Bad gifts that ended up being perfect

watergirl

Fri, Mar 22 2019, 12:22 pm

Inspired by the current thread about a hurtful gift (I didn't want to derail that thread or minimize OP's pain).

Have you ever received a gift that hurt your feelings or you hated, but later ended up being perfect for you?

Here is my amazing story:

There was a kid in my grade school class that I had been friends with from like 2nd grade through high school. My school was the host school for another school for kids with severe to profound special needs. My friend was part of the special needs school but we were friends through high school and I also made it possible for him and a few others to join our local youth group chapter for events. He was cool.

So at our high school graduation, his mother had gifts for a few of us who had been his friend through school like I was. Everyone received a beautiful piece of jewelry. I got a bracelet. A chunky thing that was so ugly and looked so fake that I assumed it was fake. The gold was too much, the gems... all of it looked like a purim bracelet. I was so hurt! Why did I get the fake bracelet? I gave it to my mom, who loved the sentiment and would not let me toss it. Yes, it looked and felt THAT fake! I promptly forgot all about it although I continued to be involved in my friend's life.

Many years later, about 6 years ago, my mother was taking some of her jewelry to be appraised and sold and that piece was in the jewelry bag. She didnt realize it was in there. The store offered over $600 for it for just the gold! The actual dollar amount was the same amount that DH and I owed to my stepson's van that took him to and from school every day, I owed it and they were threatening to stop driving him for non payment!

Talk about hashgacha pratis!!!

Let's hear your stories!

Fave

Fri, Mar 22 2019, 12:41 pm

watergirl wrote:

Wow - that story is just amazing!

Chayalle

Fri, Mar 22 2019, 12:49 pm

Wow I love that!

It's funny but I have the opposite - as a teen, my grandfather gave me a gold bracelet. I loved it. It was really pretty, and I loved having a gold bracelet to wear.

Some years ago I found out it wasn't real. It's possible that he didn't know - he was totally the type that could've been taken for a ride, or he could've bought a quality fake without knowing.

But I don't care, really. I enjoyed wearing it all those years, and it really did look good. I'm so glad I didn't know (my family was the type that had I known it was a fake as a teen, I probably wouldn't have worn it. We didn't really wear costume jewelry back then.)

ETA - the gold necklace he bought me for my hs graduation IS real. And that one has a funny story - his memory was going by that time. My older sister was shopping with him for a graduation gift for me, and he picked up the necklace - which is gold and has a heart-shaped blue stone set into the pendant - and said he will buy it despite the price tag, because the stone matches my beautiful blue eyes.

I have brown eyes, and he probably mixed me up with my younger sister....but my older sister kept quiet. She figured I'd enjoy the necklace anyway. I do (and so do my girls, who borrow it all the time and are not blue-eyed...) Smile

amother

Lemon

Fri, Mar 22 2019, 12:54 pm

My mil gives us very interesting gifts but at the end it's useful & I do get to use them.
Things like a pack of rags for cleaning. A rainbonnet. A reusable shopping bag. A to do list magnet. Anti-bacterial soap.

I don't get offended. I just know she likes to pick up anything interesting that she finds. She loves to find bargains & little knick knacks for cheap. These things at least something that is useful & could be used.
Sometimes if you got the tenth cosmetic bag that presents nicely but sits around because you have so many of them....

amother

Jetblack

Fri, Mar 22 2019, 1:02 pm

my grandmother who was poor gave every grandaughter a gold bracelet her their 16th birthday , by the time it was my turn she could not afford one to give me she gave me me a fake gold bracelet (she had over 15 grandaughter ;s)
I still dont care that it was not gold
a rich boyfriend once gave me a gold bracelet after her broke up with me for the 2nd time I did not give it back and never wore it again I keep it in the safe at the bank it's a real nice
bracelet .

amother

Seagreen

Fri, Mar 22 2019, 1:08 pm

I just had this on Purim.

I got married close to ten years ago. Two different people game Lenox vases. The exact same ones. They r HUGE. I never really found the place for them and they have been on boxes. About a month ago I going them in the stuff intended for the garbage. Dh said he didn't want them anymore since. I hadn't used them in ten years. I told him I wanted them. Anyways fast forward to this year Purim
I forgot to make my parents mm and usually do a breakfast. I just was overwhelmed and didn't do anything. They were coming to the meal and I didn't know if I really need to do anything else.
Purim night, when I was finishing up in the kitchen. I decided that I really should make them something. I quickly took some ingredients I had, and put granola in the oven.
in the morning, I realized I had nothing to put the granola into. I hadnt bought any packaging since I didn't know what I was giving them. I then remembered the vases, that were sitting in my garage for 10 years. I put the granola in a nice clear bag. And I put it inside the vase. I then wrap the whole thing and cellophane and I made a really nice label on the computer with a picture of our family. I made some batches of smoothies and I put that in a separate box to go with it.
I brought it to my parents in the morning before Megilla. they were so excited over it and my mother sent out pictures to our entire family.
everyone thought I do such a fancy mm. It looked really great.

These vases weren't awful gifts I just have no place for them at my home.

amother

Lemon

Fri, Mar 22 2019, 1:19 pm

An organization gifted us with some winter gear. I was thinking to send off the ones that don't match our coats. There was a red scarf that doesn't match for anyone.

This Purim someone came to us with a red vest, red shoes with a scarf that didn't match his costume....we gave him the red one. We also gave him a red clown hat to match.
( which I was upset when my kids came home with 6 of the same clown hats just in different colors, I told them one was just enough , it was from a different organization's Purim party where they let them take more hats)

thunderstorm

Fri, Mar 22 2019, 1:21 pm

My mother gifted me with a pack of paper napkins with my last name's initial on it. It sat in the cabinet for a couple of years until my DS turned 8 and I needed to make him a "surprise birthday party" one Shabbos. His initial of his first name is the same as our last name. I put frosted cupcakes at each place on a monogrammed napkin and he felt like a million dollars that I personalized it for him.

FranticFrummie

Sat, Mar 23 2019, 10:31 am

When I got married, my mother gave me a beautiful Spode wine goblet, with blue and white decorations. It had lecha dodi printed on it, and a picture of a bride and groom under the chuppah. Very tasteful and pretty.

DH hated it, so it sat in the china cabinet for years. When DH and I split up, I unpacked it at my new place. It had never been used, and I didn't know what to do with it.

My new neighbors across the hall had a daughter who just got engaged, so I packed up the goblet and brought it over to them. Then they dragged me inside for 2 hours of dancing and food (you gotta love Israeli Moroccans!)

The next day they couldn't stop thanking me for such a fancy gift, seeing as I'd just moved in and barely knew them. They've been giving me food ever since. This Shabbos they brought me enough to make two entire meals!

I think they've adopted me. Very Happy

amother

Silver

Sat, Mar 23 2019, 11:14 am

My MIL, who lives in a different country, sent me a shabbos robe that didn't fit right and was very uncomfortable. I ended up giving it away.
A few years later, she called me and said she wants to buy me a new robe. I didn't want her to waste her money again so I tried saying that I don't need need a new one but she wouldn't hear of it and said in that case she will buy me a weekday robe.
I never wear robes during the week - I'm a slinky skirt and hoodie type of girl, and didn't know what I would do with a weekday robe, but I couldn't insult her so I just thanked her and figured I would probably give this one away too.
She sent me a plain black cotton zip up robe that I had no use for. Until I had a baby and realized it was the perfect robe to wear over my hospital gown! I've used it post-birth for 3 babies so far and even lent it out to other new mothers.

Notsobusy

Sat, Mar 23 2019, 8:31 pm

My mil gave me an outfit for my baby daughter, and told me that she bought it specifically for her to wear to her kiddush. Not only didn't I like the outfit, but it wasn't at all dressy, it wasn't something I would have her wear on Shabbos, let alone to her own kiddush.

Being a postpartum mess, I told my husband there was no way I was letting my baby wear it to her kiddush. He felt a little bad but was smart enough not to get involved.

B"H on Shabbos morning as I was dressing her I came to my senses and put on my mil's outfit. My mil was so proud and excited that it was all worth it.

amother

Firebrick

Sat, Mar 23 2019, 9:10 pm

Someone once gifted me random household supplies, including a bunch of toilet paper. *
The kicker was that it was mailed cross-country!
Well, it came in handy, but was probably the most expensive toilet paper in the US.

in that shipment there were also plastic tote bags with quite a few pieces of dog hair inside them.
The dog hair did not come in handy.

*And no, I'd made no indication that we were not able to afford our own toilet paper; we, BH, were able to afford our household supplies.

DVOM

Sun, Mar 24 2019, 5:47 am

As a wedding gift a distant relative of my husband bought us a very expensive, very beautiful original piece of artwork: a pair of glass and crystal Xmas wreaths. It was a very confusing gift, as our wedding did not even fall out at the time of that holiday. I really loved them (they were truly beautiful) but did not think it would go over well to put them up on our front door in our new apartment in Lakewood. I saved them for years... and was able to create a lot of goodwill with our new non Jewish neighbors when I gave it to them as a holiday gift.