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So... did anyone get any rubbish presents? I know you should be grateful for everything anyone buys you, and all that, but secretly there must be one present that you opened and thought WTF? Musical sox, big knickers? Have you already put them on ebay?

Looking back over the years the funniest thing I ever saw was when my husband (now ex) opened his present from my sister.
My husband thought he was dead hard. A serving soldier and a heavy weight boxer for his regiment. (I used to love it when someone landed a punch, but that's another story )
He unwrapped his present and my sister had bought him a Steps CD. LOL Tragedy!
She does buy rubbish presents, I have to admit, but she excelled that year! She's done well this year too as she bought my 82 year old father a friggin Kindle! He has been here today telling me how he has downloaded a book and it's floating round in Cyberspace. It's down to me (or Beth, if I can drag her off FB) to sort it out while my sister is safely tucked away in the wilds of Newcastle

I treated Beth to a new TV this year. It's big and made in some far flung foreign land. She can't change the channel with the sky remote. So today i went on the hunt for a new remote. We can't have Beth having to get out of bed to change the channel, can we?
I bought her a new one at the cost of £25.00. It should work. Does it? No. Rubbish. I have spent hours today researching which bloody remote to buy to no avail.

I hate Christmas. I'm going to work tomorrow! I'm officially off till the 3rd. I will be the only one at work tomorrow in the Town Hall. Fan-bloody-fastic!

Anyone else with rubbish presents? You are amongst friends and we won't tell anyone. What happens on DF stays on DF!

PS I liked all my pressies. I'm easy to buy for. As long as it comes in a Chanel wrapper, I'm happy I have my family well trained and woe betide anyone that buys me rubbish!

Not a present, but certainly rubbish.

ALL expats go througha bit (or alot) of depression when having to spend Xmas being away from extended family. I go through it every year. I hybernate more than usual. That big lump under the comforter is me with a stack of DVDs and a book nearby.

So, on the eve of th 23rd I get a phone call from someone who was a friend, who I made an ex-friend, then when she was really in the dumps and called me we re-friended, so all was put aside. She makes really bad choices and doesn't take responsibility for them because it's usually someone or everyone elses fault. This was a really bad year for her - of her own doing. She was in a really, really toxic relationship and when things were going good I didn't hear from her, when things were going bad, I would get the distress call. I tried (as diplomatically as I could) to point out what was obviously wrong with the relationship. Of course I always heard about what he was doing wrong, but knowing her I know she was equally to fault and knows which buttons to push to set things off. On the 21st eve and the 22nd I called her, texted her and go no response until I got a text saying she was depressed and hybernating.

Any how, she calls me on the 23rd and clearly she had knocked back a few - slurring her words and having trouble forming them was a dead giveaway. So I give my ear to her. The opening line was "I'm done. I'm finished. I can't do this anymore!!!" Huh? Do what? What do you mean "done"? She: I have the pills and booze lined up, cleaned the house, and my sister can be here in 48 hours to collect the dog and cat. Now, I know it was the booze talking but you always have to take some one saying something like that serious. I told her the best thing would be for her to go to bed and sleep it off. When you are in a dark place when sober, drinking will take you further into that dark place. So, she went on about the ex, blah, blah, blah and how depressed she was because of the holidays. I then told her she wasn't alone as I too was feeling depressed being apart from my daughter, who was also going through a bad year. WELL, I was told that she didn't want to hear about my daughter because it was going on for the past year!!! Pretty much how she was going through her crap the past few years that I've had to listen to her!!!???? So, this was a pity party for one, and I was the audience. During her convo she mentioned that she had gone on a "date" and the next day had a blackeye (not the first, but one of many) and didn't know if she did or didn't shag the guy!!! I guess that was when she was "hybernating"?? She has a thing for Arab men and seems to find the ones that like to beat on women.

She asked me if I would come over Xmas eve as she knew Mr BB would be working. As it turned out he would be leaving early so that we could attend a party. Under normal circumstances with a normal person I would have invited her along but Mr BB can't stand her and I could only imagine how she would end up embarrassing us and herself, not that she would think she did anything wrong - even if she was caught shagging someone in a closet!! Then she asked if I would spend Xmas day with her at her house as she bought the makings. Of course I want to spend the day hearing about how she was wronged and dare I mention that I might be a bit sad myself?? Well asking about Xmas eve and Xmas day told me that she planned on being around. Ended the call by telling her for about the 6th time (and the 4th time listening to the ice hit the glass) to go to bed and sleep it off and I would get back to her (no intention of doing so). She called 26 Dec and I let the call pass. Haven't heard from her and hope not to.

How friggin selfish was this person (being her usual self) making it all about her?? Putting worry on someone by saying she was going to off herself and then getting annoyed and brushing my feelings off so carelessly?? And she wonders why she has no friends??? Clearly some people will never, ever learn.

Best thing to do when somebody threatens with suicide is to call emergency or the cops on them. That'll teach them
usually.

I'd have taken her call to see if she'd remember how she got the blackeye!

Seriously Bora, I'm sorry to hear about your experience with your friend, That was indeed rubbish!
I wonder if she had the mother of all headaches the next day?
Do you reckon she will get back with her BF?

Anyways, don't be too down With any luck you will be home for the holidays next year.

