Gift Misfires

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Steve Kroll

Wine Guy
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
6,634
Location
Twin Cities, Minnesota
I just want to preface this by saying that my brother is a very thoughtful guy. He and his wife sent me a wonderful Christmas gift of sausage, cheese, beef sticks, and a sampler of Spanish Iberico ham.

I know it was expensive, but other than the cheese I can't eat it. The problem is I no longer eat red meat and the salt in the ham would probably kill me if I did. On a positive note, it will not go to waste because there are family members who will happily scarf it down. Probably right in front of me. :ROFLMAO:

But I feel bad. It is completely my fault because I never told him I don't eat meat anymore.

So that got me thinking... what gifts have you received or given that were completely off the mark?
 
Last edited:
Hi @Steve Kroll it's nice to see you back here. You had left, others had left, a few times I left, and here we are again.
I also make it hard for others to buy us gifts. We don't mean to either. We are older, we aren't collecting anything, we don't eat meat, dairy, eggs, high cholesterol things, avoid salt, sugar, oil...we're impossible.
As much as I would like to say something about whether we can eat something or not, they'll ask why..The answer is about health. They don't want to read the labels on food for themselves, why would they like to read the labels on my behalf? They probably wouldn't like to do that.
 
It's difficult I know. A friend said once she brought a bottle of wine as a gift to the hostess who had given it to her. She hadn't remembered and was horribly embarrassed. I told her the answer is simple - Just say you enjoyed the wine so much you wanted her to enjoy it too! LOL

But I also tell people that I gift. I truly hope you like and can use/enjoy it. BUT if not - please feel free to regift it! Doesn't bother me at all. I will probably never know and even if I do - I'm glad to gift you with something you won't have to go out and buy for a gift for someone else. (hmmm a little garbled that but I think you catch my drift.)

Hints:
Don't bring flowers without a vase. Hostess has enough on her mind without having to find an appropriate vase for your gift. Although in Europe (or at least Germany, back in the 50's) - it was d'rigueur to bring cut flowers to the hostess.
Maybe bring a potted plant? (yup, even those can be regifted!)
Don't bring food that the hostess will feel obliged to serve thereby ruining her thought out menu. Unless of course, you know her menu's are usually crap.
(always thinking of you Larry!)
Maybe some bagels and cream cheese? Tell her, here's breakfast for you tomorrow. Relax after working hard to feed us tonight.

The above are compliments of Ina Garten but really are for Hostess gifts. Family gifts... think that's a bit of a different matter. If asked perhaps suggest a Gift certificate... in this day and age - can't go wrong.

Edit to say....
If it's blissful you are buying for... definitely go for the potted plant or even seeds! LOL or a bag of apples. Ask for her apple butter in return.
 
Last edited:
okay I've given this some thought. @dragnlaw
for mr bliss, bee hive parts from Dadant or a gift certificate to Dadant.
for myself, interesting watercolor paint, brushes, paper or a gift card from Dick Blick.
I think this is a good plan.

The hive parts ended up being honey comb supers, very specialized but the honey comb is beautiful! People love it.
 
It's true - I hate waste and buying something "just because" is waste to me. Learn to ask, prod them if you must. You must know something about your relative or neighbour or co-worker.

A gift certificate even for the grocery store is better than something unwanted or useless.

Hot diggety darn! Why didn't I think... yes, please - I'll take a lump of honeycomb. 😊
How about some good Watercolour Paper?
@medtran49 - sure she'd like a nice gift certificate for the craft store she frequents. Or perhaps the Asian market... wow, that one would go really far!

It's the giving time!
 
So...after much pressure from family, I announced that I was "child-free by choice." That Christmas, I received anything and everything related to promoting pregnancy. Birthing egg, fertility charm, foods, books, my ex was given boxers, etc. We were even given a car seat because "I got such a good price on it that I thought you may be able to use it." Awkward - this was many years ago when such things really were not discussed in open.

