There are websites where you can trade your unwanted gift cards for someone else’s, and the amounts are verified and all that. When I am more awake, I can look it up.
My sister gave me a huge, framed, panoramic photograph of the whole of the main street of Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Scotland.
Not much wrong with that, you might think.
For nine years I had a second home on that main street. I had to sign it over to my alcoholic husband when we separated two years ago. A year later he drank himself to death and was found in that second home. Despite those circumstances, I still desperately wanted to hang on to what had been my precious second home, but his family sold it against my wishes and I didn’t get a penny.
So, on Christmas Day I pull off the wrapping paper on this lovely panoramic photo with that building slap bang in the middle. The much-loved property that I had to lose. The room where my husband died.
My sister was surprised when my reaction was to immediately burst into tears. She even got quite huffy and told me to stop using phrases like “rubbing salt into the wound” because it was only making her feel worse.
I love my sister to bits and I’m sure she thought I’d like it, but… what was she thinking??!
Ouch, Scougs. What was she thinking, indeed?!!
OK, so you can sell your gift card here, here, exchange them here—WARNING—sites have ads, and I also cannot endorse any of them. Just passing info along.
Making her feel worse? Christ.
My WTF? gift was a stocking stuffer. Five rolls of Life Savers.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with Life Savers, other than that I don’t generally eat one roll per year, let alone five, but these were special candy! There was a contest that I might be able to win!
Only problem was that the contest ended in mid-2005, so I had been given nearly five year old candy. And worse, it was soft. The rolls were almost as soft as marshmallows, so they’d either absorbed a whole lot of humidity over the years or had been left to get wet. Ewww… Out of morbid curiosity, I bent one roll until the wrapper snapped, revealing this ugly purple-gray goo.
Hey Sis, next time you want to give me a chance to win a contest, just buy a couple quick-pick tickets for the Powerball. Just make it this week’s drawing, OK?
Hee - my in-laws gave us this hideous placque with a poem obviously written by a cracked-out 12-year-old about how “marriage takes 3,” and to “make HIM the head of our household.” Me being me, I blurted out, “Wow, God’s quite a perv, isn’t he?”
They didn’t find that nearly the riot that DH and I did.
I received a card from both of the parents. It reads, “Merry Christmas! I gave you the miracle of life.” and a line from dad, “and I helped.”
That’s what happens when they buy presents at a gas station Christmas eve.
The apple cinnamon oil burner scent thingy that my nieces gave me. Oy, the smell is revolting. Too strong.
My mom-in-law always sends us little cards saying that she donated to a charity on our behalf. Now, I don’t have any problem with her not sending us an actual gift. The less crap around our house, the better. And I certainly don’t have a problem with her donating to charity. But I am really not a fan of the whole “donate to a charity and then send someone else a card informing them that that was their gift” thing. I mean, it’s not really much of a gift, is it? I’d rather just get a Christmas card and a phone call from her.
I’LL take your Applebees card! I LOVE Applebees! I’ll trade you my loathesome Snuggie AND one of my many useless Christmas present cookbooks - how about “The Great Wings Book” by Hugh Carpenter - full of exotic recipes for cooking chicken wings, retails at $16.95. I’ll even include one of the dozen bottles of hot sauce that came with it.
I much prefer Red Lobster, myself. But it’s so expensive now, a typical gift card of, say, $25, would just about cover the price of two drinks and an appetizer. It wouldn’t even make a dent in the cost of the main course.
They’re not totally without a use, but…my cheapo friend P. went to the 99 cents store last year, bought a three-pack of kitchen sponges, put each one into a Baggie, kept one for herself and then gave one each to our friend L. and me. P. thought they were “cute.”
KITCHEN SPONGES, fergoodnessake!
I kind of wish you could go to Red Lobster and just order the biscuits…
I did this for my one friend, but the charity was for her baby daughter, who has epidermolysis bullosa, and the funds go towards her care. Plus, we don’t normally exchange gifts, so this was just something I did out of the blue, figuring the holidays was as good a time as any to contribute. I think the charity gift is OK for people who are heavily invovled in them. But if people are going to use it in lieu of a gift, it would probably be best to give to the charity for themselves, and give the intended recipient a phone call, card, and/or well wishes instead.
Yeah, your situation is a bit different; ditto for donating to a charity in lieu of flowers for someone who has died, or whatever. But in this case, it’s not even a charity that we picked out. It’s a perfectly good charity but it’s definitely one of my MIL’s pet causes and a place that she would likely donate to anyway, regardless of Christmas giftage. Just seems like, “Hey, look how charitable I am!” instead of an actual thoughtful gift.
I got a nun doll. It is beautiful, well made, complete with rosary/crucifix/all the fixins. It probably cost a small fortune. I am a male atheist. The giver (my brother) is also a male atheist. Great conversation piece!
I was lucky enough not to receive anything useless this year. Well, I did get a Monk snow globe from my Dad, and snow globes are by definition useless, but I like it. I have a lot of random trinkets sitting on top of my computer at work, and that fit right in.
What I wonder though, is why all the hate for the Applebee’s gift cards? Send 'em my way! I got a $20 one from my uncle, used it just now for a burger and a few beers, which are now serving to make the rest of my work day more palatable. 
Here’s the warning on the original package.
Attention: No marine life was killed to make this product.
At least it was a new sponge not all stinky and dirty. It was a gifted unused right? The baggie wasn’t because it was wet I hope.
Sorry about that I figured my post would be confusing without links but I was lazy and didn’t include them.
So here are the links.
The ones I have are like this:
The site doesn’t actually say but in the ones I have the yellow bit around the outside, my are lanvender scented so they are light purple, is actual good smelly wax with an led “flame” that flickers and is battery operated. So you get the smell and the light of a candle without the fire to burn the house down.
Now these are what I am assuming you were talking about:
and they are Ok I guess if you are going for a specific look or style to a room.
I got a useless gift today from one of the doctors here. It’s a beverage warmer – basically a hot plate that you can set a mug on. It’s actually pretty nice. But I can’t use it at work, because I only drink things from paper cups, and we have a little issue with electrical outlets. And I can’t use it at home, because I have a huge issue with outlets – I can keep a beverage warm as long as I don’t need lights.
But I appreciate the thought.