Last night, we had the perfect end to our busy week. Our friends invited us over to their place for their famous Chicken Pot Pies (they did not disappoint!), some games (we learned how to play Mexican Train dominoes and Jon happily derailed us), some Halloween candy (I cannot resist their mini-sized chocolaty goodness) and lots of laughs.
While we were there, we got to talking about puzzles and the husband proceeded to bring out some of the puzzles his mom sends him as gifts. They were a crud assortment of garage sale finds each one more interesting than the last, but our favorite was entitled California Curd. Still shrink-wrapped and hailing from 1970-something, the cover art showed a photo of what looked like barf sprinkled with half-digested fruit pieces. This has to be the worst looking puzzle I've ever seen and yet his mom (out of total love for him) saw it, thought of him, and couldn't pass it up.
We've all received these gifts in the past. The ones that pucker your face in shock and horror which you quickly try to mask as surprise and joy while racking your brain for an appropriate expression of thanks: "wow, I've always wanted a _____!" fill in the blank with wacky gift of your choice.
There are: the re-gifts (you received too many heart shaped photo frames as wedding gifts, please re-gift one to me); the bonus gifts (you bought the fancy makeup for yourself, feel free to gift me the bonus bag minus any of the goodies inside you wanted to keep for yourself); the pre-owned gifts (thanks for thoughtfully testing it out and determining it was not-quite-up-to-your-standards-but-adequate-enough-for-mine); and the puzzling gifts (like the aforementioned jigsaw classic, a clown music box - when I neither like nor collect clowns, and my all time favorite: the lady down the street who received an ice auger from her husband for Christmas - even though she had never ice fished nor planned to do so!)
We're all guilty of sending, and have humorous tales about receiving, these gifts. So what is the worst you have sent or received?
3 comments:
I don't know if any one can top the California Curd or the manatee pillow. But careful what you mock, you may get one or the other if we draw your name at Christmas!
The worst I recieved and Shannon you know the story well I'll put it in a blog one day! But another one that comes to mind is the year that my husband thought of giving me light bulbs. All indivdually wrapped about 20 of them for Christmas! The good thing about them were that he bought them from the Lions Club...to help out a good cause.
The bad thing...they were horrible light bulbs lasted about a month each and blew out. I have thought about his choice of gift over the years...I have decided it meant one of two things.
1. You are the LIGHT of my life.
2. Go to the LIGHT.
I have to admit I have been pretty lucky with gifts I have received at least (and I have also been lucky in that friends have not told me if I have made poor choices in gifts given). Probably the funniest gift encounter I have had was with a gift that my Grandmother gave my mom and dad for Christmas one year. She always gives them a couple of small gifts addressed to both of them, and one gift for each separately. Well, they take turns opening the joint gifts and one year my Dad opened one that turned out to be a stack of paperback books. Well, usually that includes a few that are mysteries that he and my Mom both enjoy - but not that year. It ended up being an entire stack of romance novels! My Dad has never lived that down! Every year we threaten to get him more! Of course, maybe this was just payback for the year he bought my mom a plunger for Christmas. He even wrapped the head in one package and the stick in another. And he had her open the stick first. Yes, that was a FAVORITE gift of my Mom's, she still remembers that one!
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