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I'm Shay! I’m a cookbook author, lifestyle blogger, travel agency owner, wife and mama who loves making every day special for my family.

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Mix & Match Mama

Christmas, Let's Look ·

Let’s Look: BEST/WORST GIFTS WE’VE RECEIVED


Happy Wednesday!

Today, I’m sharing a few Christmas finds around our house on Nantucket.  PLUS believe it or not, it’s time for this year’s final LET’S LOOK!

Wow!  That went by REALLY fast.

If you don’t know what this is, once a month, Erika and I do a little link up where we “look” at different aspects of our lives (and then if you blog, you share and link up too!).  We have been doing this little linky party for years now, and it’s always one of my favorite posts each month because most of the topics are YOUR suggestions!

Alrighty, just as a reminder, here’s what we’ve “looked at” so far this year (all your suggestions!)…

In January, we looked at LOW LEVEL GOALS FOR 2025.

In February, we looked at HOW WE WORK ON OUR MARRIAGE.

In March, we looked at HOW WE RESET FOR THE WEEK ON SUNDAYS.

In April, we looked at MAINTAINING FRIENDSHIPS.

In May, we looked at OUR WELLNESS ROUTINES.

In June, we looked at OUR TRAVEL BUCKET LIST.

In July, we looked at THINGS I’VE CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT.

In August, we looked at JUGGLING FAMILY SCHEDULES.

In September, we looked at MANAGING TEENAGE LIFE.

In October, we looked at THINGS WE’VE SAID NO TO RECENTLY.

In November, I was in Budapest and skipped 😉 .

And finally, rounding out our year, this month, I am sharing a look at the BEST/WORST GIFTS WE’VE RECEIVED.

Bahahaha!  That meme made me laugh out loud.

Okay, I did not select this topic for December (you ladies did!) which tells me that the comment section should be REALLY lively today.

This topic is hard for me because probably the best gift I can share with the ones I love is not putting their presents on blast on my blog 😉 .

I’m going to be vague…but try and share a few things I haven’t enjoyed over the years, but goodness gracious, I hope to read your funny comments below.

Let’s start with the things I don’t love and then move on to a few gifts that have meant the most.

Okay, here are some things I’ve received over the years that weren’t my fave (again, forgive me for being vague)…

#1: ANYTHING I CAN TELL WAS RE-GIFTED

Listen, I’m not against re-gifting.  If someone gives you something you cannot use but you know someone else who would love it, then absolutely gift it to them.  What I don’t love though is when you can tell it has been re-gifted.  If you’re going to re-gift, make sure you remove the original card/tag.  Make sure it’s not expired or spoiled.  Maybe put it in a new sack so the gift receipt from the original giver isn’t with it.  You know…make it look a teeny tiny bit like you didn’t just get something you didn’t like and hand it right over to me.

#2: THINGS THAT END UP COSTING ME A LOT OF MONEY

I don’t love an expensive gift.  I will make up some generic examples here just to elaborate…but you know what I mean.  Like a gift that cannot be used without a subscription service (that you have to pay for from here to eternity).  Or a gift that requires other parts/pieces in order to use it.  You know what I mean, right?  Some gifts are actually bills you’re going to have to pay in order to ever use said gift.

#3: BACKHANDED COMPLIMENT GIFTS

I have one example in my head.  Years and years and years ago, I prepared dinner for someone and later, they gifted me something that would have “made the way I had prepared that dinner better”.  Bahahaha!  Um, that is yes a gift but also an insult.  I wouldn’t gift wrinkle cream to someone or deodorant to someone, right?  Sometimes gifts like those are best left un-given.

#4: GIFTS THAT REQUIRE MY TIME TO USE

I don’t love when I receive a gift that now means I have to spend a lot of time using it.  One example would be a gift card to a restaurant that is not anywhere near my house.  If you gave me a gift card to a great restaurant in Fort Worth, for example, well, that is at least a 60+ minute drive (way more if I’m going anywhere near rush-hour) from my house.  Right?  A gift that is going to require me to spend a lot of time in order to use it is a complicated gift.

Of course though, I much prefer sharing the gifts I have LOVED over the years instead.  I have received many thoughtful gifts, so this isn’t a complete list.  These are just a few of the highlights/ideas that come to mind.

#1: A PUPPY

This one always stands out to me when people ask me what my favorite Christmas gift has been.  When I was 10, I got a puppy on Christmas morning.  It was a cocker spaniel that my mom bought my dad, Sean and me, and well, what 10 year old doesn’t think that’s not the best gift ever?!

#2: AN EXPERIENCE

I love receiving experiences.  Yes, these might take time, but if it’s an experience I really want (the gift-er always knows that), then I would much rather “go and do” than receive a physical gift.

#3: ANYTHING HOMEMADE

Cards, food, blankets, wooden trinkets…anything someone took the time to make is my favorite gift.  My cousin made me a jewelry box out of wood when I was around ten.  Guess what?  I still have it and keep jewelry in it.  Those are always the sentimental items I hold on to for years.

