All year long my Husband buys clothes for me for my birthday, mother's day, anniversary, just because etc... which is really sweet and he really tries. The only problem is that he not only buys in my Mom's size but also her style which isn't bad just not my style. Well every year I wrap it all up and label it to my Mom from my husband. It's a running joke between my mom and me.

thanks becky!!!

I am really use to it, I also see the good part of it, I was born a very special day and everybody is celebrating and happpy that day!!!! and a great gift I received that day is to see my three boys open Santa's gifts.

take care

Adriana

This one wasn't given to me but my sister in law.
Her mother in law one year gave her a toilet brush and said to her "I saw this and I thought of you" !!!!
She does have Crohns disease but OMG! As if you want someone to tell you that a toilet brush reminded them of you!!!!!!

Adriana,

I feel your pain. My birthday is the 28th and I get excuses for my birthday.

Last year my parents called me at 11pm!!! (woke me up too) to tell me Happy Birthday and well they were going to do something you see but my sister came by with her twins and well you see.....

This year my hubby called my lil brother who is at their house over the holidays to ask him a question, lil bro had him put me on the phone, told me Happy Birthday, then tried to give the phone to my mom, had to TELL her she might want to tell me Happy Birthday to get her on the phone... she gets on the phone and says Happy Birthday, uh we got you a present but well we're too busy to like actually drive a whole 10 minutes to see you. Maybe tommorow or the day after or well perhaps just next year sometime when we happen to be near your house.

GAH I told the hubby next year I am sooo not answering the phone on my birthday and he isn't allowed to call their house either. I would much rather pretend they don't exist.

Happy Birthday Adriana!

I know exactly what you are going through My birthday is Christmas day also. My family doesn't forget, but my in-laws do. It always seems like such an afterthought. I know they aren't my family, but its been 7 years.

One year my family did forget to get me a cake. I think it was the year after I got married. My mom told my aunt and she forgot- you can't get a cake the day of if you forget.

I LOVE dolphins and would get all kids of dolphin items. One year, someone got me a Free Willy poster I know dolphins and whales have some similarities, but come on

This year, I did pretty well. Did get some perfume from MIL that I'll regift. Other than that I liked my other gifts.

I always love and appreciate any gift given to me except several years ago. My MIL (who I can't stand) gave me and my husband a present together. It was marked to Patty and Johnny and she had me open it. It was a football sweatshirt for my husband (who doesn't like football). She just grinned at me while I was totally embarassed in front of his whole family.

It is ok I got her back. She got the move Monster In Law from me last year

These are the types of items I save for the following year's white elephant gift exchange at work

I didn't get any bad gifts this year at all, I am so excited I have to say I got my Kitchen Aid Artisan Mixer and I love it! My parents got it for me. And my inlaws got me a gift card to AC Moore so now I can go buy a bunch of cake stuff. I was so happy!

This is going to sound awful and petty. My in-laws got me a Hello Kitty toaster. Now, I collect Hello Kitty things, but I have a toaster, the one they got me is too big to go on my little shelf with my dolls and things, and I really could have used a gift card to get some new clothes or cake things or ANYTHING but a Hello Kitty toaster. It was cute, but I'm almost 30 years old, I'd like something USEFUL!!!! (This is the 4th year in a row that they have gotten me Hello Kitty stuff, last year it was dominoes, and the year before it was a board game. Do you see a trend here?)

This is going to sound awful and petty. My in-laws got me a Hello Kitty toaster. Now, I collect Hello Kitty things, but I have a toaster, the one they got me is too big to go on my little shelf with my dolls and things, and I really could have used a gift card to get some new clothes or cake things or ANYTHING but a Hello Kitty toaster. It was cute, but I'm almost 30 years old, I'd like something USEFUL!!!! (This is the 4th year in a row that they have gotten me Hello Kitty stuff, last year it was dominoes, and the year before it was a board game. Do you see a trend here?)

This is going to sound awful and petty. My in-laws got me a Hello Kitty toaster. Now, I collect Hello Kitty things, but I have a toaster, the one they got me is too big to go on my little shelf with my dolls and things, and I really could have used a gift card to get some new clothes or cake things or ANYTHING but a Hello Kitty toaster. It was cute, but I'm almost 30 years old, I'd like something USEFUL!!!! (This is the 4th year in a row that they have gotten me Hello Kitty stuff, last year it was dominoes, and the year before it was a board game. Do you see a trend here?)

This is going to sound awful and petty. My in-laws got me a Hello Kitty toaster. Now, I collect Hellstuff, last year it was dominoes, and the year before it was a board game. Do you see a trend here?)o Kitty things, but I have a toaster, the one they got me is too big to go on my little shelf with my dolls and things, and I really could have used a gift card to get some new clothes or cake things or ANYTHING but a Hello Kitty toaster. It was cute, but I'm almost 30 years old, I'd like something USEFUL!!!! (This is the 4th year in a row that they have gotten me Hello Kitty items. Last year was a set of dominoes, the year before that was a board game. See the trend?)

