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Some people believe that you have to be happy about every single gift you get. Then, there are people who wholeheartedly disagree with that, most commonly those who have had certain gifts in their lives that disappointed them.
If you’re curious what gifts left people so disappointed they dubbed them the worst they’ve ever received, this list is for you. Perhaps these examples will give you an idea of what kind of gifts people tend to not like. Or maybe it will simply just entertain you. Just like with gifts, the purpose of this list can vary depending on each person. So, however you take it is good enough, as long as upvote what you like the best!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
It wasn’t me, it was my grandmother. See, we’d always had guns and hunted. She was by far the best shot in a family of good marksmen and women. She never was into it, though. Sure, she’d cook game, but never did much like hunting. She limited her shooting to cans and small fruit at a long distance or an occasional turkey shoot target. She never missed, but her love was sewing.
That’s why when my grandfather bought her a very nice shotgun for her birthday she was livid. She knew that he’d really sneakily bought himself a nice gun. Her birthday was near Thanksgiving. When Christmas rolled around, she bought him a VERY nice sewing machine and some things to go with it.
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#2
Doormat. Gave it to my boss, card explained it was so she’d have something else to walk all over and included my resignation effective immediately.
#3
I don’t like one of my cousins so I gifted his kid a drum set.
DennyS (denzoren) 1 day ago
Gosh, that's the worst of the worst....nice if they become an artiste but depends on the age of the kid at the time.
Some say that every single thing in life is a skill. From public speaking, writing, to math, communication – everything can be improved with practice and decline with neglect.
Even gift giving can be considered a skill. So, that means that some people are naturally more “talented” at it, while others struggle with it more.
Sometimes, unfortunately, this struggle of theirs leads to the gift receivers being disappointed in what they get. Before you say that being upset about Christmas presents is not good or normal, let us contradict you. In reality, feeling let down, in this case, is completely normal.
#4
Sent an exploding glitter d**k bomb to an ex. Thousands of little d***s all over the place. The note inside said 'since you like strange d**k so much here's a lifetime supply'. What's funnier is that their tradition is for the whole family to go to mom and dads to open presents. She was quite irate when she emailed me about it and I just said *laughs like an evil troll* and you're blocked.
#5
Divorce papers. By my Lawyer disguised as an elf.
#6
My MIL is a raging racist. She's legit had panic attacks when passing Black people on the street because she thought they were going to rob her. That said, she claims to be liberal and a feminist and would never, ever admit to her racism.
She's getting a goody basket with tea from a Black-owned tea shop, chocolates from a Black-owned candy maker, and a candle from a Black-owned candle maker, and she won't be able to complain about any of it and some good local businesses get paid.
Rizzo 2 days ago
Is this a real thing? Black-owned tea shop, Black-owned candy maker, Black-owned candle maker... That sounds awful. What does skin color have to do with anything? Why do you have to mention that? In my opinion, that kind of thing just fuels racism and I'm not sure I would support it.
After all, sometimes a thing you get doesn’t suit your taste or needs and you might struggle to see how you can incorporate it into your life. So, you might feel grateful, but also troubled that it wasn’t something you wanted.
If you want some examples of what kind of gifts disappoint people, check out this list. In it, you’ll find people sharing experiences of getting things from vacuum cleaners to divorce papers: a whole spectrum of bad gifts.
At this point, you might wonder how you could improve your gift-giving skill, so the presents you give next Christmas (or any other occasion) will be better. Well, there are many things you can keep in mind and practice here.
#7
A coffee table book of cats wearing wigs.
The Dark Sun 2 days ago
your trash would be my treasure! This is funny as fÜck and right down my alley!
#8
My mother-in-law gave me a vacuum for Christmas the same year she gave my husband a Wii.
So I give her a membership to the Arbor Day Foundation, and they mail her *so many trees.*
I love them. They do great work. Nobody can complain about you being political when the donations are for a charity that's all about trees. But they are *aggressive* about putting trees in your hands for you to plant. It's one one tree. It's 5-10 trees. And you feel bad if you don't plant them. So I give my mother-in-law a sense of panicked responsibility for Christmas.
#9
I have a sister in law that gives the absolute worst gifts. She finds out you have an interest in something and then beats it to death for every occasion a gift needs to be given, or regifts you things she got for free.
This year her adult daughter got a puppy, so we are gifting her all sorts of things themed to get being a dog Grandma. A sign, a key chain, a license plate border, and a cling for her car window. All bought cheaply.
For instance, realizing that the gift doesn’t have to be life-changing or extremely expensive. In reality, a gift can be something fun and/or nice that somehow accommodates the person’s interests and needs, but it doesn’t have to grant their deepest wishes.
With the price factor, sometimes you can buy the priciest thing you can find, but it could be way off of what the receiver actually wishes for. In fact, a meaningful gift sometimes can barely cost anything, but be something that sparks communication, deepens your bond or simply means something to the person who's getting it.
