Shelly,

I know what you mean about not complaining about presents. In my family gifts and food were definitely considered sacred. I can't say that I ever got a bad present for Christmas. I just considered socks and underwear to be a " general fund" item. Of course, money was tight back then and I'm sure that these items were rapped up just so that we had more presents under the tree. For years though I only considered a Christmas gift to be something that wasn't necessarily a necessity. The only exception I made was for my grandmother. Her gifts weren't necessarily awful. They were just things that I never would use. Out of desperation I finally told her that I could always use jeans or pajamas.

Larry

Humm, I think the word is wrapped not rapped. lol don't get me started on "rap". lol

Larry

My grandmother sewed EVERYthing for EVERYone for Christmas. Didn't matter if it was something you would wear, or something she dreamed up in her head. And she LOVED weird color combinations. One year she found a great robe pattern with a zipper and everything, long bell sleeves, nice yolk. She did the yolk and sleeve cuffs in hot, florid pink material in a thicker weave, and the body of the robe in a forrest green and mint green floral pattern of a much thinner slinky material. It actually was wearable, if hard on the eyes.

Then there was the year she made my Christmas outfit (long mod vest and bell bottom pants) out of red fake fur. And just like Ralphie, I actually had to wear 'the Christmas Outfit' out in public, preferrably for a Christmas occasion. I almost died, but I wore it to High School, then promptly 'lost' it. She started paying attention right about that time... When she gave me two pair of 'striped' pants with elastic waists, I changed them over to zippers. They were cool pants that I wore a long time, but somehow when I changed the waist over, I hurt her feelings and she never sewed my entire Christmas for me again. Then there was always that ONE pin she forgot to remove, usually right in the back of the garment so you found it by sitting on it!

There were several successful summer garment campaigns that both my mom & I loved. She found a nice peasant dress pattern and wore herself out using up scrapes and bits. I wore my white and red multi size checks dress until it fell apart.

Two stories about the same coin, one just happened to involve painful Christmas memories.

The worst Christmas gift I ever got was a doll. I'm not nor have been a girly girl, what made it all the worse was it was wrapped in a model car box! I unwrapped that box and my eyes lit up because the box said car, I opened the box and about cried because it was a doll.
Another thing I remember getting was a bottle of witch hazel, ugh. Nobody ever wants to be reminded they have acne, and to get a present advertising the fact is just about the cruelest gift ever.