#4: ANYTHING MONOGRAMMED

I love receiving monogrammed gifts because it just elevates EVERYTHING.  No matter what it is, if you add a monogram, it becomes better.  A pad of paper?  Fine.  A pad of paper with a monogram?  GORGEOUS.  A cloth napkin?  Nice.  A cloth napkin with a monogram?  FABULOUS.  Not only does it elevate everything, but it really shows thoughtfulness.  Last minute gifts aren’t monogrammed.  That took extra time and effort which I always appreciate.

#5: PHOTOGRAPHS

I just think the gift of photographs is one that never goes out of style.  I love receiving photos…recent ones, older ones, ones of people I love, ones of people I’ve lost.  Photographs are a great gift.

#6: GIFTS THAT SHOWED YOU WERE PAYING ATTENTION

And finally, this is probably my favorite.  I love opening a gift and seeing that it is something I said I liked months before.  You know?  Something I mentioned in passing but the gift giver noticed, remembered and gave it to me at the right time.  Those are very special gifts.

Now it’s time for YOU to spill it!  Your friends and family probably aren’t reading the comment section of my blog, so if you suggested this topic, I want to hear your best/worst gifts from years past please 🙂 .

Head to the comment section and share! 

Next time on Let’s Look, it will be a brand new year!  Please, pleas, please also head to the comment section and share new ideas we can “look” at things together in 2026.  Erika and I will take your suggestions and create our list.  We will share it soon so that you can post and link up with us in January.

If you linked up today with us, please make sure you add your link below.

Thank you all so much for participating in Let’s Look this year.  We are always SO happy to see your blog posts and have you link up with us.  We have been doing this monthly series for YEARS, and we are very, very grateful that you have been participating with us.  Thank you so much for joining us in 2025.

Also don’t forget I am sharing some festive holiday finds (on sale!) today too!

Have the best Wednesday, friends! xx

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


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Comments

  1. Elspeth Mizner says

    My favorite gift was a dollhouse my dad made when I was 5. My least favorite was when my brother regifted random things in our house. An idea for a let’s look topic-our purses, our cars, our favorite apps!
    I love this link up!
    http://www.elspethsdsybyday.com

  2. Kelly Sites says

    I love a gift, but it’s not that important to me. BUT what I do love is when people really know you so well that they put TIME into the gift. They know your passions, your loves, what you adore, what your hobbies are, what perfume you love. It’s the time involved IN THE GIFT that means more to me. That you paid attention, that you know and care. That you listen to me over the year, and remember what I said about a favorite thing 7 months ago and tucked it away in your mind and then found a gift like that. The effort involved really means a lot to me. It can be the smallest gift, with the biggest heart and love behind it. Years ago a great friend hand drew a beautiful drawing that said, “here I am LORD, send me” and it was incredible. She framed it and mailed it to me without telling me, so it was a huge surprise when I opened it. It was so thoughtful and special because SHE drew it, and put such effort into that gift. I love it and will keep it forever.

  3. Alison says

    I loved both your lists of worst & best gifts…. Thank you for hosting this little link-up over the years. It’s always so fun to share and read everyone’s posts. Your memes were making me laugh out loud. I do love making bows and decorating my presents, but after wrapping for hours and hours, the creative side diminishes and maybe they’ll get a taped on bow. Hahaha! I’ll think on the topics for next year. Have a great Wednesday!

  4. Not listing my name today lol says

    I have a few that come to mind!
    -When I was a preteen I had (well, still have!) terribly frizzy hair. Someone very close to me publicly gifted me conditioner. That’s it- just conditioner. As a hint that I should use it. It was helpful I guess but also embarrassing.
    -Someone else close to me went through a phase of regifting. This regifting was literally going through their closet, grabbing a piece of clothing, and setting it out under the tree, often still with her closet hanger in it…
    -A very liberal male relative received a DVD called something like “God Bless America by Pat Robertson” and a glitter gel pen with carrying case. The gift giver was elderly and it’s not their fault but we still could barely contain our laughter.

  5. Erika Slaughter says

    That last meme is ME!! Except I don’t know there’s a single bow on any gift under my tree!!

  6. Heather says

    Worst: My first Christmas with my husband when he tried to buy me jeans and also slippers and he said they didn’t have my size (6) so he got an 8.5 and was like…that’s fine right? So he basically just gifted me an errand.

    Best: Also, from my husband who obviously learned from his mistake for this Christmas 32 years later…he told me yesterday he was taking me out for a nice dinner for Christmas this friday. I looked up the restaurant he booked and it is in Paris 🙂

  7. Mary says

    Yes to anything monogrammed or that I’ve mentioned! Oddest gift? A grocery store gift card for a landmark birthday from a relative. Oh well. Right now I’ll give the gift of prayer and wish everyone a wonderful day!