#10
My in-laws, who are quite comfortably well-off, gave my wife and I a pen last year. A pen imprinted with the name and phone number of my mother-in-law’s side photography business.
Aw, you didn’t have to…. no, seriously.
#11
My wife had a boss that she absolutely hated. Years ago he made the local newspaper on some fluff story and my parents, unaware of the hatred, mailed us the article with his big dumb smiling mug. Since they, my wife and I take turns hiding the newspaper clipping somewhere unexpected. like taped to the bottom of her mouse, or tucked inside my phone case, or in the weird pocket in her purse she never looks in, or stashed with her hygiene products, or in her coat pocket, or at the bottom of her car console etc.
Well, guess who's getting a giant custom mousepad this year...
#12
I have made it VERY CLEAR, DO NOT give me a vacuum cleaner, or any other thing that may be used to clean the house!! Christmas gifts should be personal!!
My husband, Terrance, on our 2nd Christmas together, gave me a vacuum cleaner. I damn near threw it out of the closed window!! When Terrance realized his error, he tried selling it to me. It was self propelled. I had to put it in gear, because it had a transmission. Oh yes, he tried. I looked at him, fuming and said, “ I didn't get you a hammer!!” He's a contractor. Needless to say, he got me a VERY nice gift, the day after Christmas.
zims 2 days ago
I think couples should buy gifts "for the house" together. Like if you need a new washing machine or fridge, pool your gift money for each other and get the big expensive thing together. That way you get the thing your household needs, nobody's making a big purchase behind anyone's back, and it's not a lopsided exchange where one person gets a thoughtful personal gift, and the other one gets chores.
Nicole Weymann 1 day ago
Some people do like "practical" presents, but that's something go discuss before any shopping takes place.
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UncleJohn3000 2 days ago
A friend told me he had gotten his wife an automatic litter box for her birthday. Something must have shown on my face because he quickly concluded, "Maybe that's a better 'just because' present."
Maples Dad 23 hours ago
Those things are killing and injuring an insane amount of cats.
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UnicornSnotRules 21 hours ago
For my birthday one year my husband bought me cabinets for the laundry room. Cabinets. No.
BigCityLady 20 hours ago
This is my greatest pet peeve. I too become angry when I am gifted a household product. If you incapable of choosing a loving and caring gift specially for MY enjoyment, we have a problem. A big, big problem.
Keeping a list of gift ideas is also a good idea. Well, not only keeping it, but updating it every time a person mentions something that later can be turned into a present. So, when the occasion slowly starts to approach, maybe you will already have something to give or at least maybe will be inspired to think of something new.
If these tools don’t help, you can also try to question whether you can check any of these boxes with your gift:
- Introducing them to something they wouldn’t themselves;
- Getting a nice version of something they already want;
- Making them feel seen.
Yes, they might seem a tad obscure, but when you apply these questions to a certain person, they make more sense.
#13
My SIL who is a traveling nurse in FL gave me a burned copy of a Monte Python movie. 1. I already had the entire collection. 2. It didn't even work, as I kept that copy at my BF place and went to watch it. I bought her her favorite and frankly expensive perfume that year and every year before. She ran out and was expecting her bottle the next year. Nope.
highwaycrossingfrog 1 day ago
Obvs OP knows their own SIL better, but sounds like she at least tried to gift something the OP would like as they clearly *are* a Monty Python fan. I don't think travelling nurses in Florida make a lot of money, and in any case it's kind of trashy to compare who spent what on whom. If OP
#14
My SIL would buy very boring and cheap gifts for my kids. I don't usually care very much about the actual gift, we have other family members who aren't well off, and I usually respect that people do what they can.
However, my brother has a very good job, and earns way more than anyone else in the extended family. It wasn't even the cost as we had a agreed limit, it was the effort, and to be frank, my SIL is a cheapskate.
So, while I was buying her kids art sets and Lego, usually quality products brought on sale, she'd buy cheap t-shirts, towels, socks and the like in return.
Eventually, when the kids were in thier late teens, I went all passive-aggressive and just brought the same gift she gave the next time. So, if she brought towels for my kids one year, I'd buy towels for hers the next year.
That lasted 2 years. Suddenly, she no longer wanted to exchange gifts. I still genuinely believe that she has no clue why the quality of presents dropped.
Edited.
UncleJohn3000 2 days ago
Grown-ups can talk to each other. Passive aggression is not a positive trait.
#15
A cat mug with point ears perfectly placed to poke you in both eyes as you drink or stab you in the cheeks if you drink from the other side.
My mom wanted a new mug for Christmas and frankly I was pissed at her.
Panda Kicki 22 hours ago
I have exactly the mug in the pic! Bought it in like a dollar store shop in Bratislava. As I use it for plants it doesnt matter you cant drink from it.
