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When Show And Tell Goes Terribly Wrong

When Show And Tell Goes Terribly Wrong

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People Reveal The Most Memorable Christmas Gift They've Ever Received

"It meant so much to me..."

People Reveal The Most Memorable Christmas Gift They've Ever Received
https://www.pexels.com/photo/3-red-covered-present-box-190931/

At the time of writing, the holidays are in full swing. Many traditions celebrated around this time involve the act of giving a gift. Stressful for some, it's rather easy to forget that gifting something to someone is a giving a piece of your heart. It should reveal a connection between "gifter" and "giftee." However, as long as any thought and love is injected into the act then any gift can be the best gift ever.

Reddit user, u/njohns43, requested for people to go back into Christmases past when they asked:

What's been the most memorable Christmas gift you've ever received?

H/T: Reddit

Giving In Spite Of The Awful

One year I got an orange from my aunt. She was bawling as she gave it to us. She usually had gifts bought by August, wrapped and everything. However that year, she just couldn't afford it. Definitely the most memorable, teaching me a great lesson. RIP Aunt Durena.

Slimjuggalo2002

Just Two Bros Out Buying A Dress

A dress.

It wasn't particularly expensive or super fancy, but I was out shopping with two guy friends and kinda paused by a window and said I thought it was really pretty. They then teamed up to conspire with my roommate to get my dress size, went out and bought it, and gave it to me for Christmas.

It still fits :)

UsedToBeOnFire

People Who Come Together, Stay Together

I had been laid off right before Thanksgiving and was still looking for a job through the holidays. We were scraping by but in no way were we going to be able to do anything for the holidays.

One day, while I was at home, I hear the doorbell ring. Figured it was the mailman. Take my time getting to the door. Open it and there was a massive pile of presents on the porch. Based on the gifts it was definitely several of our friends who put it together but they did it anonymously.

I can never ever repay them for that. I sat down and bawled my eyes out.

moridin82

Pierce The Consumerism

My abusive mother accidentally gave me the best gift I'd ever gotten.

First, my mother is a hoarder and a narcissist. She has declared bankruptcy several time due to debt from buying things for her hoard (shopping addict)

One year she had no money because of a bankruptcy, so she bought a ton of gifts but all were super cheap. And she bragged about the sale prices of each. I was looking at all this garbage and was just sad she couldn't enjoy the holiday without the appearance of a pile of gifts.

Anyway, in her hoard she had found the sheet music for a song my grandmother used to sing to me when I was going to sleep. I lost her when I was 16. To save money on a gift, she threw it in a cheap frame she had and wrapped it up.

When I opened it I teared up. It was the first time she had ever given me something so touching.

Sadly, when I wept she called me too sensitive and it was "just a junk gift" so there is that.

Still. I have it hanging on my wall (in a much better preservation frame) to this day.

Randygilesforpres

A Name To Stand With Time

When I was really young my uncle used to call me his "little cabbage". No idea where it came from, just always did. Well, he waited until the Christmas after I turned 10 and he gave me this tiny box that was wrapped really well. So I opened this thinking it would be a new toy but was instead greeted by, you guessed it, a tiny cabbage. He's even gone to the extent of drawing my face onto it. I was annoyed at the time but now I find it hilarious. Ps, this was 13 years ago now.

BonnieScotty

Neighbors Stepping Up

I used to LOOOOOVE christmas but everyone in my family, and my husbands family, are really anti-Christmas. They grump and moan and say 'Can we not do presents this year?' Some years I decorate a tree (by myself, naturally) and it feels really sad because I'm remembering all the awesome Christmasses I used to have, and I mourn the old me who used to love this time of year.

Well, my husband had just been really bah-humbuggy one year and I had vented to a friend. Our house is in a rural area and so she has a key for emergencies --- I'd been out all day and come home and opened the door to find a fully decorated christmas tree in our entry-way, complete with a pile of wrapped presents under it addressed to me, my husband and even our cat. It was just the best thing ever!

hellouterus

A Gift For The Future

I was in school for graphic design after spending my first 25 years of life not knowing what I wanted to do and having doubts that I could make it. So I opened this gift and it was a set of prismacolor markers. Now these are expensive professional markers, and I never mentioned anything about them. I freaked out saying "mom! Do you know what these are?!" My mom said "you're going to be a designer, you need the right tools!". Her support and unquestioning confidence helped paved the way for my success.

