# Bitch about your shitty Christmas gifts. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 26, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221 "2014-12-26T16:59:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2015, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/141 "2015-01-03T20:35:58Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Believe me, it’s tempting, although if I do go to the trouble of unraveling all the yarn then I know plenty of other people who’d be capable of putting it to good use. If you have a cat, then you could use it as a cat-blanket for that part of the bed where he/she sleeps. > [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Ugh, no, that little monkey with the cymbals is fucking terrifying. Maybe its like the Stephen King short story? And every time you cut a pizza with it, one of the people who ordered pizza with you will keel-over dead? _The new party game: Pizza-Roulette!!!_ (…collect that pizza money up-front though…) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2015, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/142 "2015-01-03T22:07:33Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > The only people who seem to know how to elicit this reaction out of me are my two wonderful sisters. You have ANOTHER one? God help us all! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2015, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/143 "2015-01-03T23:14:11Z")
My brother is the one who insists that he wants to keep giving all of us siblings a gift even though the rest of us would be happy to just not give presents to the adults in the family, because seriously? But no, for him Christmas is about the joy of giving and it just wouldn’t be the same, etc. In the past he has bought us a random selection of DVDs from the clearance rack at the video store he worked at. However, the video store went out of business, so this year he had to get creative. We got a box of ten Cheryl’s Cookies - which is actually not a terrible gift on the face of it. Cheryl’s Cookies is a high-end cookie brand, where each cookie is individually packaged and you can mail order them as gifts for people, etc., etc. Except, the cookies are all weirdly themed, like, there’s a birthday one in there, there’s a wedding celebration one, and so forth. I think we got the clearance rack cookies. I’m really not complaining too much, because this is a big improvement over DVDs of The Hangover and Dumb and Dumber, but… grabbing random shit off of clearance shelves is what constitutes the true meaning of Christmas for him? OK, whatever, bro. I got him a gift card to the gas station, because he needs it. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/144 "2015-01-04T01:57:47Z")
> [@Cell\_Guy](#): > > So of course my BIL’s bitch wife gets me a cheesehead. But not just any wedge shaped cheesehead. No, it’s a top hat shaped cheesehead. Googling, I find that they also make fez, fedora, police hat, fireman hat, baseball cap and cowboy hat cheeseheads. You may have gotten off easy, and apparently she thinks you’re a classy guy. But not this classy: [http://www.wisconsincheese.com/images/crown.jpg](http://www.wisconsincheese.com/images/crown.jpg) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/145 "2015-01-05T15:52:00Z")
I… am avoiding contact with my parents to avoid the terrible Christmas gifts. They were sick with flu on Christmas, and when they called New Year’s Eve wanting to exchange presents on New Year’s Day, I’d gotten sick by then. So of course I got badgered, attempted emotional manipulation, called a terrible son. Next day mom yelled at me that I was “always angry” when she was pressuring me _again_. And they give really, really bad gifts. Because not only do they completely ignore everything I tell them I’d like, it’s like they actively go out of their way to get me stuff I’ll hate, because I “should” like it. Since the inevitable gift-opening will bring both disappointment and passive-aggressiveness, I’m hoping to avoid it 'till maybe April, when I’ll have to focus on avoiding getting b-day presents. Bah, humbug. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/146 "2015-01-05T16:06:07Z")
Was a mostly good year. My mother finally stopped giving me black licorice which I told her for years and years that I don’t like and ended up throwing away because I couldn’t GIVE it away. For years she gave me corduroy pants until I finally threw a fit in front of everyone about 5-6 years ago and refused to take them home. That stopped that. She still gives me that dollar store crap that also gets thrown away immediately, and I have spent years trying to tell her to stop. Only one thing this year, thank god. Gave me this rusty ‘rustic’ manger thing. Told me to take it to work, put it on my desk and “Make a STATEMENT” (She watches too much Fox news and buys the Oppressed Christians bullshit.) It is still in the bag on the back seat of my car. No idea what to do with it yet. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/147 "2015-01-05T19:10:30Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > My brother-in-law, whom I adore, gave me a set of body products: moisturizer, scrub stuff, lotion, hand cream, etc. All of which is fragranced, and all of which I am allergic to. I tried very gently to tell him that I didn’t “know if” I would be able to use them and he said he had thought of that, but he had checked and because they smelled good, he was sure it wouldn’t be a problem. I opened one of the jars and almost vomited, and got a stabbing pain behind my eye. And the stuff can’t be returned because he got it at a kiosk at a mall. I think he must have spent about $75. He was probably lured in by those good-looking salesgirls that they hire. I’ve heard that they talk men into buying their crap with an aggressively seductive sales pitch, which includes rubbing lotion on the prospective buyer’s hands. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/148 "2015-01-05T19:22:25Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > which includes rubbing lotion on the prospective buyer’s hands. It puts the lotion on his skin or else it gets the kiosk again. ---
