The worst gifts we’ve ever received

This year, try not to make these gifting mistakes.

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In a Nutshell In honor of National Pie for Breakfast Day, we're suspending our regular programming and instead featuring our editors' favorite gift fails from over the years. We hope you don't mind! I'll go first. A few birthdays ago, my now ex-boyfriend (hi, Dave!) arrived at my apartment with a brand-new boogie board. At first, I thought maybe he picked up a new hobby (I did live by the beach after all). But as he handed it over, it dawned on me that this shiny, rectangular hunk of foam was intended for me. I feigned graciousness and put it in the corner where it sat until I sold it on Craigslist a couple weeks later. When I came clean about selling it, Dave reminded me how I'd once told him that I loved boogie boarding as a kid and "would totally boogie board now if I had one." So let this be a reminder to you all that your totally offhand comments might be taken seriously by your thoughtful, well-meaning boyfriend. Keep reading for more stories from our team. 🎁🦃🛼🔨 Stay sharp, Ginger Wojcik Newsletter Editor, Healthline

Written by Ginger Wojcik November 24, 2023 • 5 min read

what's got us buzzing The worst gifts we've ever received "Unlivedownable shame at the roller disco" This story is about my wife, Jess, who back in the day wanted to own a pair of fabulously cool new style roller boots. She planned to wear them at the super fashionable local roller disco, this being the early 1980s when roller discos were The BIGGEST Thing. I think she spent many hours daydreaming about how she would zoom and spin beneath the glitter ball and lights as Wham! or Duran Duran echoed around the hall, perhaps even catching the eye of a young Simon Le Bon lookalike. However, come Christmas morning, she had opened all but one present and noticed a definite lack of colorful roller boots. Even now, decades later, the disappointment of tearing open the last wrapped gift to find a pair of grody red leather and metal strap-on roller skates still bites. They were such an affront to her that she refused to wear them, let alone suffer unlivedownable shame at the roller disco. I hear about it every year. — Tim Snaith, Newsletter Editor, Healthline "Apparently he had gotten confused …" A couple Christmases ago, I asked for a humidifier, and my boyfriend gave me a dehumidifier. That same Christmas he gave me the wrong color pink of this hoodie we both wanted. At first I didn't really mind, but then he pulled out the correct color pink hoodie that he had bought for himself! Apparently he had gotten confused. So we exchanged the dehumidifier as well as the hoodie for the color I wanted and just ended up twinning all winter. 🙂 — Erica Singleton, Senior Photo Editor, Healthline "I thought it was a hint to lose weight." My now husband gifted me a yoga pass the first year we started dating. While this may sound like a nice gift to many people, I really don't like yoga (never have). On top of that, I was also feeling self-conscious about my weight at the time, so I thought it was a hint to lose weight. When I then went to use the pass, because I felt obligated to, they tried to upsell me to buy more classes. In the end, he was able to return the classes (and the upsell) and bought me a nice set of DVDs instead. — Megan Severs, Editorial Director, Healthline "Looking back, that should've been a red flag." I was very clear and communicative with my now-ex boyfriend (thank god) that I wanted a kitchen blowtorch for a Christmas present. You know what he got me? A cocktail smoker. He said it essentially does the same thing, but I was like, "Sir, please tell me how I can char the top of a steak or cabbage with a COCKTAIL SMOKER." Obviously, I feigned excitement in the moment. Looking back, that should've been a red flag. — Kenny Thapoung, Managing Editor, Healthline "I … did not have high blood pressure." My dad expresses his love by giving gifts, but he's a terrible gift-giver. I have two older brothers, and he always got all three of us the same thing every year to "be fair." I ended up with lots of things my brothers wanted, but I didn't. The strangest gift he ever gave me was a blood pressure monitor. I was 28 at the time and did not have high blood pressure. — Ren Dias, Editor, Wellos "There are so many scams out there …" As someone who lives with bipolar disorder I've been given a ton of "internet treatments" over the years from well meaning –– and excited –– gift givers. One year, I was given a 3-month supply of a supplement with the specific instructions to discontinue my doctor's medication and start taking this untested remedy. There are so many scams out there preying on people with mental illness, but I never thought friends and family would fall for them. — Gabe Howard, Host, Inside Bipolar podcast "I've come to appreciate the practicality." My dad gifted me a toolkit in a little carry case, as a 16-year-old. At the time, it seemed completely tone-deaf, though I've come to appreciate the practicality of it as an adult. Even as a teen, I ended up using the pliers and wire cutters to restring my guitar, so I guess he showed me! — Crystal Hoshaw, Editor II, Bezzy

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Thanks for reading, friends! And a big thanks to Dave for being such a good sport and all the wonderful gifts he's given me over the years. ❤️

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