  8. Becky S. says

    Oh I love this topic! My ex-husband was/is a bad gift giver (not the main reason we got divorced ;-)) He has the tendency to buy things that he wants, not what the receiver wants. One year I got an ADVANCED quilting book. I have never sewed and do not own a sewing machine, but he wanted a quilt.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      YES! That’s a good theme, receiving a gift you know that THEY want more than YOU do!

  9. Shannon says

    First, I just reread low level goals from January and would love another installment of that.

    And second, the best gift I ever got was coupled with the worst gift my sister-in-law ever got.

    My father-in-law (who is NOT the Christmas gift shopper) bought me a refurbished MacBook (my first!) out of his own cash stash because he was supporting my endeavor to be a stay at home mom and do a little side business! It was so generous!

    Unfortunately, that same Christmas, one of my sister-in-law’s gifts from our mother-in-law was an opened package of white, wife-beater Hanes tank tops! And the kicker??? The 3-pack was in that plastic package and it was ripped and had one t-shirt missing! So not even a full package!! What. The. Heck!?!?

    Can you even imagine being my SIL? And yes, it was all on the same Christmas morning together!!! We still laugh hysterically about that. 😂

  10. Laura says

    My MIL always gave me the exact same gift she gave my SIL. Same for my girls…always the same gift as their cousin. That in itself is not bad. Good, efficient use of her time.

    BUT. We live DIFFERENT lives than they do. We dress, eat, play in different ways. So I would spend a whole day figuring out where this stuff came from and returning. Then, I was stuck with gift cards to stores I would not shop in.

    As you said, there was no thought in the gifts given to myself and my children. They were items others liked. Annoying.

  11. Pamela G says

    Well this was fun today. My favorite gift was my engagement ring . My worst gift was after having my first child and having not lost the baby weight yet, my mom got me a set of “Perfect Portions” plates 😳 She meant no ill will but I bring it up every Christmas and that was 25 years ago 🤣

  12. Lori R says

    I received a Black & Decker scumbuster from my husband on our first Christmas. Not a favorite. 😂

  13. Libby says

    My MIL gave me a fruit cake that was about the expire for my bday in April. I like fruitcake, but not one that has been on her counter for 5 months if not 17 months. Just, please, don’t give me anything.

  14. Mandie Howard says

    I once got a decoration and the giver told me I should put it in a spot where I already had something because every time she came to my house she thought I needed to replace this. Needless to say, I did not enjoy that gift! In fact, I wanted to punt that gift over a cliff!😂

  15. Dana P says

    Such a good list, the goods and the bads!
    -I agree on the thoughtful gifts. My adult daughter just surprised me with 1. a surprise trip to visit me overseas on my birthday (BEST GIFT EVER!) and 2. a bunch of things she had written down that I had talked about in recent months. Both were SO THOUGHTFUL and I’ll literally probably remember the rest of my life. Motherhood can be so hard, but seeing our kids as young adults who are kind and responsible is a balm to my soul.
    -Another favorite gift ever was a sweet baby blanket with our daughter’s name and birthday. 19 years later and I still remember it!

  16. Jordan Keller says

    I love this post!!! I have to tell of a gift I gave when I was a child.. my grandpa used to take me shopping for my mom every year as a kid for Christmas, when I was 10 I found this beautiful flower wreath with her favorite color flower and with a banner that said “Mom” on it, which I thought was perfect for her! I loved it so much so he let me get it for her. Nobody told me until a few years later that I actually had gotten her a funeral wreath LOL! I’m 31 now and we still joke about it to this day. So I’ve never gotten a bad gift, but I’ve definitely given one 🤣 but hey it’s the thought that counts!!!

  17. Jeanne Cobianchi says

    Best gift was a pink Barbie bicycle. It was my first 2 wheel and it had a white basket with plastic flowers on the front.

    Worst gift was a vacuum. Speaks for itself.

    • Amber says

      I asked for a cordless vacuum for Christmas one year when I had two kids under two. My husband asked me many, many times if I’d get mad if he actually got me the very expensive vacuum because it’s a vacuum and I assured him no, I won’t be made. It’s 5 years old and I talk all the time how that has been my favorite Christmas present. I still love it! So many presents I don’t remember but the vacuum is memorable since it sparked so much conversation.

  18. Kristin says

    Gotta admit that I was hoping Andrew would chime in on this one too! Best gift was our first kitten after we were married. I had a tough first few months, moving from Wisconsin to North Carolina and not having a cat! Worst gifts would be cat decor. I love REAL cats, but I don’t want cat statues. Also, I hate it when you always get a friend something THEY like, so they then decide YOU must like it, and you always get stuff you hate, but they love.

  19. Cheriese says

    I got a baby brother on Christmas when I was eight years old which was by far the best gift ever! The worst? Anytime my MIL, who has very, very different taste from me, gave me something that she said was “unique and one of a kind”. I heard that phrase far too many times!

