The Silly Season

Worst. Gift. Ever.

Is there such a thing as a bad gift? What’s the worst thing you have ever been given as a Christmas present?

Not just those boring socks and underpants - although unexciting they can be put to good use at some point.

When I think of bad gifts my mother comes to mind. she has a knack, (ahem) gift. The earliest bad gifting was back in her girlhood. There was a pparently a girl in her class that she didn’t like, and my mother being an imaginative if somewhat vindictive 9 year old gave her two dead bees. Carefully wrapped in gift paper. The girl, surprised and pleased unwrapped the present - her expression changing from joyous anticipation to mortified horror, and thence to outraged sobbing. Which got my mother into a whole bunch of trouble.

Another fairly average gift was given to my ex-husband (the psycho - and another story), the gift of a rather old worn black petticoat. Funnily enough the giver was again my mother. He was very upset as he thought his cross-dressing was a secret.

My brother one year wrapped his entire grocery shop in Christmas paper and so the family ritual of gift giving was marred by what at first was amusing, then tedious (it was a big shop), and finally extremely annoying as yet again he unwrapped a can of beans, or some eyewash.

I’m wondering if this is just my family - or do others have bad gift experiences too?

Send your bad gift experiences to me. I will list the best ones next week.

Have a great Christmas everyone!
Alirat