It can be low effort, passive-aggressive, insulting or derogatory towards your convictions.
A small drinking cup +possibly unintended whooping cough that ruined my entire holiday season.
My birthday is the 27th of December.
On any given year odds are that my birthday sucked. Growing up it was during holiday break so no bringing cupcakes to school. 2 days after Christmas, care to guess how many kids want to attend a birthday party? Birthday presents were almost always an afterthought combined with Christmas.
I am a huge Star Wars fan so when Carrie Fisher passed away on December 27th, 2016, that was an especially shitty birthday.
There have been uears when my parents have forgotten my birthday entirely.All that aside, my wife threw me my first and only surprise birthday party for my 40th. It was Star Wars themed including food she made from the Galaxy’s Edge cookbook she had given me for Christmas. That year I got a Kenner power (Gonk) droid still in the original packaging (with Venture price sticker still on it), which my mom had somehow saved since I was a kid. She also gave me all of my old Star Wars action figures she had been saving for me, unknown to me. And I also received an original Rancor and the box it came in from a friend. That one almost made up for all the others before and since. I’ve learned the best way to have a good birthday is to set the lowest of expectations.
Christmas babies unite! Yeah, Ive never really had a good one. Spending this one alone, too. Whatever I guess…
Your wife sounds lovely though, and happy early bday!
Cheers and a happy early birthday to you as well!
Or…is it a late happy birthday?
Ugh, I can never remember with your birthday being so close to Christmas, y’know? It just slips my mind every year.
My sister gifted me the third book of a fantasy trilogy series once.
I never read or got the first two books.Also, when I was little, my grandma (who hated me with passion) bought me a pink bike just to piss me off, because she thought a boy wouldn’t ever like that color. I rode that bike until I was too tall to use it and every time she saw me enjoying that thing she was furious. :)
The propensity for you and your grandma to both act out of spite for one another is impressively high. Its good to have proof you’re related
Oh, you’re mistaken. I enjoyed that bike because it was a good bike. It just wasn’t “boy-colored”, but I didn’t mind.
Gendered colours are stupid anyway.
Especially when you consider the arbitriness of it. Pink used to be the color for baby boys.
Exactly, and I was way too young to actually care about colors anyway.
Yeah, but surely you knew how she’d react if you rode it in front of her
Dude, I was a child. I didn’t even have the mental capacity to spite my own grandma. I saw a cool bike, didn’t mind the color and rode it, that’s it.
Psychoanalyzing people on the internet is stupid.
No! You will take the judgement I gave you to your grave!
Why did she hate you with such passion ?
And why didnt she think about spray paint ?
She always called me “the bastard” because I had a different father than my sisters.
That was enough of a reason to hate me, I guess. 🤷It was definitely intentional of her to gift me a “girls” bike and she didn’t expect me to actually like it.
She also pulled stunts like gifting me and my sisters money on Christmas, but I got 10€ and they got 50€ each. My mum always equally split the whole money afterwards.What an asshole
Your mom did right
My grandma once gifted me volume 21 of a manga I didn’t even own a single volume of. All she knew was that I like that japanese comic thing so she bought a random one at the book store.
If it was Ender’s Game, you might be better off starting with book two…
For their sake i hope it wasn’t, Ender’s Game is possibly the greatest example of deservedly famous book 1 and equally deservedly forgotten rest of the series.
My mom’s boyfriend got me this huge present that just fit under the tree that was pretty heavy. I racked my brain trying to figure out what it was, had no idea. Got to be honest i was a little hyped up to open this thing, even though my opinion of the boyfriend was average
Christmas day I finally get to find out what it is. open the box and it was a Microwave; a second hand microwave. He had replaced his, wasn’t even a good microwave (5 minutes to boil a cup of water) Mom already had a microwave and i was 14 years old.
His thinking was, “if nothing will force them to move out early, this will.”
About 20 years ago
I went to my family Christmas with my then-partner. I got a Grinch onesie from my family
We then attended my partner’s family Christmas where basically the entire living room was stuffed with presents for the kids (my partner and their siblings). My then-partner complained about how the siblings all got more $$ worth of presents. I pointed out that I got a pair of pjs for Christmas. The reply: “it’s not about the dollar amount, it’s just they got more than me” (paraphrased)
I hated that present. A fucking onesie? It was such a disappointing present, and for a long time I used it as an example for questions just like this
I kept it and wore it. Eventually I lost the bitterness and started to cherish it even. Which is why I still wear it regularly this time of year! It’s quite warm… plus, it has pockets!
Grinch tax:
That’s a cool onesie
On the behalf of Lemmy. We appreciate you paying the Grinch tax.
They say once you go Grinch you’ll never go back.
My mate’s little sister was sad and bemused one Christmas when their parents bought her a (single) Pom-pom. Why would you not buy a pair?
They bought her a pom
Yeah - I’d always thought it would be called a Pom but just before posting I checked Wikipedia and apparently we’re both wrong. I know what you mean, though.
Why would you not buy a pair?
How rich are you!?
Fair point.
So I’m a trans guy and as a kid I was very obviously masculine, stereotypical tomboy. One of my aunts that married into the family gave me, maybe around age 5-7, a toy makeup kit. To this day I don’t know wtf she was thinking, because it wasn’t like she never met or saw me. Was it thoughtless or passive aggressive? Who can say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Top three would be my weird Christmas ‘bonuses’ from a previous employer. In order of weirdness: some fake notes (representing the companies record profits that year), a single bike pedal, and finally a spanner which had been spray painted orange.
My sister wanted me to be the Godfather to her children. She considered it a “gift.”
I’m an atheist. I told her explicitly “Hey, you remember I’m an atheist, right?” Part of this whole Godfather business is making a promise to raise them religiously if their parent dies. I thought I was being considerate and kind by being honest that I did not want to be a Godfather because I could not in good conscience make such a promise.
Nope, I’m the bad guy, not the person who knew I was atheist and decided to not respect that at all anyway by asking me to be a Godfather to begin with.
God parents are supposed to care for the children, if the parents die. I think you shouldn’t overthink it. If you’re willing to fill that role, then raise the kids however you think is best. Accept the role gracefully as it is an honor and your sister is showing she loves and trusts you. Leave it at that.
As atheists, we have to acknowledge that most of the world isn’t yet on our level of thinking, but also that we don’t really have similar “concepts” for religious traditions that serve certain societal needs. God parents do serve a societal function. As an atheist, I can acknowledge that, accept that role, and play the part for those I love.
Yeah my siblings and friends also know i am an atheist, but that hasn’t stopped us from naming each other godparents. It is just a promise to look after the child if something happens to the parents. I also try to make some monetary investment for the children
We solved this by having oddparents instead of godparents.
Only if oddparents is prepended by fairly
E: spelling is hard
Love it
Was that their expectation of you, or just a common religious interpretation?
I know plenty of people who use the term and have no care for the religious history of it.
She’s religious, that was the expectation.
Even that aside, what kind of gift is “You’ll have to take care of my kids if I die.”?
You could just call yourself a Sparent.
A box of Mario fruit snacks when I was a kid.
My mother got me Rogaine for my birthday last year. Pretty rude and uncalled for I felt but now I’ve stopped cutting it and have the longest hair I’ve ever had so I guess she hit a nerve with that one
In middle school, there was this one super unpopular girl that gifted me acne medication for Christmas… Unprompted. We weren’t even friends and yes, I had acne problems like most teens did.
I never bullied anyone in my life before and since, but I did that year… This was why she was so unpopular. The year after, she called 1 of the 2 only black kids the N word, got her ass kicked and either removed or expelled from school.
I have no idea why anyone would go around picking fights, especially with no friends to begin with. Before anyone asks, no, no mental health issues.
Edit: I also wasnt “popular” and had very little friends too. I mean, it wasnt right either way to turn bully either but I was young
Even negative attention is better than no attention for some. Good chance she had a pretty bad home life, poor girl.
Maybe but none of us saw it, even my friend who eventually became her friend later on and into adulthood… I met her mom at least twice and she was always nice and seemed very attentive, concerned about her daughter.
We also grew up very affluent. They were too.
One of the harshest lessons I’ve ever had to learn, especially as someone who struggled socially growing up, is that some people don’t have any friends for a good reason
I think the “worst” thing I ever got was a VR headset. It wasn’t a bad present per say and I really liked it at the time but unfortunately the VR space died pretty fast and it was completely useless soon after I got it.