  20. lee ann vicary says

    25 years ago my ex husband got my daughter a cell phone — I had to pay for the plan for it. As a single mom it was an expense I wasn’t ready for but got. He also one year got her a puppy – that stayed at his house, that he sent to school to be a hunting dog. No my daughter doesn’t hunt. Was it a really cute puppy that ended up staying with me for a long weekend? Yes it was. It also fell in love with me and didn’t follow his commands when he got back it sat at my feet and looked to me for commands. Great revenge.
    Almost 9 years ago I got the BEST Christmas gift ever. My daughter had my granddaughter on Christmas morning. That little girl is the greatest gift ever. She talks non stop and makes huge messes, but she also wants to be with me all the time. I love her.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      These are GREAT examples of best/worst. I hope you have the BEST Christmas/birthday with your sweet granddaughter! xx

  21. Susan P Fitzpatrick says

    Great topic!! Best gifts for me are very similar to yours. I love gifts that have alot of thought put into them. My sister in law sews and made me napkins and soup bowl holders one year. We use them all the time! My husband is a pretty good gift giver but on one occasion he gave me a Pendleton wool blanket. I love the look of it but can’t stand wool anywhere near my body 😂 I think it’s a blanket he really wanted.

  22. Taylor Miller says

    Best gifts- both from my husband- when we were dating he surprised me with a trip to NYC for New Year’s Eve and we got engaged on top of the Empire State Building that trip! And two years ago he gave me a trip to Maui, HI! My hubby is a great present giver.

    Now his dad, gave my MIL a rechargeable leaf blower because “she was always taking his”. She was LIVID 😂 a Christmas morning I’ll never forget!

  23. Nikki Merritt says

    I’ve received a trashcan and a toilet for Christmas … different years, both from my husband. He has gotten better over the last 28 years, though.

    Last year, I gave my mom, sister, MIL, and daughter the Donna Karan Cashmere Mist deodorant … well-received by all, and definitely not something they would have bought for themselves. My MIL even told me later that she now thinks of my every time she puts in her deodorant. 🙂

  24. Cherie says

    Great list! Agree on the regifting- fine, but make an effort to make sure it fits the person and rewrap. Otherwise use it for a white elephant but for a different group of people and still rewrap (ie if it was a gift from your sister, don’t use as white elephant for family party- ha!)
    My favorite gifts are experiences. I love to travel, go to the theatre, visit a museum or go to dinner. I also love a homemade tasty treat. My neighbor makes a cinnamon roll wreath each year and I always try to get a few bits before everyone else devours it.
    Thanks again for a great list. This is going to be a fun discussion.

  25. Lindsey says

    My 40th birthday was at the very beginning of COVID, so everyone was overwhelmed. With that being said, my husband got me a soap dispenser for my birthday… without any soap because he couldn’t find any. What a weird time that was! I was still unimpressed though, haha!

  26. Casey says

    One year, when I was home from college, I saw what I thought was a dog kennel with a puppy inside under the tree. Turned out to be a sewing machine. A. Sewing. Machine. Not necessarily a bad gift, but not once had I ever mentioned wanting to learn to sew. To this day, I feel bad that my mom was so upset that I didn’t want the sewing machine.

  27. Heather S says

    When I was a child I asked for the game Mouse Trap every year for Christmas and never got it. Then one year as an adult my parents finally gave it to me kind of as a joke. I quickly realized maybe my parents were onto something… that game was so annoying to set up just for it to be over in 5 seconds! Because you know they would’ve been the ones to set it up when I was little hahaha

  28. Beth H says

    My favorite gift came when I was 8 yo, my great aunt gifted me a box of handmade Barbie doll clothes. They were incredible. Some had tiny beads, some trimmed w fur…A nightgown w matching robe… I loved them all.

    And I loveee anything w a monogram ♥️

  29. Karleigh Johnson says

    I am a gift giver through and through. I love giving gifts, I love being thoughtful and honoring someone by showing them that I was thinking about them. I am not great at receiving gifts because I do expect others to be thoughtful as well
    😬 I of course appreciate anything someone gifts me, but I really cherish the gifts where it shows that person knows me and was being thoughtful. Even if it’s just a card. Or a trinket, I love a good thoughtful trinket!

    I can say this on your blog because she’ll never read it, but my grandmother (who is 87 and drives and has a Facebook and plays tennis) gifted me a clown statue at my bridal shower. It was huge! And there was a small picture frame as part of the statue – inside she had cut out a picture of me and my (at the time fiancé) husband that I gave HER and put it into the frame 😂 I had to open that in front of everyone and I do not have a poker face. I’m a very honest person. I vowed after that to NEVER open gifts in front of people and for every baby shower since then I’ve honored that. I don’t want to humiliate the gift giver but I also can’t tell a lie 😂 I love my Grandy so much and the real gift that she’s given me is her time. But as far as tangible items, she’s a little lost on that part LOL

    • Patty says

      I agree with Karleigh…I really love giving gifts, and I pay close attention all year to little side comments made by the ones I love. They’re always surprised that I heard them and remembered. Everyone wants to be “known”, and it’s really fun to play detective all year so I’m ready for the CHRISTmas season.
      Worst gift ever…the first year we were married, my MIL gave me the ugliest sweater with a giraffe on it. Granted, she really didn’t know me well at that point. She got way better, though, and in later years always chose wonderful gifts. The biggest surprise of all was about 25 years into our marriage when she bought me a gorgeous diamond tennis bracelet. By then I suppose she knew I had staying power in the family! (Her other son was on his third marriage.)