SnackRaptor

"Pajamas" = "Family"

My mother-in-law has a tradition of getting pajama sets for her daughters for Christmas. The Christmas before my husband and I got engaged, she also gave me a pajama set. It meant so much to me because it told me she considered me part of the family already.

My SO also gave me earrings that Christmas. They're lovely and he put a lot of thought into picking them out for me, but the really memorable part is that he got them from a local jeweler that is known for their engagement rings. Earring boxes look a lot like ring boxes, and I panicked a little because we weren't planning on getting engaged for another several months and I thought he was trying to propose.

HoboTheDinosaur

It's Never The "What," But The "Why" Of A Gift

I was in first year of college, poor as hell. I rented a room from a very nice family. At dinner, I told them how I can't afford a padlock till my next paycheck, therefore I can't use the locker at the gym.

Needless to say, for Christmas, they got me a really nice padlock and a gift card for a local grocery store just so I could stock up on food.

I still treat them like my own family 10 years later.

socalcrucial

You Can Give, Even When You Have Nothing

I teach at a severely low income school. Many of my students come from homeless shelters, experience drug addicted family members, incarcerated family members, etc. As it is the holiday season I know that my students won't have much but am trying to do little things here and there.

Today, I was the one brought to tears. One of my students came in with a huge gift box wrapped in beautiful paper. This student's parents don't know how to read, one is incarcerated for drugs, and they struggle with money. The student places the box on my desk and says, "I've been saving my money since August to get you the perfect Christmas gift. Thank you for teaching me."

Inside was a 1850 piece bullet journal kit complete with pens, markers, tapes, journal, etc. I had to excuse myself to go cry. This student has nothing but wanted to make sure I felt loved on Christmas.

KetoTeacher12

Ever been given a gift that's revealed the true holiday spririt? Let us know in the comments!

Small Slights That Made People Feel Majorly Betrayed By Their Significant Other

Reddit user _Halboro_ asked: 'What was something fairly small that made you feel betrayed by your SO?'

a man and a woman walking in the desert

NEOM on Unsplash

When you're in a relationship, the things your significant other—or sig-O—does hit different.

Teasing remarks you'd laugh off from friends can feel like a knife in the heart when your romantic partner says it.

Minor slights can easily become major issues in your relationship if you feel vulnerable.

Keep reading...Show less
relationships

Products That Are Rarely Used For Their Intended Purposes

Unlabeled product bottle
Photo by Agenlaku Indonesia on Unsplash

There's this ongoing, universal joke that no one reads user's manuals for new items, so often items aren't built or used quite the way they were intended.

But some products, whether there's a user's manual involved or not, will be used for activities that they were in no way designed for.

Redditor OfficialDampSquid asked:

"What product is rarely used for its intended purpose?"

Clothespins

"Clothespins have spent years keeping bags of chips closed in my house, not a minute hanging up clothes."

- jpiro

"Great in the shop as mini clamps, specifically when gluing the linings to acoustic guitars."

- Fluffy-Anything-5528

Free Parking Corner

"The corner that says FREE PARKING on the Monopoly board."

- DanielleAntenucci

"I don’t know one single person who plays that game correctly. It’s insane how house rules caught on and became almost universal."

- Dr_broadnoodle

Cotton Swaps

"I’ll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I use a Q-Tip correctly."

- PM_DEGRADING

"95 percent for cleaning electronics. Five percent for cleaning your ears."

- Fried-Pig-Dogs

Bubble Wrap

"Bubble wrap. It was invented as a wallpaper in the 1950s."

- fuzzysarge

"Just mist down your windows with plain water and the bubble wrap just sticks by itself."

