As we get older, people begin to treat us differently.
Some of those changes are welcome, but others...
Take gifts for example. All of a sudden gifts aren't fun anymore, they're practical.
And while practical is great, sometimes you crave the silly, fun gifts you used to receive.
Redditor devious_egg asked:
"Adults, what is something you'd love receiving as a gift but no one even considers giving you because you're an adult?"
It's the simple things...
"All I want for Christmas is a small stocking full of chocolate coins and a superhero comic."
"Long gone are those days..."
Art Supplies
"Really REALLY nice colored pencils."
- Nervous-Error-6728
"I want a giant box of crayons and a Mickey Mouse coloring book."
- Purple-Yak8572
Kid's Story Books
"Kid’s story books. Especially the hardcovers, the vintage ones and the fancy interactive ones."
"I’m an adult who enjoys non-fiction the most but these books tend to give me the escapism I have a hard time getting from normal novels."
"Most times when I go into a comic book store, I’d leave with at least a copy of a kid’s superhero story book. And last Christmas when my friend bought me a Peppa Pig book (with a built-in music box) as a joke, I ended up actually loving it so much."
"And even now, I’ve kept all the children's books I read even when I started reading and just go through them when I’m bored."
"This is probably why I make free illustrations in my free time for school textbooks and storybooks in local libraries in every town I used to live in. Going back to see the kids reading them is also a really wholesome feeling."
Surprise
"I always wanted a surprise birthday party."
- BeachBookBeer
Piece of Cake
"Honestly?"
"Someone get me a LEGIT Carvel Cookie Puss Ice cream cake."
"No, I'm not lying."
"Mom bought me one for my birthday every year until we moved to Pennsylvania and they didn't have a Carvel store in sight."
"This is going to be my 20th birthday without Mom. I think I would 'ugly cry' if someone bought me Cookie Puss!"
- BeckyAnn6879
Toys...
"A kite."
"I would love a well made, really colourful kite."
- No-Shelter-4208
"Nerf guns."
"Not gonna lie, I’m probably to old for this stuff, but I love screwing around with my friends and just having a great time flinging foam."
- Save-The-Defaults
Giphy"Lego, that’s all I ever wanted, Lego."
- jsloan8
We all deserve to be kids on Christmas...
"I always buy toys for the adults at Christmas and mark them from Santa. A tradition my mother carried on for us kids until her passing saying, 'We all deserve to be kids on Christmas'."
"My girlfriend thought it was silly when I first did it for her family at their Christmas Eve gathering. I picked up nerf guns for all the guys and polly pockets for the gals."
"It was hilarious to see confused looks on their faces when they opened them, some thinking they were mistakes, actually meant for the children."
"But before long there were men from 18-70 running around the house shooting nerf bullets at each other like little kids while grandmothers and granddaughters played with tiny dollhouses."
"The most confused in the place were the actual children. I always manage to find a theme toy that involves everyone from tiny RC cars or hot wheels to Barbie Dolls and brings out the kid in all."
"I highly recommend this tradition to anyone who wants to liven up family get togethers that can too often be stressful."
- socket_error
Growing older is inevitable.
But growing up is voluntary.
So what childish gift would you want? Let us know in the comments below.
Image by Innviertlerin from Pixabay |
Happy Father's Day Dads! Hopefully 2021's celebration of all the pops out there will be more lively than the pandemic celebration.
So what can we all do or buy to make sure this year is the best of the best? Dad's are so much easier and simultaneously more difficult than mother's.
They say you don't have to put in a crazy amount of effort, because they claim to not need much but they do tend to notice mom's diamond earrings from the month before when they unwrap your gift for them... a bottle opener.
So a little effort is definitely appreciated.
Redditor u/botl_91 wanted to know our best options when shopping for dads by asking:
What's the best Father's Day gift idea?
Do dad's like flowers? Will they accept jewelry? Or is alcohol and a barbeque all that is necessary? I wouldn't really know, having never had a dad, so I find this an interesting topic. Please elaborate...