Edit: it was a headset where you put your phone inside, I should have said that first
Arkham Shadow just came out on VR and people are saying it rivals other games like HL: Alyx in terms of scope and quality.
I’m watching a playthrough right now and it’s blowing my mind how awesome it looks to actually be Batman
That’s great. The headset I was talking about was one where you put your phone inside. I should have said that first :(
Edit: it was a headset where you put your phone inside
Aw man those things were so cool! My dad actually got one of those for me as a gift when I was way younger, I forget for which occasion. Didn’t use it much tho cause later my grandma found out about it and stole it, throwing it away in the garbage. She doesn’t hate me or anything, she was just scared I’d get brain cancer and since nobody in the family ever believes her because of that crap she reads on facebook, that was her way of protecting me. Oh well.
Oh man, that sucks. I’m sorry. Anyway, the industry abandoned them pretty fast so…
People keep giving me steak house gift cards.
I’m a vegetarian. I can only eat a roll there.
I’m vegan, and my agency gave me a gift card to Zaxby’s, and it wasn’t even loaded
Are you full vegan or just vegetarian?
If it’s for Ouback Steakhouse, you could always have a Bloomin Onion if you’re okay with eggs and milk.
But otherwise, yeah, not much else on the menu for ya.
Don’t forget salad. Outback is largely one of the worst if you’re vegetarian unfortunately. Most steakhouses at least have a few vegetable sides and can make a meal out of them.
Vegetarian but I may as well be vegan since my stomach can’t handle eggs or much dairy.
I’m vegan and the number of people who can’t figure out “no animal products” is astounding. I’m so tired of “no eggs? No dairy?” like yes bitch, I don’t fuck with animals.
People act like it’s rocket science.
People act like it’s rocket science.
There’s always going to be a question as to where you draw the line. For example, is it okay to eat figs, even though they’re pollinated by wasps that end up in them? Is it okay to eat plants grown using animal products as fertilizer? Is it okay to eat cultured meat that is many generations removed from a living animal, such that none of the material present now was part of the living animal? How about things in the animal kingdom, but outside the chordates? The ones you’d need a microscope to see? Is honey okay to eat?
There’s also the issue that other people that call themselves vegan will disagree with you on what all counts.
It’s usually not that complex. If someone has a plate of chilaquiles with egg on it and I say I’m vegan I don’t think it’s hard to discern that I’m probably not going to eat it.
Egg is obvious if you know what the difference is between vegetarian and vegan in the first place, but I don’t think you can expect most people to be able to cook vegan food, even if they’re trying, and know the basic definition. I know enough non-obvious uses of animal products(like shellac on fruit), that I’d have no confidence in being able to avoid them all unless I grew everything myself.
What? Fish is an animal?? /s
How could I forget? It always blows people’s minds that I don’t eat fish, but before I was vegan I never liked fish anyway but no one had a problem with it then.
Not according to catholics
To be fair, the person you’re responded to said “vegetarian” not “vegan.” But yes, otherwise, it isn’t rocket science. My vegan boys are big fans of seitan.
Either way, a Steak House is probably not a place they’re interested in.
Maybe they have impossible steak!
Which is actually amazing for tacos and as an added bonus is you don’t get those nasty grizzly parts
Right. I guess people mix up the two a lot so for me it’s just easier to say “no animal products” plainly.
Hail seitan!
Perhaps that’s why, to annoy you.
Sounds like a dick move, too
I used to receive a lot of Starbucks gift cards and can only drink so much coffee, so I would sell the codes using an online gift card trade site. I forget which specific one I used, but there are several sites when you search up “sell gift cards.” I used to get like $0.70 per dollar or so, which isn’t terrible when you’re a broke college kid. Can’t pay rent in gift cards lol
I received a framed picture of my parents, from my parents. They said it was because I didn’t have a picture of them hung up in my house.
That’s kind of hilarious. 😆
Did you hang it up?
I think the only place to put it is on the floor behind the toilet.
…I dunno, I actually think it’s kinda sweet. Something bonus might’ve been nice though haha.
