Growly      I will never complain about another chrissy prezzie again after reading some of these posts

awww!

hiyas matey xxx.......i dunno.......i don't think she has a problem as such....if its money she could just buy me a crunchie and i'd be happy!!..its just it's 'anything will do' attitude i guess!!...........though i do get the impression she......and some of the family don't think i'm 'good enough' for her son!!........on the rare occasions she phones she always says.'are you two alright?'......i dunno if she's secretly hoping i'll say.....'no we're not.i'm divorcing him'!!....

sprout xx.cheers for the hugs....but it doesn't get me down...honestly...i find it funny...

I really don't like asking or suggesting things TBH. I like the fact that people think for themselves .............even if it does go spectacularly wrong. My sisters in laws write lists and expect them to be adhered to .............apparently if anyone veers from the list they get a very funny look. It kinda takes away from the whole spirit of giving IMO. I may well have been given random gifts in the past but I don't really remember ............................I know it's corny but - it's the  thought really.

oh... surely you could come up with a decent come back to that..... one to ensure she never asks again.... 

along the lines of "well, mostly we are fine... we are having a few bedroom issues though, I keep telling him that I don't want to [insert obscenity here] but he won't be told"

Growly, thats even more crap than I ever imagined!

Stuff the rest of them! If you two are happy then that's all anyone can ask for

Yeah but Soozy...   the lists (cos the others do them too) only happen between hubby, me, the kids & my parents.

And...  money is so tight that there is stuff we all really really want/need.  So its gutting for both parties if money that could have been spent on stuff wanted, gets spent on something that never gets used/worn.

If we had the money to buy these bits n bobs throughout the year then yeah, lists would not be needed & spectacularly wrong pressies would be funny, but appreciated.

i just like winding her up ditty........'yeah we're fine.he's doing as he's told so he can stay for a while'.......or 'i'd put him on the phone but i'm making him hoover the whole house and he's still got to mop the kitchen and bathroom floors yet'.......no wonder i get crap pressies.....

Does she at least buy the spongette's summat decent?

 Spongey!

Sats/Soozy....see that's where I give a list and would like to have one back, I only want peeps to get things that they really want.  Otherwise It's a waste of money and a present (to me anyway)

well not really!!..........its usually something completely unrelated to their age.!!.last year i managed to persaude her dosh would be a good idea.......

I bet you're jellus really!    For one of the very few time in my life I was speechless when I unwrapped it

Ditty .............i wasn't getting at you and I really see where you're coming from. I just like to surprise and to be surprised. I do try to listen carefully throughout the year so it's not too random!

In my sisters case ...........her MIL, FIL, SIL and others have definitive lists and pull faces if the list isn't adhered to. That really would piss me off big time!

yes... I do that too.

on "the spreadsheet" there are other pages ... each for a family member, where I jot stuff down from things said throughout the year.

& yeah... I know you weren't having a go...  I just wanted to explain why we have such a clinical approach to the xmas pressie buying

Unless it's a broken tape dispenser with no tape in.

Ditty, as soon as I saw this thread I thought of you and the shower saga....and what do I find when I read through?............the shower saga!

I can't recall ever getting a really crappy present....sometimes I get something that's a bit underwhelming, but nothing so bad I'd categorise as crappy.

I knew I had mentioned it before! 

what can I say?    It left a lasting impression on me! 

Broader ironing board............"you always said yours was too narrow"

yellow and blue striped casserole dish........" clear glass is so dull"

super duper top of the range camera............I'm not into photography.......he is

Worst one ever in the matty after first born...........jar of nuts, seeds and dried fruits

Apparently they're really good for breast feeding mothers.........flowers, and treats........PAH.


Apart from his crap present buying skills............he's really lovely

Stooooory!   


and... Awwwwww!    Mr Ditty is a bit like that...  but he tends to get close to what I want.... but not close enough.  (hence the need for lists with hyperlinks to the exact product)

i.e.  years ago I wanted a Baby G watch...  I wanted the aqua one with the fabric strap... he got me a bright pink baby G watch with the jelly strap.   Soooo close.. yet sooo wrong.!  


the ironing board is the worst one on your list....    your hubby needs to learn the "no household equipment for gifts" rule (though I have an exemption to that rule for Dyson goods)

Nooooooo   it's only the worst one I've mentioned 

  to you too.

oh dear!

Kitchen things is my exception - I love cooking  

I'm really lucky, B is usually great at pressie buying

My ex sister in law (famous for being a tight cow) once gave me a Danielle Steele novel.  When I opened the front page it was printed with


"Not for Resale"


"With compliments from Clover Spread"



I felt so loved.....

A can of the cheapest nastiest hairspray you could buy (from my wealthy relations) I wouldn't let the stuff anywhere near my hair.

That made me spit my tea out, i'm still lauhging now

ahh the night-time (hands free) round the neck orienteering map reading torch has to be my favourite crap gift of all time. Given to me by my daughters grandmother. 
1) I am not into orienteering
2) I dont read maps a lot; least of all at night
3) I drive everywhere, even to the corner shop!!!!!

A Simon Cowell doll  it is is still in the box in the loft

I can remeber when we were kids me and my brother always used to get a present from our older cousin and she always bought you something good so we'd leave that one till last, he opened his and it was a top of the range camera, i ripped the paper off mine and it was a pair of fingerless gloves  i was so upset my mum bought me the exact same one for my birthday the following month


The same cosuin bought my daughter a kitchen clock a couple of years ago (she was about 12 at the time) we both just sat looking at each other like

Could be worth a fortune now....

 

Obviously just spreading her love

  

A jewellery box off my sister, except it wasn't a jewellery box, it was just an empty presentation box off some jewellery she had been given, it came complete with dust on the bottom where she had whipped it off her dressing table 

I hate the heavily disguised box of Roses/Heroes chocolates or bottles of wine or a new pocket diary 

I don't eat chocolate and I'm not a lover of wine and I supposed the diary is handy but it's like there's no thought gone into buying the present so I'd rather not have anything at all 

I'm so easy to buy at Christmas - give me a penguin of any size, shape or description and I'm a happy little Pengy   and Christmas is the perfect time to buy them 

Ducky would LOVE that!!!!  

oh is really good - he asks! although i usually say a few things so that he can pick one and i am (sort of) surprised. my mother gave me the worst pressies - both brothers got a new bike while i got a play  ironing board (we were about 8/10/12 years) she always differentiates between the grandkids, one got a mobile phone (£120) when another got a dressing gown

Not really a crap present, but a bit odd, lol, I got given a couple of  dvds Gavin and Stacey, then they got me the box set as well  (the same dvd's ) 


I still thanked them very much.