Flying Dutchman ,

To attempt suicide and probably reporting someone contemplating it, could get them a jail sentence!!!! Like I said, she was planning Xmas eve and day, so it was just the drink talking. If I thought she was serious I probably would have jumped in the car and went to her house. Oh, wait. Mr BB had the car. She lives on the other side of Dubai so for me to get in the shower, made up, dressed, take a taxi to go get the car, or a taxi to her house, she would have probably been dead by the time I got there.

--- Tue Dec 27, 2011 1:23 pm ---

Bethsmum ,

You know this person BM, I've spoken to you about her. Maybe she got the black eye when she fell out of bed? Tripped up the stairs? Tripped down the stairs? Opening a bottle of wine and punched herself in the face when removing the cork?? Do I really care or want to know??? Nah.

Yes, Bora, I recognised the friend straight away.
I'm pleased to see you are keeping up appearances. Never leave home without your mascara.


I had a couple of bruises and a small cut on my head just before Christmas, I actually did fall out of bed. I lashed on the make up but my two shiners shone through I will take more water with the Chardonnay in future. It was a good night and I remember everything

uaehop , Is that a family portrait?

Wow, I thought this was about naff Xmas presents! Sounds like BB seriously needs rid of this person, I have to ask myself why you wasted so much time writing about this person.
Anyway, back to the question, I received THE most hideous handbag from my in-laws! Omg! I'm even a tad doubtful if its to crap for the charity shop! Also (BM your gonna love this one!) knowing my taste for some of the nicer things in life, they thought a fake Chanel necklace would go under the radar unnoticed! WTF? How do you hide the fact that you want to launch it straight back at them let alone smile & accept the gift graciously?! Plus it even had a little rhinestone missing! Pmsl.
Then, get this! It was so hard to contain myself when my little girl came up to me & said "err! Yuk! Who got you that mummy?!"

Oh No! Fake Chanel??? That's like fake Burberry There are just some things that you can't fake and it's the Burberry check and my beloved Chanel.

Noooooo.......

Having said that.....there is a shop in Karama that does the best fake Mulberry handbags. I have a one or two, may be three real ones and a couple of fake ones, and no-one can tell the difference. I have the young Iranian boy from that shop on my Facebook and try to keep him sweet He reckons he always gives me Asda prices. Yeah, right! (wink face)

Sandstormlady wrote:Wow, I thought this was about naff Xmas presents! Sounds like BB seriously needs rid of this person, I have to ask myself why you wasted so much time writing about this person.

Well you don't "know" me do you? or maybe you do? Interesting that a newcomer would refer to me as BB. That's a shortcut used by people who have been around for some time and "know" me.

Good to see that you are keeping threads on topic - I guess someone has to remind us when we go off topic. Forgive me for derailing this one.

We have two options: checking myself as to what I'm going to post so that I don't have to expose you to it because YOU find it a waste of reading time, or you can always put me on your foe list, which would be my suggestion. I could ask myself why someone would give you a piece of rubbish as a gift, but I won't.

Bora Bora wrote:

Sandstormlady wrote:Wow, I thought this was about naff Xmas presents! Sounds like BB seriously needs rid of this person, I have to ask myself why you wasted so much time writing about this person.

Well you don't "know" me do you? or maybe you do? Interesting that a newcomer would refer to me as BB. That's a shortcut used by people who have been around for some time and "know" me.

Good to see that you are keeping threads on topic - I guess someone has to remind us when we go off topic. Forgive me for derailing this one.

We have two options: checking myself as to what I'm going to post so that I don't have to expose you to it because YOU find it a waste of reading time, or you can always put me on your foe list, which would be my suggestion. I could ask myself why someone would give you a piece of rubbish as a gift, but I won't.

Blimey. I hadn't intended to offend you. Everybody else on here has come across so nice aswell. I'm surprised that you got so defensive of somebody just using a shortened text of your name. WTF? Everybody done it with my name immediately I & took that as welcoming & being friendly. I suppose there's always one odd one. Nevermind.

Don't worry about me wasting my time reading your post, I didn't, I got bored after the first paragraph!

Sandstormlady wrote:ReplyRe: The Worst Christmas Presents.
Posted 14 minutes ago

Good on you - a proper C&P!!!!

Maybe if you kept your question to yourself all would have been good, as well as not acting like the forum police. Seeing as how you only read the first paragraph of my post (which I doubt) you had quite an opinion. Don't be quick to give yourself a pat on the back. Everyone on DF can be "odd" as everyone else has another side to them. as you said "everyone else has come across so nice". If you would have joined DF several months back you would have either been too afraid to post or would have loved to get in on the action. I tend to think it would have been the second.

Ok your boring me now BB.

Sandstormlady wrote:Ok your boring me now BB.

Stop reading my posts. It's not my intent to entertain you.

Bora Bora wrote: If you would have joined DF several months back you would have been too afraid to post

Ahh, the good old days! I do miss the excitement of logging in to see what names I'd been called.

Well I'm proud to say that I was the first to welcome you when you joined!!! I guess SSL shouldn't take it so personal. Look how well we turned out?

Just for the record SSL, if you're watching, when I first joined Bora christened me Bowel Movement.

You've got off lucky, so far.

Bethsmum wrote:Just for the record SSL, if you're watching, when I first joined Bora christened me Bowel Movement.

You've got off lucky, so far.

Did you ever finish that thesis on me?? You thought I made for an interesting subject.

Oh, lordy, those were the days BM!!! We certainly made it entertaining until we joined up and then you had to take on everyone by yourself with some assistance from Dillon and Drew - help you certainly didn't need!!!! Then came the two camps!!!

Love ya hon.