It’s happened to all of us. We excitedly pull the paper off a gift, open up the box to reveal the contents, and think, “Really?” Though most gifts are well-intentioned and I am not for a minute promoting ungratefulness, let’s face it, some miss the mark, and others can be downright comical.
I asked my email subscribers (if you’re not a subscriber yet, sign up!):
What was the worst gift you ever received?
Here are some of their answers:
“My mom has a habit of buying me earrings from her travels. They are usually pretty awful. One was a pair made from some kind of animal poop. After 40 years, you would think she would know what taste I might have (or not). She did nail it this year, though. I loved them and didn’t have to figure out who to re-gift them to.” -Emily M.
“Ugh, such a weird thing, but my grandparents used to travel all over the US in a motor home, and my grandma would always get us cheapie little souvenirs from the shops, which was actually pretty exciting (yay presents!) and awesome to know she was thinking of us, but I have an unconventionally spelled normal-ish girl’s name and she would always buy me personalized gifts with my name spelled wrong! Gah! Just skip it and get me extra taffy, for Pete’s sake!!” -Cheryll P.
“This is a tough one for me because I’m a huge believer in its the thought that counts. There is one specific gift that comes to mind, for Christmas my aunt got me a little basket with a little cat curled up in it. I’m NOT a cat person and it was a kid’s toy… I was 17. I was polite and thanked her very much, but that’s probably the only gift I can remember thinking, ‘You’re kidding me, right?'” -Anonymous
“Way back when we were engaged, my husband brought me marmalade from Georgia. Marmalade.” -Anonymous
So what was the worst gift you ever received? Tell me in the comments or join the conversation on Facebook.
Update: The comment thread on Facebook was too good to let it get lost on the page. You’ve GOT to read some of these answers. Hilarious!
https://www.facebook.com/ohhonestly/posts/441640672659244
Andrea B. says
That marmalade comment is hilarious!!!
I’m not sure – but once someone who shall not be named got me a sweatshirt several sizes too small on someone else’s behalf and ultimately ended up keeping it for themselves. Ehem. 😉
Lauren says
Hahah! I once took a book that belonged to my sister, wrapped it up, and gave it to my mom. My sister was so mad. (It was The Monster at the End of This Book)
Kristen says
so funny! I left a comment on your FACEBOOK page with my worst gift…ugh! My husband once gave me FAKE diamonds.
Herchel S says
My husband is awesome at gifts so nothing comes to mind…
But my cousin’s husband got her a garbage can for Christmas. A garbage can.
Lauren says
Wow. You’d think even the most clueless guy would know better than that.
Susanne/The Dusty Parachute says
I can’t say – I’m too paranoid they might be reading this. 😉
Caryn says
This post is really hilarious, both the feature itself and all the comments. I love the garbage can. That’s funny…I wonder if it had diamonds on it? I can’t remember getting a really bad gift but I do remember for my mom’s 40th birthday we got her a waffle iron and she was hurt…but what she didn’t know at the time was that my dad was planning a surprise party for her.
Lauren says
Aww, that’s fun! I like surprise parties!!
April G says
My worst gift was a plastic lunch pail with a cartoon character on the front, with a can of beets inside. Oh, and a thermos. I was 15. I didn’t know what to think of it.
Lauren says
A can of beets?? That’s so bizarre!