Chill
Fathers Day Dad GIF by America's Funniest Home VideosGiphy"Just spending a relaxing day with my kids is a great gift. They're adults now living their lives but they make time to see their old dad."
Basics
"Idk if this is the best. But every year I detail clean my dad's car. And he loves it cuz he is older. And such a busy man, he never has the time to do it himself. So if you got the supplies try surprising him with a super clean car."
"Oh I'd love this! And top off the gas tank, absolute heaven."
That Good Day
"When I was little, my dad (a single dad at the time) would take me to our local theme park every year on Father's Day. It was our little life hack - there were never any lines because no dad wanted to be in a gross theme park on Father's Day but my dad did. We did this for about a decade. Every year he would half joking half serious say he was going to make me go on the bungee jump with him; one year we got close, we made it all the way to the harnesses and I chickened out."
"So, a fast forward about 10 years, when I was in my mid-20s, Its Father's Day and I told my dad I was taking him on a surprise outing. He had no idea. I take him to the theme park and walk him right up to the bungee jump and buy two tickets. We had SO. MUCH. FUN. He's just the best god damn dad in the world and he made my otherwise crappy childhood so wonderful. Nothing is as precious to me as those memories and now we have another one from when we were both adults."
- okwerq
Sent Gifts
"One year I couldn't go home for Christmas so I sent my dad five pack of super bright LED flashlights just because I knew he would shine them in my brothers' eyes throughout the entire day. This is the equivalent of buying your brother's kid a noisy toy."
Side Pocket
time shot GIFGiphy"Best 'gift' I got my Dad was taking him out for a few drinks so we could talk and shoot some pool. It's an annual thing now."
Pool? You can play pool anytime, suddenly its a holiday celebration. Well to each their own. I know really it's about quality time. That's so... motherly. ;)
In his Image
Bobblehead GIF by Purdue SportsGiphy"I once made my dad a bobblehead of himself out of air-dry clay. It wasn't the best quality because I hadn't ever made a bobblehead before, but he LOVED it. He cried (a rare occurrence) and then showed everyone he knew."
Memories
"Spending time and making memories. My Dad just died last week somewhat unexpectedly. I was able to see him and spend time before he passed which I will treasure forever. My Dad and I would make a point of just hanging out together on Father's day and do stuff."
"We did train rides, boat rides, plane rides. Sometimes just driving around and having dinner. The point was just to enjoy each other's time. I don't remember any physical gifts I gave him. But those memories of spending the day and doing awesome stuff I will keep with me forever. Miss you Dad ♥️"
"Edit: Wow, I had no idea this would blow up like this. Thank you all for the kind words and awards. Reading all of your stories about your own Dad's brings so many good tears. I am so lucky to have had such a great Dad and even luckier to tell him that before he passed . For those of you who didn't have a good Dad or didn't have one at all, be that Dad. To your kids, to your nieces and nephews, to your friends kids. Hell even to the neighborhood kids. It matters."
A Beautiful Day
"Spend the day with him doing something he likes. The best Father's Day gift I got recently was a day at a streetcar museum with my three kids. I love museums, I love ice cream, and I love just spending the day with no pressure. I've been trying to get my daughter interested in golfing, with no success."
"The best gift I could get at this point would be for her to humor me for a bit and come with me to a driving range. Even if she never plays golf again, I would always remember that day like I will always remember the streetcar museum."
Blah Blah
"My stepdad is the most boring guy who channels the energy of Hank Hill's gang. Super hard to buy for. The only thing he would possibly want is expensive tools but he buys that stuff for himself. One year I got him a new trash can (he really likes emptying the garbage) filled with his favorite stuff--paper towels, Boraxo hand soap, peanuts, Top Ramen, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol. He loved it."
Never Alone
Lisa Simpson Hug GIF by The SimpsonsGiphy"I see a lot of leave me alone. I don't want to be left alone. Probably the best would be for them to set up some sort of outdoors activity."
"Like a slip and slide or something. And I can just watch them play. Then they bbq, which they can't do, but I'll help them. Maybe watch a movie together that night. Low key. Restful day and we spend it together."
Sounds like every parent is really after the same things. Yes, they all enjoy quiet time, but being surrounded by love and good company is always the way to go.
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Whoever began the tradition of giving presents to people on their birthdays is a total genius.
Think about it. You did absolutely zero work to be born. That was all your mom's pain and toil.
Nevertheless, you are rewarded with presents and attention every single year for the rest of your life. Frankly, that doesn't add up. But nobody in their right mind would end that tradition and doom themselves to never receiving gifts anymore.
Some of those annual presents are better than others, of course. And some are the absolute worst of all time.
Redditors gathered to share the truly bizarre and disappointing gifts they've received from friends and family over the years.
The key takeaway? STOP GIVING PEOPLE USED CRAP.
YoWhatTheDuck asked, "What is the worst gift you’ve ever received for your birthday?"
Test Run
"My uncle and aunt gave me a broken toy car when I was like 5. They let my cousin play with it before it was my birthday and he broke it." -- SmokeWineEveryday
"Man if I was ur parent, I would've threw that toy car back at them so hard" -- lycacons
"That's a straight up d**k move" -- piuamaster
All Comes Down to the Expiration Date
"An anti-aging cream. Would be cool if I wasn't 9 years old. Opened it and it was obvious it was used before, also had hair in it. Mom put it in the trash immediately." -- m3714246
"I would have used it to vanish out of existence if it was a cream that makes you look 10 years younger" -- GodTierAimbotUser69
"You could still be 9 years old if your mom didn't trash it" -- PacoMahogany
Can't Beat the Classics
"When I was ten my grandma gave me a plain white towel. I wasn't good at hiding my disappointment so my mom made me apologize and pretend that I loved it."
"There was no way that I could tell it apart from all the other plain white towels we had."
-- NerdyFrida
Dude Needs a Calendar or Something
"One year my uncle got me batteries, with a note that said 'toy not included.' Another year he wrote IOU on a piece of paper." -- saltiestteacher
"Sucks as a birthday present, but a hilarious joke. He could've given something else too."
"An IOU can be extremely valuable, but from the sounds of it not much from your uncle." -- nobodynr15
"See I would do the battery thing as a joke for half an hour, then bring the actual toy out" -- teedo
Local Memorabilia
"A key chain in the shape of Texas with the name and phone number of a random traffic lawyer. I've never been to Texas or expressed interest in the state, and I didn't know the lawyer." -- Cats_Waffles
"Holy sh**, was it Jim Adler, the Texas Hammer?" -- Mr_Mori
"Oh wow. Sounds like you got a Jim Adler key chain! Those fetch a few thousand dollars nowadays!" -- texasbravo
"This Year, I Got You My Naked Cooties"
"My mother in law gave me her used bathrobe. I don't know how one could possibly say FU you more eloquently without words than that."
"Still stuns me 20+ years later."
-- thepanichand
Kinda Reversed That One
"Last birthday I lived with my family they all went out to eat without me lol" -- 1836547290
"Could be the best present, just depends" -- 01kicka**ius10
"Did they sing?" -- BtDB
Breaking Even
"I was buying $5 cd I wanted on my bday, my (now)ex said he hadn't gotten me a gift yet, so he said he'd just buy it for my gift."
"About a week later I was buying groceries, and a $5 bill was in my change and he is it eyeing it. He tells me 'hey... you never paid me back for the cd I got you for your birthday.' So, I gave him the money for it."
The Perfect Shape for Wrapping
"my dads side of the family used to give my siblings and me entire costco sized packs of corn muffin mix for our birthdays/christmas. always corn muffin, never any other kind."
"like, we would unwrap the present and it would be 10 boxes of corn muffin mix. i cant offer you more context because there literally isnt any."
"it was always a mystery. my parents used to fight about it lol"
Couldn't Resist the Temptation
"Last year for Christmas I got a half eaten meat basket from my In laws! The Summer sausage was cut in half and wrapped with plastic wrap and the cheese spread had been opened" -- jpm1188
"In what world does this seem okay or even occur as a thought" -- BrutalWarPig
"Just looking out for you, and making sure it wasn't poisoned lol" -- not-a-real-username
Birthday day
When I was a kid my dad gave me the money I got for Christmas on my birthday.
Christmas, I got money. Birthday, I was allowed to spend it.
Not amused
A day at an amusement park where my father explicitly went out of his way to make it excruciatingly clear that we were not there FOR my birthday.
I was 8.
Sportsmanship
My uncle gave me a Xbox Live points card for my birthday, when I went to redeem it, it said card not activated. This happened 2 years in a row until my mom told him about it.
My ex's sister-in-law did this to several of us every Christmas and her dad would always feel bad and mail the equivalent in cash. Year 5 or 6 we checked the balance of a card during presents, found it was unactivated and he asked her to leave the house without the gifts she had already opened.
Unkindness of strangers
The year my husband invited friends over for my birthday so I got to make my own birthday cake, along with dinner for 8 people...and received no gifts
Partnership
Everyone forgetting that my birthday happened despite the fact that I'm a twin but everyone remembered my twin's birthday instead of mine.
Edit to clarify some things: I'm a fraternal twin. My twin brother is taller and looks older than I am. He was a college football player.
I'm a slightly shorter, skinny person who looks vaguely hispanic while also looking white at the same time despite the fact I'm half Japanese.
My twin is a more outgoing person than I am. I'm a very quiet/introverted personality. IDFK how my parents forgot. They just did.
Year after year
I have a few: I was taken to a steakhouse for my birthday one year. They all knew I was a vegetarian, but my family all wanted steak. I had complimentary bread and cole slaw for my birthday that year.
I planned a big party when I was 16, almost everyone I invited said yes, then no one showed up.
An ex-bf and I had planned a weekend getaway for my 30th at a fancy hotel. We were supposed to meet there. He never showed (he claimed he'd been called into work but I think he was cheating on me). I ended up getting sick (food poisoning maybe), had to beg the front desk to bring me some bread in the middle of the night. I checked out at dawn to drive myself 2hrs to home.
I loved celebrating my birthday as a kid, but now I actively ignore it.
Not cool
I had just worked off the baby weight and was finally down to a Small again. My mom, who loves to take digs at my weight, bought me a bunch of tent-like drape-y clothes in Large.
What now?
My Grandma told me my gift was that she was going to quit smoking, for my 13th bday.
Had it been true it would have been great but she gave this gift to me many times already.
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If you were a lucky kid on your birthday, you received that one special toy you really wanted.
But not every kid had that privilege of getting whatever their hearts desired.
Sometimes, they got what they needed – like clothes. Lots and lots of clothes.
I remember frowning upon a knitted sweater I got for Christmas and a pair of olive-colored corduroy pants when all I really wanted was an Atari gaming console.
Curious to know what strangers missed out on getting as kids, Redditor Notworththinknabout asked:
"What's that one present you wanted to get as a kid but never actually got?"
ASIMO Is Not For Sale
"I really wanted a Honda robot. I found out Honda had built a robot and I asked for one for Christmas because I assumed they were mass produced."
The Day The Music Died
"An electric guitar and one day I found one hidden in the back of my fathers wardrobe. I was so excited and then Xmas day comes around and I got, well I can't even remember what I got but it wasn't an electric guitar. Turns out it was a present for our neighbours kid and my parents were hiding it away so the kid didn't find it prior to Xmas day. I can feel the sadness again writing this."
A Worthy Substitute
"A doodle bear."
"So I just used my brother instead- took ages for mum to get the sharpie off him."
Scanning Thingy
"I really, really wanted something called a Barcode Battler. You could scan the barcode on any item and it would give it a sort of 'top trumps' style score which I presume you could then battle with your friends over?"
"I was obsessed with getting one. I would never shut up about it. Whenever an amount of money was discussed I would chip in with stuff like 'that's the same as 3 Barcode battlers'."
"None of my friends had one, so I don't even know what I intended to do with it, looking back. I'd just seen an advert on Saturday morning TV and decided I must have it."
"My mum never got me one, I think I ended up with a SuperSoaker. My friends DID have those, and we had great fun with them. If I'd had my way, I'd have been sitting in the corner scanning random items with my Barcode Battler while they partook in giant SuperSoaker wars."
"Cheers mum, for saving me from myself."
Egon Spengler Action Figure
"Egon from Ghostbusters. The Ghostbusters toys were the only toys I had as a kid that weren't hand-me-downs or cheap knock-offs, so they were always special to me. I had Peter, Ray and Winston, I had the Fright Features figures, I had the Ghostbusters tower, I had the Ecto 2 helicopter, and the kid who lived next door had Ecto 1 and the proton pack which I could play with all the time, but I never had Egon. Even when I specifically asked my mum to buy Egon for me, she came back with another Winston. I had two Winstons."
"Years later (we're talking late 2000s here), my sister was in some charity shop and she found an Egon figure in a bucket of random action figures. She remebered that I never had him as a kid and bought it for me. It was such a silly thing, but it meant so much to me."
When Daddy Forgot
"When I was really young I wanted this mermaid Barbi my father even promised to buy it but forgot which one it was and he brought me a fairy doll instead when he went to buy the mermaid doll they said they were out of stock and I never saw it again after that."
The Toy That Taught You Responsibility
"A Tamagotchi. I've put it on every Christmas and birthday presents lists for years, never got any. My parents didn't even discuss it with me or asked what it was."
Never Too Old To Doodle
"The 64 Crayola crayon pack."
"And yes, I bought it for myself at age 34."
The Legendary Defender
"Voltron. Always got Voltron related stuff but never the actual robot."
Christmas Wish Unfulfilled
"I was 15 all I wanted was a Macklemore hoodie. I told my parents if that's all I got for Christmas I would be happy. Never happened."
– Fia__
This One Didn't Workout
"There used to be this Superman muscle blow up shirt that you could press a button and inflate fake muscles on yourself. Always wanted that, had to settle for a regular superman costume."
"I remember being pretty upset it didn't blow up, but in retrospect my parents were really struggling as immigrants. And i'm eternally grateful for what they did for me as a kid to the best that they could have. Love you Mom and Dad <3"
It's A Liability
"I've always wanted roller skates since I was little. They never bought them because I could break a bone or something."
Revved Up And Nowhere To Go
"A motorcycle, my dad promised me one for my 16th birthday. We'll in my thirties now, still waiting..."
– U_cabrao
The Problem With Foam Balls
"NERF made something called the Ballzooka. It was a multi chambered gun that shot foam balls. I wanted one so bad but when my birthday and then Christmas rolled around, my parents claimed they could never find one and that they were out of stock. When I was in my 20s, my dad revealed that they didn't want to spend the money because they figured I'd lose the foam balls in a few days and stop playing with it. Honestly, they're probably right."
"It's the thought that counts." That's a lie people. Half the time no thought went into it. Don't give bad gifts. If you have no idea... when in doubt... give a gift card. We've all had to grin and bare it after unwrapping some gifted monstrosity. It would save so much time and burnt feelings to just give a blanket gift at this point in life. Case in point; let's discuss some gift ideas that left the wrong impression.
Redditor u/jedelhauser wanted to hear everyone's horror stories about gift giving by asking.... What's the worst gift you have ever received?
Hey Dory....
GiphyFor my 10th birthday, I really wanted a fish. They got me a fishbowl, those decorative rocks and fish food. But no fish. They said i could just imagine there was a fish lmfao.
I kinda shrugged it off.
My dad once got me a boombox that could only be used in his room/stored in his room. That I also couldn't use without his permission. So basically he bought himself a boombox.
My Dad remarried, adopted her kids, and moved to another state. He was normally a very good gift giver... but one year he decided to buy a very expensive set of tools for me for Christmas because I was 18 and going off into the world. Except that it was a gift for both myself and my brother to share so it had to stay in that other state with my 8 year old brother.
I kinda shrugged it off. I assume it had something to do with my Stepmom wanting things to be fair since the tools were so expensive.
Must've sucked to be an 8 year old who got a bunch of tools to share that he was probably never allowed to touch when all he really wanted was a Pokémon game or something. I've never asked my brother about that, gonna have to see if he remembers.
"make a point."
It wasn't so much the gift, it was the circumstances. I had some friends who were secretly trying to raise money to help me take care of my dying dad. They'd told a mutual friend of theirs about it, a very wealthy woman who was an attorney. So, on my birthday, she thought it would be appropriate to send me a woven bag as a gift, with a card in it detailing how I needed to not be a beggar, I needed to pull myself up by my bootstraps, I needed to stop asking people like her who were well off for money (I hadn't, my friends had asked her to contribute to a fund they were making), and how I could eventually be a decent person and not such a poor.
I received the gift during my birthday party, and had a complete meltdown that ended up with sending everyone home. She knew I'd grown up homeless, she knew I'd struggled and was finally doing well enough to rent a house on my own, and I had a really good job. She just wanted to "make a point."
They don't know me.
Every year I get a gift basket from my dad and step mom. It includes coffee from the clearance section of ross, a bottle of wine, and lots of other clearance stuff from Ross. I don't drink, I can't drink coffee. I sound ungrateful, but I'd rather just get a card. They don't know me.
Domino.
GiphyMy brother ALWAYS brings this up every Christmas, but back when I was going through grades 1-4 (US) back in the 90's, we would do a class gift exchange.
It was one of those setups where everyone buys one present to put into a pile at the center of the room, then numbers are drawn and each kid gets the present that corresponds to the number they drew, so it was completely random what present you ended up with. Somehow I ended up getting a box of dominoes every. damn. year. When I got the box of dominoes in fourth grade, I burst out crying. I still don't really know how to play dominoes.
the list goes on and on.....
My grandma was the queen of bad gifts. Because she would just give you whatever she had, or something she had found at the store but completely related to her and not to the person receiving the gift... I got a few used ( by her ) nightgowns, books in English when I couldn't understand English well yet as a kid, books to learn German when I was not learning German in any shape or form at school and already had to learn English and Italian for school.
Brand Pens ( like the ones you get in hotels) old makeup, old used bags or shoes she had found at the flea market, a tourist book about a city I had never been at... the list goes on and on... she was great though. Not a good person per se, but She made up for all the mistakes in her life by being a great grandma.
Orange....
GiphyOrange flavored tic-tacs. The only thing is they weren't orange anymore, my aunt had sucked on them all to get the orange flavoring off and put them back in the container. They were just a clump of stuck together white tic-tacs. It was very confusing for 6 year old me.
Talk to Harry.
When I was little I was super into reading and my grandparents would always give me books way below my reading level. Like I'd be reading Harry Potter and they'd give me me those books they give you in school to teach you how to read. I'd always be excited about book shaped gifts but then really disappointed when I opened it.
For Sale.
GiphyMy ex mother in law gave me a mason jar with the ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies in it. Which was fine, until my ex sister in law (who had Down syndrome) chimes in "we got it at a garage sale". Who knows how old the ingredients were.
Sad Holiday.
My adopted mother kept track of how much money she spent raising me, and one Christmas (years after I had moved out) sent me a card with "I'm taking $500 off your debt to me for Christmas."
The Rat in a Cage....
I wanted a pet rat he found a cage and a big fake halloween rat, I mean he had to take the top off the cage to put it in and it was 3/4 the cage size, at the flea market. Laughed his butt off when he said he got me a pet rat, he laughed even harder when he gave it to me. I was 14 and wasn't amused at all. It's funny now, but 14 year old me had that same face my mom gave him when they were married and he did this crap.
Do you even know me?
My ex husband is a crap giver, no thought into gifts. No thought towards others at all. When we were still married he once gave me a makeup kit, although I never wore makeup. I asked him why he got me makeup and he said the sales clerk said most women love makeup. Do you even know me? Do you even see me? A year later for my birthday, he gave me a snowboarding jacket. I don't ski or snowboard, but it could be a really warm winter jacket. I tried it on, it was enormous.
