What are the best and worst gifts you have ever received?

Best gift : A bottle of Cool Water
Worst gift : Same as above.

Well a gift is a gift, it's the thought that counts, right? I feel weird getting gifts at all, I am not sure why because for the people I care about most I usually like the challenge of trying to find something they'll love.

I haven't ever gotten anything terrible. I'm actually really easy to buy for and I am pretty sentimental, so I cannot let go of any gift, even if it's not really me, I still cherish it for the person that gave it to me. I still have things from elementary school gift exchanges and I can tell you who gave them to me. I've gotten a lot of unusual gifts, at least to me they are unusual because I never would have thought of buying them. One year my brother got me a fireproof safe for my house - I do actually use it, just never would have occured to me to get one. My dad usually buys me tools - he a very practical gift buyer - my tools and I are the envy of many men. They do always come in handy. If my grandma chooses my gifts, she has this idea that I am still 9 years old - one year she chose a limited edition Barbie, only I was in my late 20's and have never collected Barbies. She also does a lot of ceramics, so one year she gave me this Holly Hobbie ceramic figurine and one year a turtle shaped planter that had eyes that make it look like an alien. They are cute, but I am outside the target demographic and they don't match my decor. She loves trinkets and is a pack rat, I hate dusting, so have very few decor items, so that dusting is not so involved a chore. My family has always wanted me to be a doctor and I have no desire to go to medical school, so for the past two Christmases, it has amused my brother immensely to give me medical books. While they make interesting reading, I still have no desire to become a doctor. The first year it was funny, the second, umm, not so funny, but he got me an ipod too, so I can't complain. lol Usually I get cash and in my book, that can never be bad. I don't get those people who hink cash or gift cards are too impersonal. I figure they care enough to let you chose something you want and need, that is incredibly thoughtful.

Ha! One of my worst gifts was a Barbie makeup set (complete with fake makeup). When I was...17. I can still remember the feeling of my cheeks going very red as I thanked the giver profusely and wondered why they thought I was 5.

Best gifts: pair of Paula Abdul-endorsed orangey-pink Reeboks when I was in middle school. Birthday supper out at a posh French resto in London with my best friends in the world. Vintage 50's black astrakhan swing jacket from my boyfriend. Lots more...

I usually appreciate all the gifts I receive, I imagine that people have been through a lot of fuss until buying something that might seem suitable. However, I hate conventional gifts, the usual decorative stuff, aromated candles or teddy bears for girls. I don't like people who buy a present just to get rid of the "duty"; if it's such dreadful thing, one should better give up, than just buying a totally useless crap, that has nothing to do with me. I don't want expensive stuff, the most important is to see that somebody has tried to make a surprise and at the same time guess which are my tastes and what would suit me.
I have great friends, so I never got something that I truly disliked. Nevertheless, what usually doesn't fit are clothes. I don't understand why people still buy me clothes, they are always too big, too long..you get the point. But this is rather funny, I'm not disappointed or anything like that.
The present that impressed me the most, surprisingly, was a Sphinx cat that I received from my boyfriend last year. I still have no idea how he found out that i wanted such a pet so badly.

I received the best gift recently. My very good friend gave me her airline miles so I could take a trip to Paris!! Hooray! It is an extremely generous and thoughtful gift. I will go next summer. I love my friend.

The only worst gifts I can think of are those you receive from someone who should know you really well, but the gift makes it seem they don't know you at all. An example: I received from a former boyfriend a pair of Victoria's Secret sweats with the word "PINK" written across the rear-end. Definitely not me. I do not want to implore people to look at my a** just because there are words there.

Best: I consider my three children to be a gift and they are by far the best. They make my life better every day.

Worst: By FAR! One year for Christmas when the kids were little we bought them their own computer ( which I would be using also) and my Husband bought each child a new computer game. When I opened my "game" it was Cosmo Makeover software.....everyone in my family had this horror struck look on their faces. The Cosmo Makeover went straight back to the store! My Husband did not realize his grave mistake until it was too late. As our friend Will responded "are you out of your mind, do you have a death wish?" It has provided years of entertainment to our friends and family though

Wow, Turquoisewater! That was a great present!!!

My worst present: An old college boyfriend once gave me a fire extinguisher for my birthday. Looking back, I think he was trying to tell me something.

Wow! Some excellent (and dreadful) gifts mentioned here!!

My best gift was an air ticket to fly from Australia to Sweden to attend a reunion concert of my fave band, and backstage passes. Would you believe this was bestowed upon me by COMPLETE strangers who just knew I'd love to go? I was gobsmacked!

Worst gift... was a wedding gift from my previous employer. You know those plain white, unscented candles you keep in a drawer in case the lights go out? Well, six of those in a bundle with some gold ribbon(?). We know its the thought that counts, but on our big day we figured there was little thought behind it.

Best gift:A Ferrari F1 430. I didn't like the colour so I took it back.

Worst gift:Pyjamas from my grandparents. I got PJs like every year for like 3 years. It was annoying.

Worst gift: An orange, put in a HUGE (ca1,5 x 1,5 m) wonderfully wrapped box. It was from my grandfather, and I was about five or six years old at the time. He almost laughed his a** off, when I opened it...

Best gift: A very valuable diamond ring from my aunt. I keep it in my bank safe, the stone is so big that nobody would believe it is real.

Best: Valentine's Day gifts from my 2 boys in 2005 (lots of planning, lots of ingenuity, a TON of sweetness)

Worst: a white, terrycloth bathrobe, when I requested a bathrobe "NOT white, NOT terrycloth." I still can't decide if it was selective hearing or just pure orneriness.

Best: A painting of the Holy Family did by 9 seminarists.
Worst: A chinese clock from a billionaire cousin.

Jade ring and pendant that I designed with the jeweler. I just love them.
A laser measuring tool. Note to husbands: it is rarely the case that women desire tools or pots for the holidays.

14th of February 2006=Best gift. :P