I was weirdly amused but also slightly ticked. As time passes, the memory grows more amusing.
 
Last edited:
So...after much pressure from family, I announced that I was "child-free by choice." That Christmas, I received anything and everything related to promoting pregnancy. Birthing egg, fertility charm, foods, books, my ex was given boxers, etc. We were even given a car seat because "I got such a good price on it that I thought you may be able to use it." Awkward - this was many years ago when such things really were not discussed in open.

I was weirdly amused but also slightly ticked. As time passes, the memory grows more amusing.
That is so....wow, that they wouldn't or couldn't understand! I would be really ticked!

That would be like me announcing I don't eat meat and family buying me half a cow.
Or marrying into another religion or skin color, and then getting uninvited to family holiday dinners.
I'm sorry this happened to you. Someone once said, friends are god's apology for family.
 
When I retired, my company gave me a gift. I was taking Sommelier classes at the time, and someone thought I might want "nice" wine glasses. Not understanding what makes a good wine glass, they spent $700 on 6 of the most unusable wine glasses and decanter ever made. They were handmade by some glass maker in Vermont, Simon Pearce. Some might call them pretty (not me), but each weighed a ton, and were very top heavy. The balance was so bad, that it was impossible to hold it by the stem, even when empty. The lip was at least 3/8 inch thick, not good for drinking.

I have been trying to sell them on ebay for a year - sold 4, but still have 2 glasses plus the decanter. They should have just given me a check.
 
Here's a good one in the wrong direction @dragnlaw
First I want to acknowledge that the honeycomb is a great gift to almost everyone.
Unless the person is the center of the universe, then nothing will be a good gift.

Someone might feel that they are not sweet enough if they received honeycomb for a present. "Are you trying to sweeten me up?". What can you say to someone that takes that stance? "yes you old crank, I can attract more flies with honey than with vinegar." Vinegar-not a particularly good gift, never tried that.:cool:

I made cheese for a couple years, that as a gift might be, "are you trying to fatten me up?":ROFLMAO:
And before that homemade soap was a good gift, except for "are you saying I'm dirty and need a bath?":mad: "yes take a bath, you live too close to the sun."
Growing garlic is a great gift, since most people use garlic in cooking, so we plant a bit extra for that. No vampires around are an added bonus. :yum: Our neighbors are happy to receive it.
 
So...after much pressure from family, I announced that I was "child-free by choice." That Christmas, I received anything and everything related to promoting pregnancy. Birthing egg, fertility charm, foods, books, my ex was given boxers, etc. We were even given a car seat because "I got such a good price on it that I thought you may be able to use it." Awkward - this was many years ago when such things really were not discussed in open.

I was weirdly amused but also slightly ticked. As time passes, the memory grows more amusing.
Truly a crappy thing to do. I would have saved all the gifts and regifted them back to them next Christmas.
 
When I retired, my company gave me a gift. I was taking Sommelier classes at the time, and someone thought I might want "nice" wine glasses. Not understanding what makes a good wine glass, they spent $700 on 6 of the most unusable wine glasses and decanter ever made. They were handmade by some glass maker in Vermont, Simon Pearce. Some might call them pretty (not me), but each weighed a ton, and were very top heavy. The balance was so bad, that it was impossible to hold it by the stem, even when empty. The lip was at least 3/8 inch thick, not good for drinking.

I have been trying to sell them on ebay for a year - sold 4, but still have 2 glasses plus the decanter. They should have just given me a check.
I totally get it. For many years I have been a wine judge at our state fair. For the first 10 years or so, we were given these tiny little ISO tasting glasses to use for judging wine. I don't know who decided these glasses were the "standard" but they were awful. Too small, too thick, unbalanced, and if you attempted to swirl the glass, wine spilled everywhere.

One year, our wine club bought new glasses to use and donated all of the old ones to the fair. What a difference it's made.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom