year was the $20.00 gift card they gave to my husband & I to a restaurant. Unfortunately it was also his birthday gift (which was the beginning of December!)!! ??? Gee such thought for your son - or is that an after thought of me? At least it is something we can appreciate!

 

[lecach]

My MIL always gives us some hmmmmmm gifts. She used to give us Christmas decorations that she got 50% off the year before. Now she gives us all a large mish mash of stuff. We got two large bulk packs of toilet paper, one large bulk thing of paper towels, gigantic bottle of Tide, a jar of peanut butter and a jar of jelly, 2 large candy bars, 2 cans of air freshener, can of shave gel for DH and one for me, box of hot chocolate, box of hot cider, and some other things I cant remember. SIL and BIL get the same identical gifts. The funny thing is she always gives us hot beverages and since SIL and BIL hate hot beverages they always give them back to her.

 

[trappednabox]

I got 2 questionable gifts this year. 1 was hair scrunchies, HELLO!! I have short hair and no use for these!!

2 I got a pencil case that looks like a ceramic tote bag that says something like "Avon top seller" or something like that on it.

Hmmmm....How did they know just what I wanted

 

[sunnyshine]

Any body see that talking deer head in target and walmart Well my kids thought their father should be the proud owner of one. it sings talks and has a remote and a microphone ...While the girls and their father where thrilled I was definitly going HMMMMM.

 

[j's m]

I know how you feel. DH didn't get me anything at all. Never does.

Me, too. Didn't even take DS out to get me anything. I bought PJ's and a sweater for myelf and they wrapped them so DS thought DH bought me something.

My DSis got me a candle holder because she thought it was pretty. It's uglier than sin, not my style AND she knows I have bad asthma and can't have lit candles in the house. What was she thinking?

This was as bad as DH's gift from her last year, a cheap framed poster of the Sopranos. We don't have HBO, he doesn't watch it, BUT he's Italian, could that be it? Oh, and we live in New Jersey. I want to stop exchanging presents with my 2 sisters, but they insist. Maybe because I always buy them good stuff.