**Author:** ![AHarris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@AHarris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHarris)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/149 "2015-01-05T20:59:58Z")
Cross-posting from mini-rants (because I didn’t see this thread last night: Why do people insist on giving clothes for Christmas? They obviously have no idea of my preferences or sizes. I received the following (note that I nowhere indicated that I wanted any of these): - Boots (1 size too big) - ‘They were the only ones that they had.’ (Then don’t fucking buy them). - Underwear - Too small - Rain jacket - Arms are too long (completely cover my hands). I can live with that, but I finally tried the hood and my first thought was that I need to cut eye holes so that I can see where I am going as the thing covers my entire face when I put it on. - ‘Oh, you’re supposed to wear a hat with it’. (The point of the hood is to keep the rain off of my head. Why should I have to wear a hat as well?) - Jacket liner - Supposed to be something that you could also wear as jacket when it is just cold out (Moving at a normal walking pace creates enough ‘wind’ that any insulating properties are lost). - Shirt - I already have lots that I don’t wear. Why do I need another one? (Haven’t even tried it on yet). ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/150 "2015-01-05T21:25:14Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I am noticing a trend here. You give all your old ornaments to your sister. She gives you an ornament for Christmas. You ask your sister if she wants your old mugs. She gives you a mug for Christmas. . . . . Maybe\*\* FairyChatMom \*\*should send out emails saying she’s sold all of her 1 oz. gold bars, just in case the trend continues. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/151 "2015-01-06T02:35:12Z")
It’s cold. Where’s my damn hat? Shut up. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/152 "2015-01-06T22:18:25Z")
You know what would help with that? Extra head fat. Works for me. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/153 "2015-01-07T02:17:12Z")
um yeah work gave us 50/50poly cotton shirt with the company logo on it. in beige. I hate beige and I hate polyester and I cant give it away because who else would want it? It was apparently a twelfth night present cause we just got them today. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![eulalia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eulalia/32/457_2.png) [@eulalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eulalia)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/154 "2015-01-07T08:10:20Z")
> [@adhemar](#): > > um yeah work gave us 50/50poly cotton shirt with the company logo on it. in beige. I hate beige and I hate polyester and I cant give it away because who else would want it? It was apparently a twelfth night present cause we just got them today. ☹ Company shirts are for working on the car. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/155 "2015-01-07T11:40:24Z")
I got a good haul this year, but can I whine about logistics? 1. My mum emails both me and my fiancée in early December to ask for gift ideas for each other, which works really well until we get emails in late December saying, “I couldn’t find what you wanted, can you order them and I’ll pay you back?” This is after most online Christmas delivery deadlines so we have to make a special trip out to buy each other’s gifts. (Turned out to be a blessing in disguise as my fiancée was able to try on the hat she’d picked out and found out that it wasn’t as good as another one we found.) 2. Amazon UK don’t allow you to buy eBooks for other people. After faffing about for ages on Christmas Eve, my fiancée bought it on my account, then took my Kindle from me and wrapped it up to put under the tree. Why do you make it hard to buy people things, Amazon UK? 3. We’ve been waiting on a package for two weeks. It got delivered to our neighbour who thought it was for the business we live above. They then sat on the package when they could easily have dropped it into us, and now they’ve been closed for three days. Looks like the extra payment for speedy delivery was wasted. Overall, though, Christmas was great. Sorry to the rest of you, but I’m glad to see none of the presents I gave showing up here. I did cause an allergic reaction in a coworker by bringing in cashews, as I thought that people would want a break from all of the communal chocolates going around ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/156 "2015-01-08T02:47:31Z")
We did a “one gift only” Christmas exchange with my family. They came over here to our vegan household in part so that they could have meat at their house without offending us. They gave me socks. Wool socks. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/157 "2015-01-08T03:02:39Z")
Sock **s**? As in _TWO_ socks? Meaning more than ONE? When they had specifically agreed on ONE gift? The nerve. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/158 "2015-01-08T12:29:12Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Sock **s**? As in _TWO_ socks? Meaning more than ONE? When they had specifically agreed on ONE gift? > > The nerve. I believe it was more the “animal product for a vegan household” thing. Though to be fair, even after decades of intimate exposure to vegans, an objection to wool wouldn’t have crossed my mind. It’s not like the sheep are killed for it, and the shearing does make them feel better, so I probably would have made the same mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/159 "2015-01-08T14:11:05Z")
Best find a sheep to go put that wool back on it. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221/160 "2015-01-08T14:25:04Z")
> [@bobkitty](#): > > I believe it was more the “animal product for a vegan household” thing. Though to be fair, even after decades of intimate exposure to vegans, an objection to wool wouldn’t have crossed my mind. It’s not like the sheep are killed for it, and the shearing does make them feel better, so I probably would have made the same mistake. Ohhh. I was thinking more, ugh, itchy socks! Who wants itchy socks!? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-about-your-shitty-christmas-gifts/708221.md?page=9)