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Oh no. *sigh*

LibbyLiz
18 years ago

My mother-in-law just sent us a Christmas gift. I was hoping she wouldn't 'cause it's usually something we don't need & have no room to store.

One year she sent bath towels, hand towels & wash cloths. I guess she thinks we don't have enough after 17 years of marriage.

Last year she sent a cheap, as in thin, wine glass set, though the decanter is thick. They're lovely, but we don't drink a lot of anything alcoholic. I told her this when she pushed us to go to a winery as a family when we were home last. In a letter recounting the trip & the wine set I even mentioned it.

What did she send us this year?

Another set of towels & the same wine set!

*sigh*

Hubby even thinks she's losing it. LOL

Comments (8)

  • larry_b
    18 years ago

    I know what you mean. We got this gaudy gift from a family member. When we opened the box and saw it the first words out of my mouth were,"Oh,no". After I got over the shock of how awful the gift was I got even a more awful feeling over my body realizing that I would have to thank them for the gift and make some sort of comment about how much I like it.

    Well I made a phone call to them and thankfully they had given my wife and myself other Christmas presents. Pajamas and a flannel shirt respectively. I told them how much we like the shirt and pajamas and how we had tried them on and that they fit perfectly. I didn't bring up the other gift at all and they didn't comment either. Whew! I had dodged a bullet!

    Larry

  • LibbyLiz
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Oh yes, & the free wine glasses from the tasting at the winery, she made us bring with us to UT! I left them wrapped up & put them in a box for yard/garage sale or donation. LOL

    We still have gorgeous cut-crystal water goblets that look like wine glasses, which we got as a wedding gift. I prefer to use those when we have any wine, etc.

    Now I have to go through all our towel sets to see what I can get rid of to fit in the sets she sent. Yippee!

  • fishies
    18 years ago

    I know what you all mean. Thankfully, I now have an excuse not to accept well-meant but inappropriate gifts: I live too far away to bother shipping "stuff," and I usually can't fit more "stuff" in my luggage. It's very handy. The women's shelter back home often gets a drop-off from me just before I head back to Ottawa :) I'll usually thank the gifter, try to use/wear the gift once in their presence (if it's something like "special" moisturizer or a sweater or whatever), declare my sadness at not being able to take it back with me, and then say, "well, some poor woman who's just left her husband will really enjoy this!"
    You know, you could give the towels to a women's shelter... they always need new stuff like linens and bedding.

  • ooojen
    18 years ago

    Poor Liz! Maybe MIL is expecting you to have really big dinner parties where you'll need several sets of wine glasses. ("Hey everybody, after next Christmas' glassware set, we'll all be able to have Thanksgiving at Liz's house!")

    Before Christmas I read more than one article where etiquette experts bashed the idea of giving gift cards. The general idea was that if you were close enough to someone to buy him or her a gift, you ought to pay enough attention to know what he or she would like. In reality, knowing what someone would like doesn't necessarily mean knowing what they already have. If you can pick out that perfect something, that's great (I love it when I can find just the right thing for someone I like!) but when you're not sure, I think gift certificates are a wonderful way to go. With all due respect to the ladies at the shelter (really nice of you to think of them, Shelly) I think GC'd be the best thing for a traveling student (maybe to a restaurant chain you'd mentioned liking)...or for a DIL about whose tastes you're clueless (hopefully not to a wine outlet- lol). My favorite is to find some niche catalog or website with lots of uncommon stuff, but stuff you know the recipient would like, and give a GC from there. The goal would be to find an outlet they weren't already familiar with, so shopping for their gift would be a mini adventure.

    I was just idly thinking to myself, --what would I get me if I were a cousin or aunt who wasn't sure what I (Jen) already had? I thought candles or flowerpots would always be welcome--- then I got to thinking- that's exactly what Liz sent me way back when! Good call!

    BTW, Liz, did you once mention collecting tobacco cans? If so, are there specific ones you're interested in? I was helping Mom clean out her basement, and I set a couple aside thinking to ask you rather than tossing them.

  • LibbyLiz
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Yes, with all the wine glasses she's given us (14 or 16) plus what we already have (6), we could have a party for sure!

    As for knowing what the person likes & has, well... We've told her on more than one occassion we're not drinkers & have rarely used the crystal glasses we do have. But she could have forgotten. I'll give her that much. And she's in MO & she hasn't ever seen what we already have. So I'll give that to her too. It was the thought that counts, right?

    I was going to say, no, no I didn't mention collecting tobacco cans. But then again, maybe I mentioned hubby got one from his mom's or grandma's house. It's an antique. Pretty neat I think. It's red, once held 25 cigars, in white letters reads HAUPTMANN'S Mild & Fragrant & stands 5-3/4" tall & 3-1/2" square. I'd have to ask hubby if he wants anymore, & get back with you if that's ok?

  • ooojen
    18 years ago

    Sure-- The ones I have are nothing special, so you probably wouldn't be interested (esp. since you intend to move again in your lifetime) but I just thought I'd hang on to them until I asked you. I won't be the least bit offended if you're not interested. It's fine either way.

  • foxykitten350234
    18 years ago

    This thread has brought me flash backs.lol There was a time when for some strange reason people looked at me and thought of night shirts with goofy characters and sayings on them and those slippers with stuffed animal heads on them. I had dog slippers, tazmanian devil slippers, bear slippers...the list went on and on, ugh! I don't know why I attracted these gifts. All I know is those darn things made going up steps a new adventure if you tried wearing them.

    I have to agree gift cards are wonderful. I don't care what Miss Manners may have to say about them.lol

    I say give those wine glasses to the good will and donate those towels to a shelter...free yourself from them.

    Foxy.

  • LibbyLiz
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Well, after going through our stacks of towel sets, I found many that don't have bath sheets, hand towels and/or wash cloths, so they'll be gotten rid of soon enough, especially those showing wear or those I can't find matching colors for. So the new ones WILL actually come in handy! I guess she knew something I didn't. LOL

    I have many boxes in the garage to go through come spring to separate donation items from pawn shop items from consignment or yard sale items. Though I don't want to do another yard sale again!