Scissors!??! That has got to be one of the worst gifts I have ever heard of. What was he thinking!? That’s about as exciting as receiving a box of trash can liners.

I’ll have to give some thought to any potential “weirdest gift” winners I may have received. Nothing as delightful as left handed scissors is immediately coming to mind.

Craig and I had been together all of six months when he decided it would be a good idea to buy me a gas barbeque grill for my birthday. He never heard me say that I would like one, he never even saw me grill on the charcoal grill I used. I’ve taught him alot since then. As far as Tim, I have never seen anyone so obsessed with a good deal. I kind of followed his lead for a while. Maybe even to this day. In my defense, I’m a good gift giver. So is Craig, Now!

I recall being rather disappointed by gifts I’d receive (or not receive) from my first husband…. it was really embarrassing when family would ask what he got me, and I’d have to try to explain and rationalize the lack of gift or completely inane attempt. After just a few years, I started buying my own gift and telling him what he got me….

Kris - you do have one memorable/weird gift you could share……… that you received from Hawaii

As a teenager, I recall one year really wanting a cool 10 speed bike. They were all the rage, and I really hoped to get one. Well, my parents did get me one - and I’m sure it was a quality bike, but it was completely NOT what I wanted… it was a “girls” bike with the wide (rather than curled under) handlebars. I felt bad, because I could tell my dad was so excited to see my excitement, and I just was so disappointed. I tried to hide it and express thanks, and move on to other gifts, but I’m sure he had no idea why I wasn’t raving about this fabulous gift.

In the early spring, I ended up selling that bike and buying myself a beautiful, metallic white 10-speed that lasted me through high school.

I did enjoy the year that Sheila and I gave Grandma Kate a really tacky purple/black negligee at the Pearce family Christmas party…. good sport as she was, she just held it up for everyone to see and said, “Thayne! Let’s go home!!!”

Oh, along the lines of Paul’s grill…. when I was married to Steve (and I must admit he usually gave nice gifts), one year I was baffled by the black toaster oven I received. He’d had one before we got married and loved it - but it was old and didn’t match our new kitchen. It wasn’t an appliance I used (he did), but for some reason he thought I’d appreciate that new addition to our new kitchen……

After 14 years together (and 4 months of marriage!) Paul refuses to acknowledge that even though I was going to be the one doing the cooking on the gas grill it really WAS a present for him! After just a couple weeks together I realized I needed to take over all cooking duties after he actually burned water…I mean it - he burned the water that he was boiling for something he called spaghetti. I’ve never seen it done before or sense but the water tasted scorched.

I’m confident he has enjoyed the perfectly cooked steaks over the years. OK - lately there have been some char-blood rare variations but that is because he finally told me (after I bought him his third gas BBQ for his last birthday) that he prefers charcoal.

Who knew.

I should add that in the last few years Paul has fashioned himself in to becoming quite the gourmet chef. And I am not posting this under any diress or threat of future boycotted Indian curry extravaganzas…Honestly - if any of you come to visit you will be in for a treat when Paul does his Indian magic in the kitchen.

Okay, yes, we do get some pretty odd gifts from Craig’s parents. I guess I can tell you about them since they don’t even read my blog, let alone one of my friends’.

Sometimes we’re left baffled by the gifts his parents give us. One year they gave me what may have been intended as temple slippers. I’m not sure. But they weren’t actually white, they were sort of cream and came in a little cloth bag. And didn’t fit.

Last year for Christmas they gave me a sort of lunch tote bag. I’m not sure why, or where they thought I might be going. I work from home.

A couple of years back they gave Craig something he actually kind of likes but I think is particularly unpleasant. They gave him a brain pick. Some cannibalistic Polynesian culture (Fiji, perhaps) apparently used to find human brains a delicacy and this is a lovely replica of the cutlery used to get the best pieces…

One year we got a single patio chair.

Then there was the coconut cresh which truthfully was kind of weird, but the object on the piece of wood representing baby jesus, which I think may have been a fig leaf made of fur (since we all know that a little piece of wood pretending to be jesus needs to be covered up for modesty), well.. it made Jesus look frighteningly mature.

So, top that.

Yes, Kris, your gifts from Craig’s parents are always so random… I look forward to hearing about them each year

Craig, please get Paul to share his recipes for Indian food. There is a wonderful Indian ( very expensive) restaurant in England called The Last Days of The Raj. I love it, the great thing is it’s not complimentary to the British but they love the humor behind it.
Kristin: Those are very strange gifts from your in-laws.
Paul and Craig received some lovely homemade christmas ornaments from Craig’s step mother if I recall correctly. Craig, Paul, care to comment? I believe they were ” the color you people like”

Oh my gosh…we just read your post about the balls from my step monster. What a blast from another world. I hadn’t thought about that comment she made since then. I had no idea Paul told you. Yes - the “Christmas balls” were hand painted by her and actually quite pretty. And we had no idea they were the color “people like us” like until she pointed it out.

The year before that she gave us a Mormon Jesus calender. I gave it back to her saying maybe you should give this to someone who would appreciate it hoping to make a point. I think I just hurt her and my dad’s feelings. Hard to win at the holidays.

FYI - if Paul opened an Indian resteraunt we could make millions charging what it is worth.

Craig is slightly exagerating the Indian thing. First of all, I would never want a restaurant, and second we would go broke. One of the reasons I like cooking it is because it takes so long. It’s an event. I make pastes out of onions, garlic, ginger, poppy seed and all kinds of other stuff. I make masalas out of cinnamon, cloves, cardomoms and all that takes place for a single recipe. Imagine eating out in a place that serves one dish a night and dining starts at 9:30. Speeking of gifts, let me respond about a perfect gift. I don’t remember what event prompted this gift, maybe none at all, but I must have been no more that 5 years old. Probably younger, but my Aunt Ida came into town from Idaho and appartently had more insight than most because she brought me a princess dress and hat and full length gloves. I remember it vividly. I loved it. Apparently my parents didn’t because I only remember wearing it once. It just disappeared. That is exactly what I bought for my grand daughter this year. I hope it makes her as happy as it made me. But for a longer period of time.

I look forward to trying your Indian fare, Paul!

Bless Aunt Ida! I’m so sorry that you only got to wear your beautiful gown once. Maybe Craig can get you another one for your birthday this year!

glad to see you still have power in the great frozen Northwest Allison. (Maybe you are on generator and breaking into your 2 years supply…)

LOL I love reading the strange presents everyone has received. Left-handed scissors? That is hilarious. And I love the presents from Kristin’s in-laws.

I haven’t really received any strange gifts… although Justin has a great uncle (his grandpa’s brother) who is the sweetest old man in the world. Bless his heart, he is about 65, gay, single, and supressed because of his family. But he is SO sweet and always sends everyone in the family presents for their birthdays and for christmas… and it’s nearly always teddy bear themed. Or Elvis. One year he gave Justin and I salt and pepper shakers- they were ceramic and shaped like Elvis’ blue suede shoes. This year we received a teddy bear calendar.

I have just remembered a gift that my son John received when he was fourteen. He had been working at a school in SL school district as a janatorial grunt. Christmas came and his principal gave him a gift, John brought it home and he opened it right away. It was a bottle of Peach Brandy! I loved it, but was a little confused. John returned the gift to a very embarassed woman, who thanked him profusely for returning it and gave him her intended gift: a box of very cheap choclates!

Brandon and I still laugh about the Christmas when he gave me some random wooden knife block meant to store kitchen knives. However, it didn’t come with any knives, and I already had a bunch of great quality knives that it wasn’t made to fit! Hehe. Oh well, it’s the thought that counts, right?