this post was submitted on 22 Dec 2024
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Asklemmy

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[–] [email protected] 32 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

My mother-in-law gave me a booked called The Etiquette Edge which essentially explained how to be polite

[–] [email protected] 8 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

This is so funny to me! My wife recently got mad at me for comments I made on our anniversary. When I explained what I meant, she was totally fine. Communication is hard sometimes.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 19 hours ago

Yeah I'd agree with that, but this is different. She was trying to help with what she saw as my ignorance about how much more positively people respond when you follow certain social rules.

She's a northern German woman who used to run a car dealership. I listen to punk rock. We get along but the things we value in life are pretty disparate.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

I once got a picture of a really cool present from my dad, which he said was in the mail. Never got the present.

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[–] [email protected] 44 points 22 hours ago (3 children)

My mate’s little sister was sad and bemused one Christmas when their parents bought her a (single) Pom-pom. Why would you not buy a pair?

[–] [email protected] 43 points 21 hours ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 21 hours ago

Yeah - I’d always thought it would be called a Pom but just before posting I checked Wikipedia and apparently we’re both wrong. I know what you mean, though.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 19 hours ago

My Dad once gifted me a bazinga shirt. I don't watch the big bang theory.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Not the gift itself, but the response.

First of all, even before Christmas I said I'd prefer NO GIFTS at all. Regardless, my dad got me some inkjet HP printer. I thanked him for it, but asked him that we'd return it. I tried to be respectful, but regardless, he got mad at me and didn't talk with me for like 2 days.

Later he sent me the money for it and asked me to buy something for it and show him what it was. I do not know why I couldn't just keep it as extra money, but oh well, it had to be spent on something.
I got a refurbished ThinkPad for that. Pretty good device, by far beating value of HP inkjet. I even got it with a 2 year warranty (without extended) like with a new device, while only 1 year is required.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 18 hours ago

My mom knows I'm always buying tools for work (electrician) and computer-related parts/devices. She still has trouble wrapping around the idea that I don't want (as much as I sincerely do appreciate the gesture) anything in those arenas due to specificity of requirement, that and most things of that nature tend to be expensive. She still buys little random things from Home Depot, like last year she bought this wrist cuff thing with magnets on it. Great idea on paper, but not in the field. At this point she's getting older so I kinda just humor her.

[–] DJDarren 30 points 21 hours ago

My gran once gave me a toilet brush. The base had penguins floating in blue liquid, but it was ultimately just a cheap toilet brush.

I gave her a beautiful marble maze.

I didn’t bother after that.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 19 hours ago

So I’m a trans guy and as a kid I was very obviously masculine, stereotypical tomboy. One of my aunts that married into the family gave me, maybe around age 5-7, a toy makeup kit. To this day I don’t know wtf she was thinking, because it wasn’t like she never met or saw me. Was it thoughtless or passive aggressive? Who can say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[–] [email protected] 14 points 19 hours ago

Years ago my father in law gave me a Costco sized flat of Nanaimo bars. Like just wrapped it and that was that. I was so bummed as I thought it was a big coffee table book. I ended up cutting them all in half and freezing them, so we had treats through the year. My husband and I still joke about it. As we passed them in Costco last week he suggested I return the favour.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 13 hours ago

Mug from Hotspot, probably. It's actually pretty great though.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 19 hours ago

Top three would be my weird Christmas 'bonuses' from a previous employer. In order of weirdness: some fake notes (representing the companies record profits that year), a single bike pedal, and finally a spanner which had been spray painted orange.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

one of my buddies got a mtn dew. thats it

another got a playstation gift card, which would have been good but he didnt have a playstation

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (4 children)

My sister wanted me to be the Godfather to her children. She considered it a "gift."

I'm an atheist. I told her explicitly "Hey, you remember I'm an atheist, right?" Part of this whole Godfather business is making a promise to raise them religiously if their parent dies. I thought I was being considerate and kind by being honest that I did not want to be a Godfather because I could not in good conscience make such a promise.

Nope, I'm the bad guy, not the person who knew I was atheist and decided to not respect that at all anyway by asking me to be a Godfather to begin with.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (1 children)

God parents are supposed to care for the children, if the parents die. I think you shouldn’t overthink it. If you’re willing to fill that role, then raise the kids however you think is best. Accept the role gracefully as it is an honor and your sister is showing she loves and trusts you. Leave it at that.

As atheists, we have to acknowledge that most of the world isn’t yet on our level of thinking, but also that we don’t really have similar “concepts” for religious traditions that serve certain societal needs. God parents do serve a societal function. As an atheist, I can acknowledge that, accept that role, and play the part for those I love.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah my siblings and friends also know i am an atheist, but that hasn't stopped us from naming each other godparents. It is just a promise to look after the child if something happens to the parents. I also try to make some monetary investment for the children

[–] [email protected] 15 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

We solved this by having oddparents instead of godparents.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

Only if oddparents is prepended by fairly

E: spelling is hard

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[–] [email protected] 29 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Was that their expectation of you, or just a common religious interpretation?

I know plenty of people who use the term and have no care for the religious history of it.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 21 hours ago

She's religious, that was the expectation.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 20 hours ago

Even that aside, what kind of gift is "You'll have to take care of my kids if I die."?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I've always been a computer/theatre nerd. When I was a teen my parents bought me a bike. I did not express nor have any interest in a bike, but I'm sure my mom felt I needed to go outside more and spend less time on the computer. A week or two later while upset at me about something else she complained that I haven't even used my new bike yet.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

That sounds a bit petty from you, at least from my POV.

No matter how nerdy you are, going outside is healtht, both physically and mentally. They got you a nice gift, IMO.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

They got me something I had no interest in and were upset I wasn't using it. Ever hear the phrase "it's the thought that counts"? It demonstrated zero thought into what I would actually be interested in.

It's like buying a teen a set of knitting needles and being surprised that they didn't start knitting with them.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Ever hear the saying "Don't look a gift horse into the mouth"?

It demonstrated plenty of thought.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Bro upset his parents told him to be healthy and touch grass.

Lenny moment

[–] [email protected] 3 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I didn't like a gift that demonstrated zero understanding of who I was or what I would have wanted.

There was no attempt to talk to me about going outside more or getting more exercise, I have always been pretty skinny and reasonably healthy, and at no point did I indicate that I didn't go outside or wasn't active.

But I'm sure you understand my parents and their motivations better than I do.
Lenny moment.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 13 hours ago (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 11 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

My mother got me Rogaine for my birthday last year. Pretty rude and uncalled for I felt but now I've stopped cutting it and have the longest hair I've ever had so I guess she hit a nerve with that one

[–] [email protected] 10 points 20 hours ago

XXL pajamas. I'm a medium bordering on small so I was swimming in them.

I think I also got a video game for a console I didn't have but the gesture was nice.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Sounds really fucked up of me, but I once had a girlfriend gift me a painting she made for me. I could tell she really tried, took her time, spent money on it, and she chose a subject matter I really liked, but it was absolutely terrible. One of the worst paintings I've ever seen.

It put me in such a dilemma because she even framed it and was expecting me to hang it up at my place but I couldn't bear to hang it and see it 'decorating' my place. I thanked her a lot when she gave it to me but I would've preferred she had gotten me nothing instead.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 14 hours ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 12 hours ago

No, I broke up with her about a month or so later and threw it away.

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