ASK AMY

It was the most hideous thing I'd ever seen. My mother still tells me about the priceless look on my face when I opened it, not to mention how I managed to show my grandmother my gratitude for working so hard on it and for thinking of me.

Amy in Rockville

Dear Amy:

As a wedding gift, a very wealthy friend of my husband's family gave us a clown that was made from a bleach bottle. The sand-filled bottle wore a baggy green, orange, red and white suit and had a creepy plastic head on top with bright orange hair. We were stunned, but it did give us something to laugh about while we were writing out our thank-you notes.

Anonymous

Dear Amy:

For a wedding gift, my great-aunt crocheted a long skirt that fit onto a Barbie doll. You put the doll's legs into a toilet paper roll and the skirt covers the roll. This is supposed to make the spare roll of paper more attractive. We made a ceremony of gifting the toilet paper doll to each newlywed couple in the family. It has become a tradition that everyone enjoys.

Anonymous

Dear Amy: