Nothing says 'I love you' like a nice gift.
Sure, gift giving isn't at the top of every person's love language list, but a present or two doesn't hurt!
But when the present is bad – it's bad for everyone involved.
We decided to ask the Mamamia community for their experiences in this field, and my goodness did they deliver. Whether it was a gift from a mother-in-law, partner, a colleague – or a now-ex-boyfriend – it's safe to say that you should under no circumstances buy someone an iron, set of scales or a *ferret*. You've been warned.
Watch: Mamamia Confessions when I'm home alone... Post continues below.
Here's what 35 women had to say:
"I had finished up at my place of work after ten years of service, and was given a paperweight shaped as a frog as a goodbye present. The paperweight was probably worth $80 – I would have preferred the cash."
"My husband gave me a pair of stainless steel kitchen scissors. He assured me they were expensive. We're still married."
"I was given a blow-up hot pink floatie ring from my now-ex husband. We didn't have a pool, nor did we live near the water."
"Years ago a boyfriend bought me a computer game for a Nintendo DS... I didn't have a Nintendo DS. Guess who did though."
"For my work Kris Kringle I got a bottle of femfresh. It had to be opened in front of everyone and it was pretty humiliating. I also got a vibrator from my scout leader for my 18th. Equally humiliating."
"My rich Aunty/Uncle used to give us each a book filled with photos of themselves in exotic locations from their travels that year for Christmas. EVERY YEAR. One year they switched things up and gave me a gift card… but it had a photo of them printed on the actual card."
"My paternal nan gave my mum a toilet brush with a ceramic cat head on it for her birthday. Definitely a bit of mother-in-law passive aggression in that one."
"A lady I once worked with was given a 'thigh blaster' from her boyfriend."
"My mum just gave me a large block of Toblerone chocolate for my 34th birthday. No card. My fiancé also got the same for his 40th, two weeks ago. We bought her a TAG Heuer watch for her 60th in January last year, as well as a holiday in Noosa and took her for dinner. Prior to that, it was a $1000 fridge and two Tiffany & Co. gifts... not to be ungrateful here but a f**king Toblerone..."
"As part of a farewell gift from work I received seven tubs of various supermarket butters. And trust me when I say in 2005, butter options weren't great."
"The father of my boys (and my ex-partner) gave me a parenting book. I wasn't the one who needed it."
"For my first Mother's Day my partner got me an ironing bored and a frying pan."
"From a family friend I received an ornamental foam pear (bedazzled with diamantes) and a wall calendar from the previous year. I was eight."
"I was given a set of bathroom scales for Christmas from my now-ex husband. I don't think I need to tell you why it was a bad present..."
"My ex-boyfriend gave me a pebble he found at the beach and scratched a 'J' for my name Jess into the rock as a Christmas gift."
"My grandfather gave me a pen for 'starting my university degree' three years in a row. By the third pen, I had already graduated."
"For my birthday, my dad decided to gift me with a beautiful pair of socks. But not just any socks. No, he gifted me mop socks. Please see this picture below for reference:"
"I was given a diet cookbook – I am not into cooking, nor do I need or want to lose weight."
"We received a wedding gift from my husband's cousin which was a shoebox which on it had written in Texta 'To the Groom, love ya.' Inside the shoebox was a nappy, small chocolates, empty chocolate wrappers and a sheet of Panadol tablets but some of the tablets had been taken out and used."
"My stepdaughter gave me a used jigsaw puzzle with five pieces missing for Mother's Day."
"I got a vacuum cleaner for my 50th from my husband! I already had two! He's lucky to be alive."
"When I was in primary school we had a class Secret Santa. I received a gift that I had to open in front of everyone, that was used Lip Smackers with faded labels, dried up bottles of nail polish and empty chocolate wrappers."
"For Christmas my husband's gift to me was a gaming chair – for my home office. I am not a gamer and I don't like the look nor the feel of the gaming chair. But guess who is addicted to video games though!"
"For my birthday my mum got me a pair of nice Calvin Klein jeans. Only problem was that they were a size ten – and I am definitely not a size ten. When I pointed it out to my mum, she turned to me and said: 'Think of them as aspirational'."
"I was given a beautiful (and expensive) meat tray. Only small issue is that I am a vegetarian of ten years."
"My dad decided to buy me a fake Chanel bag and tried to tell me it was real because the friend he got it off was 'stylish' and had a lot of 'designer things'. Bless."
"I was given a ferret for Valentine's Day. I never asked for it. Hated it."
"I had spent months in lockdown with a newborn, toddler and a six-year-old and was feeling very stressed and deflated. My in-laws who were in Queensland away from the lockdowns posted me a birthday present from their trip to the Whitsundays. The present arrived a month after my actual birthday and it was a stubby cooler. I was livid."
"My ex father-in-law decided it would be appropriate to buy me g-strings from Victoria's Secret... You can imagine my surprise when I opened it in front of all the family on Christmas morning."
"I was given a DVD filled with photos of a relative's holiday."
"My husband forgot my birthday. So he asked his mother to go and buy me a present. She bought me a hairdryer. I already had one."
"I received a religious book from my mother-in-law called 'how to conceive naturally' while I was in the middle of a very long IVF journey... was not impressed."
"My dad (bless him) bought me lovely scented bath bombs for my birthday. Unfortunately for me, I don't have a sense of smell, nor did I have a bath in my apartment."
"My birthday is on December 23. When I was about 12 one of my brothers gave me a three pack of soap wrapped up and told me that it was one for my birthday, one for Christmas and one bonus soap."
"I received the same pair of earrings on two different occasions, from my partner... I don't have pierced ears."
What is the worst gift you have ever received? Let us know in the comments below!