  30. Julia says

    Hot take here… personalized gifts are the worst! If it’s not something I like, then I can’t really donate it, I can’t return it, and I just feel bad that someone took the time to personalize something that no one will enjoy.

    Best gifts are based on the relationship with someone – an inside joke or something we can do together!

    • Cherie says

      Totally agree! Someone with good intentions gave me a gift with my name on it. However, it wasn’t something that I needed or wanted but since I have an uncommon name I couldn’t regift or even send to the thrift store.

  31. No name for today only 😉 says

    About 10 years ago my SIL gave me a designer purse that she admitted she had thrifted. It wasn’t clean and was about 30 years old. Needless to say I never used it and ended up throwing it away. We don’t exchange gifts anymore 😉. Best gift ever was a puppy my husband gifted me on Christmas morning. We had been going through infertility and this little guy became my baby until our daughter was born 7 years later.

  32. Gail says

    My best Christmas gift was given to me 50 years ago this Christmas. My mom had cancer and suspected she would not make it to Christmas. So she got a gift for each of her children (5 of us) that she thought they might keep forever. Since I loved to bake, she got me a beautiful crystal cake plate with 8 small dessert plates. I still have this and think of her every time I bake a cake. She died on December 15th and never got to see us open our gifts from her….it was a sad Christmas but also very poignant and a memory that I will cherish in my heart forever. This might seem like a sad story, but it makes me so happy that she knew my heart and gave me the perfect gift!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Oh goodness, this gave me chills. Wow, what a treasured, treasured gift. Thank you so much for sharing, Gail. xx

    • Natasha says

      Oh my goodness – this gave me chills too Gail. I’m glad you have this lovely memory from your mom.

  33. samantha carroll says

    My husband is the best gift giver. To this day my favorite gift is one I still use frequently. Our now 17 year old daughter was born a few months before Christmas and my husband and I agreed, we’d just had a baby, time off work, all the things you spend money on for babies, we would not exchange gifts as our little bundle of joy was our gift. Well on Christmas Eve, my husband, came pushing a wrapped box down our hallway toward me, with our baby daughter carefully and securely sitting atop the box, giggling happily. I kissed our baby and unwrapped the box only to find the beautiful red Kitchen Aid mixer I’d been wanting! I named the mixer Effie after one of my grandmothers, and she has brought so much joy to us over the years. Now that little baby girl who’s all grown up also mixes up fabulous things to bake in our Effie too! As a military spouse, we’re always moving. The men worry most about how their TVs and grills are when they get to their next destination. Me? The first thing I unpack is my Effie, to be sure she made the move with no damage then plan all the delicious things she’ll help me make in our new home. BEST. GIFT. EVER!

  35. Kristy Hudson says

    I can tell you about some of my favorite gifts! I don’t recall the ones I didn’t love. Most of the time that would be clothing. If I didn’t pick it out or you didn’t know the exact right size just go for something else.

    Now, for what I LOVED!

    Ugg Boots! Bose Speaker!

    Honestly they are high quality items that have lasted years! They are more expensive so they are something I never would buy for myself. Gifts do not have to be expensive to be sentimental and appreciated. Those are just two that really stuck out to me because they were something I really appreciated, wouldn’t buy, and they knew I would love them! I still wear the boots 10 years.

    Sometimes I can’t spend all the money but I try to buy gifts that I feel like they wouldn’t buy themselves but they would really love. That makes a good gift to me.

  36. Ruby Huling says

    I don’t remember ever receiving a gift I didn’t like, but my favorite gift of all time…
    One of my two sisters lives close by and we both have amazing daughters. A few years ago, our daughters gifted us with plane tickets and a week to spend with our sister who lives in Florida and while there, we celebrated her 70th birthday! It was also a time for us to comfort and support her as her only child was in the last stage of cancer. Sadly, he passed away 2 weeks later. I will forever be grateful for that gift of love!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      The gift of love. I am so sorry for your family’s loss, but I am so thankful you had that time together.

  37. CF says

    My husband has no talent for thinking of good gifts. Which, to be totally fair, is a great problem to have if that’s really his only struggle. He’s an incredible husband and father 99.9 percent of the time, and that .1 percent of bad gift giving is a fine problem to have.

    So I just told him a few years ago to not worry/bother about buying me gifts anymore. I would rather not have gifts than keep getting gifts for the house (shoe rack, lamp, frame, curtains ((that was the year I said, you know what, let’s not bother 😅)).

    Anyway, last month he came home with a *very* expensive diamond bracelet. He said it wasn’t an early Christmas present—it was a delayed Christmas present for all those terrible gift giving years. And then I got something awesome for this year, too 🙂

    I think good gift giving is actually a skill! People who are good at it might think it comes naturally to everyone, but it doesn’t. Some may never get it. My husband did amazing this year, but might not do so well next year.

