I think the worst gifts from a significant other are the ones that say he pays no attention to who I am, what I like/dislike, and what my values are.
With my ex, he would be very generous with buying gifts, but they were usually things
he liked, or got "dazzled" by in the store, and not so much what I liked. Still, I know it's the thought, so I would be thankful. Some of the gifts over the years were nice (a sweater that was exactly my style, very plain diamond stud earrings, practical tools and appliances I had to drop hints about). But after a while, it started to be annoying, because there really was no "thought" in the sense of "will TracySam like this?" It was like a stranger was picking out gifts for me.
Examples:
Clothing in bright colors, when I always wear more subdued colors.
A flat screen TV that was really for him, when I'm more likely to use the same old "fat" TV until it dies.
A flat screen computer monitor when the old "fat" one was perfectly fine.
A remote car-starter, supposedly to warm up my car on cold mornings. But I love the cold weather, and never, ever complained about it being cold when I went out to start up my car. Plus it would have required me to go to an auto mechanic place to have it installed. That one I had to speak up about and it went back--there was no way I could pretend to like it and use it.
Anything "fancy" or "self-indulgent" when I tend to be very practical. I'm the kind of girl who would LOVE a new vacuum cleaner and hate a gift certificate to a spa or something sparkly.
Anything that's the super-newest-high-tech gadget. I am pretty simple in my needs, and think of gadgetty things as unnecessary and "something else that can break."
A HUGE Panasonic adult toy "massager" the size of my arm (he definitely bought that for himself).
Lingerie that is completely uncomfortable and not my thing.
Toys and swag like action figures or bobble-heads of characters in TV shows I like. Yes, I love
Walking Dead, but I don't need Rick and Daryl action figures. Yes, I like
American Pickers, but I don't need Mike and Frank bobble-heads.
Multiple sets of dishes and glasses (usually Christmas patterned) from Crate & Barrel, when we had limited cabinet space, and rarely entertained people in our home at Christmas.
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