I've told this crazy story before and I don't know why....because it is really embarrassing. My mother-in-law and I got into a screaming match in my driveway. I picked up a handful of rocks and threw them at her. Sometimes in-laws can bring you to your boiling point. It's kind of funny now. Needless to say I don't have to deal with her anymore.

Haha well fighting over pumpkin pies is still bad...I love pumpkin pie though so I'm not sure what there is to fight about I'd love to hear more of this story haha!

That is hilarious!! Reminds me of the movie Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation when the aunt raps up her cat as a gift!

OMG! Sorry, but this made me laugh out loud!!!!!! You have courage I wish I had!

Wow.... reading these kinda makes me feel better about the fact I bought my brothers jerky (A LOT OF different kinds) for Christmas... o_O

And a little bottle of maple syrup (elf joke) for each brother.

And I also bought my brother in law a U of M team rooting spirit gnome statue thing that I know my sister shudders about. My sister is kinda more Martha Stewart in how she decorates her house. Naked body painted gnomes waving M flags = not her thing. *heeeheeehee*

Christmas for us isn't really about the presents, I think mostly because by now all of us just buy whatever we want when we want it. It should be fun though.

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Well see now. My MIL...always had us bring something...I always got stuck with the rolls...I honestly think it was an insult intended as she told me when we got married what Hubbies favorite foods were but wouldn't share any recipes. Now I'm a good cook, been cooking since I was 9, and I only asked for her recipes to be polite....long story short...I mentioned to my SIL one year that I would like to make the vegetable, which she always had, so we switched...My MIL was not happy about it. The next year though she asked us what we would like to bring so SIL said she'd make pies, to which my MIL responded that they weren't doing pies this year, no one ate them and they were stuck with a ton of pie...which btw isn't true, but ok, Jean said whatever and opted for something else.

On the BIG day, after dinner, MIL asked who wanted pie...Jean's face turned bright red...me being me...asked...what kind???? MIL said Pumpkin of course....OMG...Jean blew, I mean blew, followed MIL into the kitchen where they proceeded to have words. MIL denied telling her we weren't doing pie, called Jean crazy etc etc etc....Dave, one of hubbies brothers went off on Dick another brother and well FIL sat at the end of the table and laughed...was not good! Our boys were still in their early teens...they didn't know what to think..sigh...needless to say that was the last Thanksgiving we ever all got together and while I have gone to one or two at Dick's, we usually do it now with some good friends...

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BTW...when my parents still lived here we never had fights...Mom and I made the meal together and everyone had a good time...IDK what possesses some families, but I do know what kind of MIL I don't want to be to my DIL's....sigh

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See and I'm good with that...Christmas should be about family. But it never was with hubbies....With mine, yes, but hubbies, nope...I don't know quite how to explain it...I always thanked my MIL for the gifts but I know, knowing her it was about her getting her little digs...heck she even asked my hubby once if he ever spoke to Kathy, his ex...when he asked her why, she responded that she always like HER!!!! Sigh

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My elderly mother is here for Christmas with us this year. Being with her 24/7 is showing me how much she has mentally declined this year. She has asked me three times if we are going to the lakehouse and when is she going back home.

She also accused me of not showing her the pictures from her 80th birthday party - in 2009. I organized it and paid for it, my brother volunteered his house to use. My mother is last of her generation, so my cousins have been calling her #1 for several years. One of the cousins brought numbers for us to wear, showing the birth order. We took a family photo, 30 people, and I had a print made for her. She doesn't remember seeing that picture before - it's on the bookshelf in her TV room.
One of my cousins has an open house on Christmas. We stopped going when we moved out of state. When we get back to that area, we are visiting my husband's family. Besides, my kids were tired of missing dinner at their grandparents, only to arrive after dinner there - I ended up doing the dishes for them before we went to Waffle House.

Can't say as I've ever gotten a bad gift but one year I thought I had.I lived on Hatteras Island(about 60 miles from my Mom).Two days before Christmas it snowed so hard I couldn't go home for Christmas.I lived alone down there and thought I had few friends.Christmas day came & I didn't have a tree or anywhrere to go.My car was a Datson 260Z not good for snow. I woke up really bummed & feeling sorry for myself.When I opened the front door to look out there was a case of beer with a bow on it & an invite to join a family for dinner.Then another local came by & gave me a ride to my Moms house in a 4X4.I lived there for 3 more years and still have many friends there.Sometimes what you think are "bad" gifts are really not that bad

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[SIGPIC]Dogs are a gift from God

I do have a somewhat funny one to share....

On my birthday this year (September), my mom gave me a new dress. This thing was something she bought from a catalog, and probably looked a little snazzier in the catalog than in person.

In person, it looked like a fancy granny patchworky nightgown! It went all the way down to my feet practically and had RUFFLES (inconceivable!) at the bottom.

I asked her if she minded shortening it for me - and I pointed at the ruffles section in particular and told her she could just chop that all right off.

So it went into her mending basket.

And she forgot about it.

Since I wasn't too thrilled about the dress (it was goshawful ugly), I didn't really press her. The way I am when my mom buys me clothes, I do make an effort to wear them at least once for her. And I would have had to wear the dress.

Fast forward to yesterday - she came up to me WITH THE DRESS IN HAND and was all flustered because she was pulling out my dad's clothes to mend something for Christmas and she found the dress buried and forgotton in there.

So she quickly mended it and wanted me to try it on. *cringes*

Um. I hate to say this, but I actually like it. o_O!

She trimmed it to just below the knees, and sorted out the ruffle issue, even though she left some of it in there.

It's still is a bit "louder" than I like (I normally wear gray, blue, brown by choice), but I will wear it tonight to church. o_O

So I guess there is a bad present turned right.

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We need a picture,of you in the dress.

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