This is going to sound awful and petty. My in-laws got me a Hello Kitty toaster. Now, I collect Hellstuff, last year it was dominoes, and the year before it was a board game. Do you see a trend here?)o Kitty things, but I have a toaster, the one they got me is too big to go on my little shelf with my dolls and things, and I really could have used a gift card to get some new clothes or cake things or ANYTHING but a Hello Kitty toaster. It was cute, but I'm almost 30 years old, I'd like something USEFUL!!!! (This is the 4th year in a row that they have gotten me Hello Kitty items. Last year was a set of dominoes, the year before that was a board game. See the trend?)

I know I posted earlier but recalled a good one. About 10 years ago my aunt gave me the topper. I carefully opened the box since it was so heavy and watched her eyes as I peeled the tape away holding the box closed. I could tell the suspense was killing her. I carefully pulled the tissue paper away to reveal (drum roll please) a tarnished brass bull!
It was about 4 inches tall and 6 inches long. She said "isn't it great!" I said sure? She went on to say that a friend bought it for a gag gift and how she debated and it would be perfect for me. Needless to say I returned it to her 2 years later to catch the expression that I probably gave her when I opened it on her face!

Get this......I asked for a Pasta Drying Rack (to dry my Fondant pieces.) I got a hair dryer.......hows that for DH listening. This has got to be the all time worst for me!

A set of handtowels and a pair of bedroom slippers made out of Depends Maxi Pads with little Christmas bows glued to them for decoration. They were given to me by my brother as a joke...he made them. He said that he couldn't afford to give me anything, so he made me some slippers. He had drawn my name. He did give me something else that was nice, but not until the gift opening was over. He thought he was being cute and it was funny.


Wanda

A set of handtowels and a pair of bedroom slippers made out of Depends Maxi Pads with little Christmas bows glued to them for decoration. They were given to me by my brother as a joke...he made them. He said that he couldn't afford to give me anything, so he made me some slippers. He had drawn my name. He did give me something else that was nice, but not until the gift opening was over. He thought he was being cute and it was funny.


Wanda

My grandmother has a freind that is famous for weird gifts. One year she gave my grandmother a huge flower arrangement, I mean huge! It was this white angel holder with black roses in it!
This year she bought her two antiques bowls, well on the way out the door she broke one of them. Instead of just giving my grandmother the one, she went and got two shirts out of her closet and gave them to her.

My mother-in-law is the worst gift giver ever. This year she gave me a calendar that she already wrote some of her appointments in. Last year it was a little tin wall hanger with sunflowers. One year it was Mary Kay samples (she was selling Mary Kay at that time) and a pair of socks! [/u][/quote]

My MIL gave me a knit hat...handmade by a friend especially for me...I don't ever wear hats! I is so ugly..navy blue with buttons sewn on to the front.... I will have to take a pic and post it tonight when I get home.

*PS - my DH said she probably got the hat as a gift and re-gifted to me...would NOT be surprised. lol

my brothers are crazy (i have 3 of them), the oldest one gave me a framed picture of 19 cents with an iou on it (that's all he had in his pockets), he gave the 2nd youngest a gift wrapped box full of leaves and twigs and the youngest he gave a picture of a man with his pockets turned out...the two youngest ones gave him a wrapped loaf of bread with bites taken out of all of them....we laughed so hard

I got an opened set of cheapie note cards (some missing) from my Grandma...she tried covering up that they were opened by tying them with a ribbon. Okay, the woman is old, but all she could dig out of her closet was some notecards she didn't need anymore?? lol At least she went to the store and bought DH a new shirt!! Too small and nothing he would like, but there was some effort there....

My worst present was a 15th bday gift from my parents. My brother (10 years younger) has a bday 4 days before mine. He got all kinds of toys, I got a $2 pair of flip flops. However, that was the norm. Gramma made up for it - one year I got a sewing machine and sewing kit, which total cost a pretty penny, and the other kids got sleds. She usually kept things within $2 for each kid, so it was a big deal at our house.

My dh, God love him, sucks at picking out gifts! This year is the ONLY year he did good....an HP photo printer! All the other years (12 of them) I couldn't help but cry for him! One year I got a Mickey Mouse phone that had characters that jumped up and down when it rang...hello...I was almost 30! Another year, HE got me an angel statue that had a poem about how you love and appreciate YOUR FREAKIN' MOTHER ...hello...I'm his WIFE (but he said he was thinking of my son) and last but not least a mailbox. Yes, I said a mailbox.

My best gift one year from my DH was my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer (which I specifically asked for).

My worst gift was from my Mom - she gave my sister a nice outfit, but for me she handed me a bag, and I was all excited, but I pulled out mug with a plant in it that was half dead! My DH said "you should have seen the look on your face". But my mother and my sister are no longer with us, and all I have are memories. So I think the focus should not be on material things, but on the time that you spend with your family.

Okay - I have a few - at one point DH decieded that one could never have enough Looney Toons paraphaneila in the house:

A red monster and Bugs Bunny Cookie Jar, Monster and Bugs salt and pepper shakers, Sylvester and Tweety tea kettle, popcorn bowl, etc....... One of these alone could have been cute LOL!

But the best story was Valentine's Day - not Christmas. DH asked DS (then about 5) what to get Mom for V-Day. He said that "thing for the sink" He had heard me complaining about our dish disposal - so that's what I got for Valentine's Day - A New Disposal! I did love it though