Amusing Christmas present mix up [Archive]

herbgeek

1-3-12, 3:49pm

This year, I made everyone in the family knitted socks: parents, siblings and partners, nieces/nephews. Each family got a bag with their socks and some other homemade item.

My brother and his girlfriend were not able to make it this year, so I mailed their package well before Christmas. I was surprised I never heard anything from my brother that it arrived.

Two weeks later, I get a note in the mail thanking me for the thoughtful gift and that the brushed nickel finish will look awesome in his office. I was so confused.

Mystery solved today: I had reused a box that contained a light fixture. He never opened the box to look inside- he thought I sent him a light fixture! So it sat in his home improvement pile, until I asked him about the strange thank you note.

Float On

1-3-12, 4:05pm

That is funny herbgeek! I never trust a box because my mom always reused boxes to wrap our gifts. They did the santa thing and I just never could understand why santa would use a toaster box for a toy.

goldensmom

1-3-12, 4:29pm

That's so funny. I routinely use boxes with no relation to the gift inside just for fun and sometimes I don't even wrap the gift. So far no one has ever thanked me for the box of Trix, Ho Hos, etc. This year, however, my husband was disappointed that the computer battery box did not contain a computer battery.

CathyA

1-3-12, 4:34pm

That's funny.
This is a little different, but concerns a couple gifts we got for christmas. DH's brother for several years has gotten us gift certificates to Chili's restaurant. We NEVER eat there, and there's none of them within 30 miles of here. I finally convinced DH to come out and tell his brother that we just never eat there and to not waste his money on that.
Well, he gave us a gift certificate to Target, which was nice..........but 2 other relatives got us Chili's gift certificates!
Don't you kind of think about where the person lives and if that restaurant is anywhere near there?
Anyhow.......I had to laugh when I saw 2 more gift certificates from there.

kally

1-3-12, 6:24pm

just more reasons why adults don't need to give gifts.

That's funny.
This is a little different, but concerns a couple gifts we got for christmas. DH's brother for several years has gotten us gift certificates to Chili's restaurant. We NEVER eat there, and there's none of them within 30 miles of here. I finally convinced DH to come out and tell his brother that we just never eat there and to not waste his money on that.
Well, he gave us a gift certificate to Target, which was nice..........but 2 other relatives got us Chili's gift certificates!
Don't you kind of think about where the person lives and if that restaurant is anywhere near there?
Anyhow.......I had to laugh when I saw 2 more gift certificates from there.

beckyliz

1-5-12, 2:01pm

My 12yo daughter wanted a new Vera Bradley bag for her ballet bag - I found one on ebay for a good price, so bought it. I wrapped it in a Swiffer refill box. The look on her face when when she just saw the box was hilarious!

redfox

1-5-12, 4:38pm

That's funny.
This is a little different, but concerns a couple gifts we got for christmas. DH's brother for several years has gotten us gift certificates to Chili's restaurant. We NEVER eat there, and there's none of them within 30 miles of here. I finally convinced DH to come out and tell his brother that we just never eat there and to not waste his money on that.
Well, he gave us a gift certificate to Target, which was nice..........but 2 other relatives got us Chili's gift certificates!
Don't you kind of think about where the person lives and if that restaurant is anywhere near there?
Anyhow.......I had to laugh when I saw 2 more gift certificates from there.

Cathy, you can donate those to a non-profit for their auction, and get a tax deduction for the value. Make sure the gift certs are transferable!