    And I’m totally fine with that, because he makes every other day of the year magical.

  38. Toni :0) says

    My favorite gift was my son, Brendan born on 12/21 and we brought him home on Christmas Day. The nurses brought him to me that morning wrapped in a Christmas blanket that we still have over 25+ years later. 🎄🎅💝 Truly the very best gift from God I could have ever wanted. I’ve been fortunate to not receive any terrible gifts. 😂

  39. Kay says

    When my kids were little, my MIL gifted them a bell that she said they could “ring when they needed Mom.” I don’t think I need to explain any further why this is horrible on every level?

  40. Melissa Brown says

    My MIL, who is typically a great gift giver, gave my husband (her son) wine glasses with fish etched on them. Although he loves to fish he doesn’t drink. 😂

  41. Cheryl says

    My best: A trip to Newport RI, we went to a dinner show. It was wonderful My husband did good that year.

    My worst: We had been married for about a year and a half. We had family there and everyone was opening gifts.
    I opened one of the gifts from my husband. It was a beautiful shirt but it was a 2X and I was a size small. Everyone just looked at it and were silent. So I said, ” I think this is lovely but I believe it is for your other wife. We all laughed. But then It was my turn to open another gift from him . It was earrings. I don’t have pierced ears. Then the last gift from him was a pair of duck boots 2 sizes too big. It his defense he had been working overtime and went out last minute . I don’t think he even looked at sizes or tags. lol We all refer to it as “The year of the duck boots” We laugh about it now but it wasn’t funny that day.

  42. Lauren Palmer says

    One time BP gave me a bag of tea lights, he said “bc you like to burn candles.” …Even though tea lights aren’t really the type of candles someone burns for pleasure. 😂 But honestly, it was thoughtful even if it wasn’t an ace.

  43. Wifey says

    This is a great post, thank you!

    My worst gift was…. NOTHING from my husband. And I really have to wonder if he’s getting me anything this year…

  44. Rachel K. says

    Best gift – After a 14 month deployment during our second year of marriage my husband surprised me with my diamond wedding band.

    Worst gift – My dad went to Spain one year with the Air National Guard when I was a teenager and he sent me and my sister the soaps from his hotel room in Spain. We were not impressed with his regifting of hotel soaps. He could have gotten us something so special from Spain, but nope he just grabbed those free hotel soaps.

  45. sandi says

    Back in the late 70’s early 80’s my sister and I wanted Jordache jeans so bad. EVERYONE had them, but our parents said they were too expensive (they were $26 at either Walmart or Kmart). One Christmas our parents gave us ONE pair of Jordache jeans that we could share. She wore them one week and then I could wear them the next week. Let me tell you, we planned our outfits each Sunday so our friends would not know we were wearing the same pair of jeans. Worst gift would probably be a vacuum from my husband… we really needed a new one, just not as a gift!

    Funny monogrammed story: Our daughter was at a birthday party when she was about 13. Everything in the house was monogrammed… bathroom towels, bedroom pillow cases, family room pillow cases, kitchen towels, the mom’s purse/phone case/wallet, you get the idea. The mom called me laughing hysterically… my daughter had complimented her lovely home, nice decor and all of the MAMMOGRAMMED items in her home. 8 years later and that story still has traction.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Sandi, the jeans story is EPIC! I just love that so much! And the monogram story…hahahaha!

    • YOLANDA MCLEAN says

      OMG I wanted Jordache so bad too! I really thought they cost more than this, but I don’t really know. Finally my friend, Terri, that had Jordache, she got some new ones and gave me one of her old pair. I was in Jordache heaven. I try to remember this perspective when my 13 yr old daughter is telling me how she really needs Seven jeans or some other high dollar jeans. LOL I refuse to pay Seven prices though – so maybe she’ll have a friend retire some jeans for her.

  46. Jennibell says

    Gosh, there is a wide range of opinions on giftgiving here! I wonder if your age determines whether or not an appliance is well-received? We are considering asking for a vacuum for the second time in our married life from my mother this year because what we want (and she gifts) is an expense we don’t really want to take on. It will be very appreciated if she chooses to do that for us. For my 40th birthday my husband gifted me with a pair of designer boots (I don’t think he ever had or ever will again spend that much money on a pair of shoes) and my sister gave me a beautiful sapphire necklace. 13 years later I still have and cherish each – have even had to re-sole the boots once. This experience has led me to splurge on special gifts for special people for special occasions.

  47. Heather B says

    Best gift….my husband gifted me with a beautiful bottle of perfume from Le Labo and he customized the message on the label of the bottle with an inside saying between him and me. The fragrance is amazing and every time I pick up the bottle it makes me smile.

  48. Kelsey Gillaspy says

    My husband is not a good gift giver. He has gotten better over the years though. For our second anniversary, he gave me a box of honey buns and a can of green beans. Yep. I just remember walking in and seeing him laughing really hard and looking ashamed with a Dollar General bag next to him. We live in a very small town with nowhere to shop, so his lack of planning left him with no options. He said he went in the dollar store stressed out and grabbed honey buns because I like donuts (don’t think honey buns and donuts are the same thing 😂) and green beans for something healthy to go with the honey buns. We laughed until we cried and the green beans came in handy one night when I forgot to buy some for supper. I tell him all the time that one of the main reasons I married him is for the comic relief he provides. 😂

  49. Beth Elliott says

    My mother in law is a terrible gift giver. I love her, but she is more a quantity over quality gift giver. She is also a buy on clearance or at a thrift store so you can’t return anything. My favorite gift was from my husband for my 30th birthday did a scavenger hunt around the house with hints of where he was taking me. When I got to the final hint it was 2 plane tickets to Paris. He knew that was my bucket list of places I wanted to go and made it happen.

    Something I would love to hear about next year would be workout plans or nutrition.

  50. Jamie S. says

    The best was when I was a broke college student and I desperately wanted THE black Denali North Face jacket that EVERYBODY had. It was just way out of my budget and not possible. My sweet boyfriend (now husband) surprised me that Christmas, not only with the jacket, but also UGG boots AND an iPod Nano….all of the IT items for a college student in the early 2000s. He said he didn’t want me to feel left out so he got me all three. As a very broke college student at the time, I was blown away by his generosity. Clearly, he’s a keeper, and still a great gift giver 🙂

    The worst….my ex-step-mother regifted an item to me, that I had just given to her for her birthday a month prior. Oof.

  51. Elizabeth H Valenta says

    Well I just got home from school and this just made my night reading all the great comments!
    My best gift was a year my mom was struggling and all I wanted was a signet ring. I opened all the presents at home and felt a little down when it wasn’t there, but I understood. She said my godmother wanted to see me so drop by. I was like ok one more stop. After much eggnog and talking she said that my mom had forgotten a gift for me with her. Well of course it was the ring. I have never forgotten the struggle it must have taken to purchase it with such love. I since gave it to my daughter. My love language is gift giving so my friends say it is hard to buy for me. I want the photo of us that was fabulous in a cute frame, I want the simple pair of fun school earrings, the cup of coffee…
    MY worst gift is anything regifted. I dont need that or want that. Write me a note. Or my wish it for someone to go into my Amazon wish cart and just buy it. I go onto my besties Pinterest boards to find a signature item they may not know I have seen. It’s the effort.
    This year my besties are getting each a signature Antho mug to a place I have traveled with them with a list of all the laughter and memories we have shared there. I got myself the Boston one…

  52. Cris says

    You handled this topic in such a classy way, Shay! No hurt feelings in this space! Sometimes my husband still listens to his jewelry-loving mom and sisters and gets me jewelry (I’m not a fan). One of my best gifts was a children’s book that had meant something special to the giver, and then they spent a few moments reading it to me! I have an adult daughter who has loved very practical gifts since she was at least a young teenager. She loves nothing more than a big gift bag full of shampoo, conditioner, razors, toothpaste, etc., and she’s not even a little bit embarrassed if there are tampons included because she appreciates this kind of gift so much!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I love that you know your daughter well enough that you know exactly what she wants 🙂

  53. Robyn says

    The memes with this post today could not be more true.

    I have had so many great gifts gifted to me in my 54 years, but my absolute favorite gift was the year I found out I was pregnant with my first child. Truly a gift from heaven.

    The worst gift I’ve ever been gifted was a crock pot. Now, don’t get me wrong I love me a GOOD crock pot! This gift was from my husband to replace the crock pot that HE busted. The replacement should have never been a gift to me, ever. Ha!

  54. Jill says

    My beloved grandmother lived into her late 90’s and the last few years of her life, she couldn’t get out as much as she used to, so she would spend her days ordering stuff from infomercials, QVC, etc. She accumulated a lot of random things! So the year she passed away, that Christmas, my mom wrapped ALL of the crazy, random “as seen on TV” items she purchased and the whole family played a White Elephant game with all the items. It was a total hoot! And when I tell you these items were random things, I’m not joking…..some tool for the car (and she hadn’t driven in years), a flat wallet that folds into “safe” way, a tummy tucker thing you wear, some high absorbent mop, a fancy can opener, etc etc. We had a lot of laughs with those gifts!!!

  55. Hope says

    Can we do a “Let’s Look” on master closets. You dont have to show your entire closet ecsuse thats personal space but I am fascinated by closets and organization. I love a large fancy,cozy closet. You could highlight how you organize jeans,shoes,purses etc. I mean my clothes have been hung by color in my closet since I was 13. My bestie tries to mess my closet up and mixes the colors and it drives me insane😆

  56. Ashley says

    I love sentimental gifts. My birthstone is diamond so for milestone birthdays my Mom would give me some kind of diamond jewelry. A ring, earrings, a bracelet, etc. She was also a very talented quilter and I have many quilts that she made for me. When she passed away 10 years ago she left me all of her jewelry, including the heart diamond necklace that she wore every day. I have worn it every day since and only take it off to clean it. She also left several quilting projects that she had completed but had not had professionally quilted yet. For Christmas my stepdad gave me cash to have those all quilted.

    I love a white elephant gift exchange, but I absolutely hate it when anyone decides to re-gift or bring a gag gift. I don’t like getting stuck with junk that I have to add to the donation pile or the trash.

    My brother is an awful gift giver, if he even gives a gift (but he sure does like to tell me what expensive thing he wants HA!). One year we were driving to our family’s ranch for Christmas and when we stopped at Buckee’s he told me to go pick out a gift for myself that didn’t cost more than $20. Jokes on him because I selected a wooden sign that says “Bless Your Heart”, something our grandfather always said (and not in the condescending way, but in a “I love you so much” kind of way).

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I don’t love gag gifts either! They’re just a waste of money and become trash. I agree!

  57. Bren says

    I am going to skip over the not-so-great gifts🙃 and share one that my other half surprised me with. After hearing me talk and talk over the years about how much I enjoyed my Fisher Price Little People dollhouse I received for my 5th birthday,..my husband went to Ebay, found the house and the original Little People that came with it and surprised me with that for Christmas. I had no idea he had even really knew what I was talking about and could not have been more surprised! Our three kids were in their teens at the time and a bit confused when I, in my 40’s, opened up a toy dollhouse, but my heart was overjoyed. Our sweet little niece was here at Thanksgiving and enjoyed that house & people so much! Definitely a gift I’ll always remember.

  58. Katie Compton says

    I believe my best gift was one that wasn’t actually given to ME, but to my daughter this past May for her high school graduation. My best friend (her “aunty” as I’m an only child) made her the most amazing memory book. She had all my daughter’s close friends and family send pictures along with their well wishes, advice, scripture, etc. She printed the pics, typed up their words, and made a beautiful book for my daughter to take to college. A book full of all her favorite people! Even though I wasn’t technically the recipient it was absolutely a gift for me. It’s pretty wonderful seeing all that love poured into your child. 🥰

  59. Sharon says

    My husband is the sweetest but an awful gift giver. One of our first christmases he gifted me a smart scale! You know to weigh yourself? Ohmigoodness so rude. But it helped knowing he just wanted it for himself and gifted it so he’d get it. But pretty selfish! He also used to go out Christmas Eve bc he realized he hadn’t gotten me anything and buy like every random kitchen gadget at Bed Bath and Beyond. One I hate too many gadgets in the kitchen. So it was not wanted, felt very not thoughtful bc he hadn’t thought of me at all and a waste of money. But he got me diamond studs for my past birthday so I guess he’s improved. I had to tell him. No more BB&B! Of course maybe that’s why they don’t exist anymore! I used to be very anti telling people what you want for a gift but I do now for him just so money isn’t thrown away :-). And he really is the best husband otherwise!

  60. Anna says

    My best gifts happened not at holidays or birthdays, but are ones I treasure so deeply:

    1. I was working in a really awful job and trying so hard to get a new one. My husband took me out and bought me the most incredible pair of designer heels “so i could feel really confident going in to my new job.” Which I did not have yet! His confidence in me was a bigger gift than the gorgeous shoes.
    2. After my beloved dog died, my wonderful friend drove across town after having just had a baby a few weeks previous to leave a gift for me: perfect peaches (it was summer), fresh flowers, warm cookies. She knew I was grieving so she didn’t even come inside because I wasn’t ready to see anyone. She just left the, on my doorstep and texted me after she was gone. I felt so loved and cared for in my deep grief. It has taught me how important it is to show up for our people when they are hurting

  61. Jill Myers says

    Best gift ever: On Christmas Eve I opened the door to find my sister Ann (who lives more than 1,000 miles away). My son and daughter arranged for her to fly to Montana for Christmas to surprise me. Our other sister had been killed a few months earlier, and having Ann with me that year meant so very much. We needed each other, and the fact that my teenage son thought to bring us together touched my heart.

  62. Laura says

    When I graduated high school I was gifted a jacket the style an 80 year old would love. It was a floral/Hawaiian type print with sequins sewn around the hibiscus flowers. The worst part was while I was trying to be gracious my cousin started laughing super hard. I returned it and bought a chair for my dorm room.

  63. Sharon says

    I can’t believe that nobody mentioned Christmas Crack (toffee made with club crackers, brown sugar, butter and chocolate chips) My family loves it and the recipes are all over the internet. Also, Nanaimo bars! I make them with a brownie base because we don’t like coconut that the original recipe calls for.

  64. Sara says

    My MIL once gifted my husband a brewery t shirt of the month club, but the kicker was that it was to breweries he had never been to. Cue all the Jelly of the month club jokes.

    In the same Christmas she gifted my brother-in-law women’s sweatpants from Kohl’s because they were “his size”.

    Honestly, she is a notoriously bad gift giver, but that year was epic and we still laugh about it.

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