"I didn't know this trick when I had to make a bathroom more private. As a stopgap, I just sprayed the windows with fake Christmas snow."

- RedditZamak

For Surgical Purposes

"K-Y Jelly was originally developed as a surgical lubricant."

- JiveChicken00

Fixes Everything

"Duct tape. Works on everything but ducts. (They make a special tape for that, and it’s not called duct tape.)"

- ImpliedSlashS

From War to Screen Doors

"WD-40 was originally created to stop nuclear missiles from rusting."

- ShoopufJockey

Great for Kids Crafts

"I want to say pool noodles. I see a new craft for them weekly and rarely see them actually in a pool."

- gigieileen

Baking Powder Uses

"Not 'rarely used' per se, but the amount of baking powder not used for baking things is quite high."

- DayOk6350

"You can use it to instantly set super glue and create a stronger bond that is as hard as plastic and nowhere near as brittle as a regular superglue bonding."

- Happy-Personality-23

The Question Is In the Name

"Glove compartment in a car. Who actually has gloves in them? I think they are a throwback to when people had driving gloves."

- Urbanredneck2

Yardstick Purpose

"Yardsticks."

- procrastinatorsuprem

"When I was in school, all the teacher ever used it for was to smack the chalkboard to get everybody's attention when the class was acting up."

- Rich_handsome

"We use it to push the button on the smoke alarm, get spider webs on the ceiling, and every once in a while measure how deep a snow storm is."

- procrastinatorsuprem

Treadmill... Closets

"Treadmills at home."

"Or any exercising equipment at home... ends up being a clothes holder."

- shubidoobie

Mouths Instead

"Listerine was originally sold as a floor cleaner."

- mtgkajhit

"Listerine was one of those products which was marketed to do literally anything to do with clearing."

"It was also used as a medical antiseptic during surgery."

- Woffingshire

Great for Crafts

"Pipe cleaners."

"Does that count if they’re called “chenille stems”, brightly colored, and for sale alongside kids’ craft supplies?"

"Because if that does count, so should Play-Doh. It was originally invented to clean wallpaper, but once kids started playing with it (it had been nontoxic from the beginning IIRC) they changed the marketing and sold it in lots of colors."

- DBSeamZ

Cell Phones

"Mobile phones, used for anything, except for making phone calls."

- FatCat_85

"Mobile phones are used for their intended purposes, but that purpose has just changed over time."

- Reddit

These products are all a great example of how products can have multiple purposes, which technically means we can have fewer items in our homes, which means fewer things to clean!

And if cleaning the floor is a concern, apparently we can use the Listerine... while brushing our teeth. Who knew?

intended use

The Most Overrated Restaurant Dishes In The World

Stacked burger
Lefteris kallergis/GettyImages

The food industry is highly competitive with restaurants duking it out to stay relevant.

They do this by presenting diners a spin or a gimmick on classic entrees.

While some eateries succeed by a wide margin, many fail by coming up with bizarre dishes that may seem inventive but fall flat on the palate.

This just goes to show that you shouldn't mess with what already works. But playing it safe is just bad for business, though. Right?

Well, customers chimed in when RedditorFremblem_Feldsher asked:

"What is the most overrated dish in the world?"

Some people thought gourmet burgers were all hype and in bad taste.

Bigger Isn't Better

"'Gourmet' burgers. You pay top dollar and get a burger that's difficult to eat (stacked to high and falls apart) and where there's so much attention to toppings you can hardly taste the beef and cheese."

"Anything made with truffle oil gets an honorable mention."

– Treantmonk

Too Many Toppings

"$18, tall, stacked, giant burgers slathered in fifteen different condiments and toppings. They're hard to eat and usually not as good as a simple burger."

– hiro111

"Burgers should be wider not taller. I don't want to take a single bite only to lose half the toppings from the other side."

– ProphetOfPhil

Not Lovin' It

"Knife and fork burgers are bullsh*t. I hate the feeling of having to rush through eating my burger because my hands and gave are slathered in sauce."

"If it's stacked and/or messy af, it's not a good burger, even if it tastes good. It's some kind of knife and fork entree but definitely not a burger."

– FictionalContext

Sometimes people want something sweet without going over the top.

Identity Crisis

"It’s not a dish, but those milkshakes that you see that have chocolate all over the glass and a giant piece of cake on top. Ruins the milkshake with the crumbs mixing into it, and honestly could of put the cake on a plate and let us eat it normally".

– Meckles94

Dough-Not Want It

"Donuts from places known for 'cRaZy' donuts. The most 'extreme' donuts I’ve ever had were the most mediocre. They tasted like somebody put stale cereal on top of grocery store donuts."

– cppadam

Behind The Scenes

"I work with a guy whose wife runs her own bakery. He told me that most of the places selling donuts these days don't actually make their own donuts. They buy pre-made dough that is uncooked. Then the places doctor them up. Hence, the stale cereal on grocery store donuts taste. It's because that's exactly what they are."

"Apparently, making multiple types of all homemade donuts is a lot of work. I go to a Mennonite bakery at a farmers market who make all of their own stuff, dough and all. They are legit working from before they open until after they close."

– qotsa_gibs

A Big Twist...And Not The Glazed Kind

"There's a place in Niagara Falls called Country Fresh Donuts and they've got some of the best donuts I've ever had. Their long johns are the stars of the show, but their other donuts are also super good."

"Big twist? They excel at wonton soup. Anyone who goes there goes for the soup first, donuts later. It helps that they're open 24 hours a day (or, they were at one point). 3am wonton soup and a donut is mana from heaven."

– SimonCallahan

Mini Cakes

"Cupcakes during their 2009-2014 reign of terror."

– JonathanWattsAuthor

"With the icing piled so high it would go up your nose"

– Live_Reindeer7833

Not everyone fancies a fancy meal.

History Of Lobster

"Lobsters used to be peasant food - they literally fed it to prisoners. It's weird how things change, but like most things it just comes down to supply and demand."

"Lobster is quite hard to farm so, although it's not a hard-to-come-by food unless you're very far from the sea, there is still a bit more effort required in producing them. Couple that with their image as a 'luxury' seafood, which increases demand, and you get high prices."

– fantalemon

Not Worth The Hype

"Any steak from Salt Bae’s restaurants."

– WishboneCrazy9289

"Controversial but I think steak in general is overrated. I love steak and have some really good servings in nice places but I still think it isn’t as good as people go on about."

– itsyaboigreg

How Posh

"Expensive food with gold shavings. What's that about? Do you eat it to feel rich and powerful or something? I'm sure gold doesn't taste very good and is not normally supposed to be eaten."

– thegreatc*msl*t

"You can buy the gold foil on its own and it's cheaper than you'd expect (still expensive)"

"After trying on on its own, I can say gold is one of the lower ranking metals that I've tasted. Silver, stainless steel, and titanium all taste better. I'd put gold in the same tier as copper, above aluminum."

"Edit: to explain how I know this, someone asked me for advice on different types of silverware and I had to try it out myself before recommending anything. The copper is an exception as that was a dare."

– Notbbupdate

I see the appeal for Instagramming food, but if the beautiful food items photographed in portrait mode are making me salivate, they better deliver on my taste buds.

I actually patronized a diner that advertised an amazing pancake dish that had caramel sauce with crushed pecan and whipped cream. The idea looked better on paper.

When I order the breakfast delight in question, it looked nothing like how it was pictured. It was flat, messy, and undesirable.

And of course it tasted horrible. I was a sucker for that damn Instagram post.

Sometimes food is all hype. That's the worst kind, especially if you're a sucker like me and you fall for it.

People Explain Which Type Of Person They Swore Never To Become

Two elderly people looking at the river from a bridge
Photo by Sheggeor laker on Unsplash

As children, when we saw grown-ups behave in certain ways, we more than likely promised ourselves we would never be like them.

That we would never lose our temper at minor things, groan over the slightest ache in our bodies, or choose work over fun.

However, when adulthood creeps up on us, certain things about the person you become you have little to no control over.