I asked if we could exchange it for a size that fit me. He said no, the jacket was really for him and I wasn't allowed to wear it. Some other memorable gifts from him include the stolen mattress that we did not need. A cell phone with a new line of service that he got in my name without my permission and to which I received the bills to pay for it. Happy Birthday to me! Other fun memories of him include the time I got a call from a Land Rover dealership that he had traded in MY car for a brand new Land Rover and I had hours to get my car to the dealership before they called the police.
I encouraged them to call the police. The car was in my name only, awarded to me in the divorce, and the jobless prick they let drive a 60,000 car off the lot was not entitled to my vehicle. He called that afternoon telling me I was a moron and had just ruined his week. Sorry Chief.
Merry Last Year....
retro 90s GIFGiphyMy auntie got me a 2019 calendar.... On Christmas of 2019!
That's a message, not a gift.
Clippers
I got a hair clip one year.
It was a nice clip, made of metal, had pretty flowers on it but still, it threw me off.
It was Christmas one year. And my mom's side of the family always draws names. That way we only have to buy for one person. And usually we try to draw names six months in advance, to give us plenty of time to either collect multiple items to give to this one person or to save up enough money to get them that one big thing.
One year my uncle and I got each other. I made him this really amazing shadow box full of vintage pictures of him and his kids and all his favorite things that he loves to do. It looked really cool. I also got him this super cool vintage Roman helmet, and when you open it there is a felt lining that has a hole for a bottle of liquor and four smaller holes for four shot glasses.
And I got him some nice liquor and some nice shot glasses to put inside of it as well. I was really excited whenever I gave it to him because I love giving awesome gifts, and then he handed me a small bag and I pulled out a hair clip. I tried really hard not to look deflated. I really don't even care about gifts that I get. I'd rather not get anything. But the build-up that I had created by getting him this awesome gift just kind of went poof when I pulled out that hair clip.
I'd rather Nickels....
This was a long time ago and that morning my then-boyfriend said he had a surprise for me when he got home from work. He wasn't really one to give gifts and I like surprises, but when he got home he gave me huge bag of pennies. I have no idea what it was for or why he gave it to me. I just said uh okay why are you giving this to me? He said thought you'd like them. It was a pretty big let-down. So weird.
For Me!
penguin GIF by GothamGiphyMy dad once gave me his old coffee maker for my birthday. I don't drink coffee, but it was so he could have some when they came to visit.
Hannah is Dead!
My extended family seemed to forget how old I am and I rarely receive age appropriate gifts. I'm 22 now, and they've since stopped giving me anything at all.
I received multiple baggy velvet track pant sets from the ages of 11-16 for Christmas.
On one occasion, my aunt from Puerto Rico sent me a singing Hannah Montana poster when I was 16 years old.
By this time, the show had been of the air for a few years so I don't even know how she found it.
Got a Monster High makeup set at 18 by a random family member. It was the type of kit with chalky eyeshadows and lots of lip balms. I gave it to a friend's kid.
Just Keep It!
My ex-husband would give me presents that he wanted, never anything I wanted (even if I explicitly told him what I wanted). The last birthday present he got me was pretty terrible. It was a long exposure picture of his favorite drummer. He was so proud of it. Told me that he'd get it framed for me and everything. It didn't once occur to him that I had zero interest in art like that. It wasn't a horrible photo, but was entirely about him and he waited for my birthday to spend a lot of money on it.
You Realize I'm like 50 right?
They all give me gifts that would make more sense for 11-year-olds. I work in biology, and for some reason they all think that means I want hundreds of kids' chemistry sets and baking soda volcano kits. They're not even trying to be rude or patronizing, they just have not processed the fact that I'm an adult.
They also think I'm obsessed with Harry Potter for some reason. I have not read Harry Potter since I was 13, but I am absolutely drowning in merch for it. I have 3 copies of Hermione's wand.
I Hate Her!
old times rage GIF by CheezburgerGiphy3 nightgowns from my sister in-law.
All 3 were so big my husband and I could fit in them TOGETHER.
I tossed them.
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk to him about it.