As a result, you might find yourself screaming at children for being too noisy or going to bed at 9:15 instead of seeing a midnight screening of your favorite movie and realizing that you have become the very thing you've been trying to avoid your entire life.

Redditor UglyLikeCaillou was curious to hear what type of person the Reddit community ended up becoming, despite vowing they wouldn't, leading them to ask:

"What type of person did you swear to never turn into growing up, but did anyway?"

Letting It Out Can Ease The Pain...

"The one that makes noises when I get up off the floor."- tutohooto

The Wise Know The Vital Importance Of Being Silly

"I swore I’d never stop being goofy."

"That I’d always try to find the positive and wouldn’t give up hope."

"But then life happened."

"It’s hard staying an emotionally sensitive and caring person when so many people are just plain mean."- Lucky_Garbage5537

It's Possible, Even In A Room Full Of People...

"I never thought I would grow up to be so lonely, but here I am."- oldbaldgrumpy

Sad Season 2 GIF by FriendsGiphy

Temper Temper...

"An angry person."

"Life and people are just too much all the time."-Jumpy-Air-3385

Some Call It Frugal, Others Call It Cheap....

"The kind that put something back cause the store brand was 20 cents cheaper."- penndelnj

A Far Too Common Occurrence

"I never thought I'd live paycheck to paycheck by my age."

"I thought I'd be on my way to being financially independent by now, in fact."

"It's always been my goal, I was willing to work so hard from such a young age and never scared to make sacrifices but unfortunately my people-reader is skewed and all I ever really got was taken advantage of."

"It's not too late, I'm smarter now and I'll get there."- FriendCountZero

2 Chainz Pockets GIF by MOST EXPENSIVESTGiphy

Working Hard For The Money...

"A corporate slave."- lapdanze

"My dad was an engineer and I vowed to never be like him in any way."

"Growing up, I always said over my dead body would i become a corporate slave chained to a desk."

"Guess who is a desk jockey engineer now."- Lame_usernames_left

Watch Your Mouth!

"If my child self met my adult self, he’d tell me that I shouldn’t say so many bad words."- BarthRevan

The Apple Doesn't Fall Very Far From The Tree...

"My dad."- PolarBearChuck

"The most relatable one, nobody wants to become their parents, it’s horrible (unless you have good parents)."- Fine-Macaroon-3202

season 2 episode 6 GIFGiphy

The Comfort Of Your Own Home...

"A homebody."

"In my early 20’s I would never miss an opportunity to go out on Thurs, Friday, or Sat night and couldn’t understand why my parents would ‘waste’ a perfectly good weekend night, just to stay home."

"Now I get it. MAN, do I get it."

Derogatory Term, Or Term Of Endearment?

"I remember learning what a nerd was and thinking 'thank God I'm not a nerd' as I went home from school to play Pokemon Emerald and talk on Pokemon message boards about the upcoming Diamond and Pearl games."- hectoByte

Early To Bed, Early To Rise

"The dad that gets up at 4:30 am to exercise, and is ready for bed by 9 pm."- GreyPilgrim1973

Work Out Pain GIF by I Want You Back MovieGiphy

Beauty Comes In All Sizes...

"Overweight."

"Not super big, but not skinny anymore."- hoosierhiver

One Can Indeed Be The Loneliest Number...

"Crotchety, single old lady."

"I'm only sometimes crotchety, but I'm almost fifty and still single!"- GimmeUrNachos

Love What You Do! If You Can...

"An office drone."

"Redditing as we speak to avoid looking at yet another ghastly eyesore of a spreadsheet.'

"Why have we done this to ourselves as a civilization?"- onemanmelee

Still Waiting Office Tv GIF by The OfficeGiphy

Growing up can be scary, hence why we always promise ourselves we won't turn out a certain way.

Even so, some things about the type of person we grow up to be are completely out of our control.

And rather than bemoan our current situation, it's always best to embrace it and enjoy the precious time we have on Earth with our family and friends.

And maybe cut our parents a little slack for the behavior we judged them so harshly on as children...

growing up