Even if this doesn’t help, you can always turn to Google and research what kind of things are trending this year; maybe even ask ChatGPT for help. Then, keep an eye on how people react to the things you give, make mental (or physical) notes of those reactions and use them as a starting point for next time. As we said in the beginning, gift giving is a skill, which requires time and work to be good at it.
What's the worst gift you ever received? Share with us in the comments!
#16
I got my parents squatty potties. I knew they wouldn't use them, but I wanted them to know I thought they were constipated.
R.A. Haley 1 day ago
There are very few things funnier than a Squatty Potty commercial. Look them up on Youtube.
#17
I crocheted a blanket with the ugliest yarn I had. Now they can’t get rid of it, because I hand made it for them, but it’s a real eyesore.
#18
My brother was notoriously cheap when we were teenagers.
One year, I gave him an apple core, 11 pennies, and a broken pencil.
#19
This is kinda cheating, because it always turns into a popular item...but I stole the "Cheap Date" gift idea from some reddit thread. You go to the liquor store and get the cheapest bottle of wine they have in stock (picked up one for $6). Then go to your local super walmart and get a sleeve of ritz crackers, off brand cheez-wizz, and a movie from the $1 bin. No need for wrapping paper, just use the paper bag from the liquor store and draw hearts all over it.
I've done this at 2 office holiday parties that did the whole white elephant thing. My boss won it one year and she said the wine was actually pretty good.
#20
My dad's mother (a truly terrible excuse for a human) had a habit of giving the absolute worst items as gifts to my mother (who she hated) and then later to me and my sibling. She was fully aware/mentally capable, just spiteful.
Some of her best were:
* Soiled towels
* Two very dated dressing gowns that smelled like literal decomposing flesh
* My personal favourite to receive as a 7 year old was a row of hooks (plain wood with about 4 brass hooks, 5 inches long for keys I assume) and a single small copper cupboard door handle shaped like a coffee cup.
#21
I've posted about this before, but my Grandma gets everyone insane presents so every year I get her a dog toy and she still hasn't figured it out even though some have squeakers.
#22
Freaking sweat pants!!! And it wasn't just sweat pants, I was a teen, and my mom forgot to get me a Christmas present. The first year she forgot about me for Christmas, I got a set of speakers, because she already had them, and never had them hooked up to her to in her room, so she thought I could use them. They weren't very compatable with my sound system in my bedroom. (I had a good system, and those dinky things couldn't compare to what I already had.) But sue gave them to me, because sue forgot about me.
Second year in a row, she gave me her old sweat pants, because she forgot about me again, and grabbed some old sweat pants from her drawer and wrapped them up for me. They were too big for me.
I've lived in the same house as my mom my whole life, and she forgot that she didn't get me anything for Christmas. I think I would've rather not gotten anything that year, or even socks would've been better.
#23
I gifted my aunt a chocolate teapot. Like an actual teapot made of chocolate.
#24
A half-empty bottle of perfume I found in a drawer, wrapped it up and pretended it was a 'vintage' scent. They loved it… until they realized it was the one I got them last year.
#25
My mother in law bought me Oakland athletics women's gardening gloves.
I'm a male that hates baseball.
#26
My mother spent a lot of time at yard sales as I was growing up. We (my 6 siblings and I) often received used gifts on various occasions as a result. I never realized how odd this was until one year, when I was about 13 years old or so, I got a box filled with yard sale clothes. It was nothing new to me, so I didn’t immediately think much of it. A lot of it was decent stuff, so I simply said, “Thanks,” and continued on with opening my other gifts.
The next day, while going through everything and trying it all on, I came across a pair of classic “Whitey-Tighties!” If that weren’t bad enough, on the inside of the waistband, scribed in permanent marker, was the name, “VANCE!” And if that weren’t bad enough, I wore them! Don’t judge me! I was 13, had no money, and I had to wear whatever was in the old underwear drawer that was clean. Hey…there were no skid marks at least, and I’d often tell the story to my friends when I had them on, flip the waistband outward to show the evidence, and we’d all have a great laugh.
Good times, really. Loved my Mom…with all her flaws and all! And I certainly never went without even in our poorest of times!
#27
I spent all the money on a gift card from my ex and then gave it back the next year in a new sleeve that said it had $50. He acted really excited.
He never noticed (never tried to spend it) and we were together for 2 years after that when he cheated on me. I don’t feel bad now but I regretted it while we were still together.
#28
Not sure about given but I received coal from my *little* cousins one year 😂.
#29
The worst Christmas present I've received was an empty case of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Let me explain:
My grandma lives in remote Alaska, so there isn't a lot of stores around. I had asked her for the new COD game for Christmas, so she went to her only store to buy it.
The store in her town is a small building probably about the size of two gas stations. However, they had anything and everything the whole town could need. She bought the game (and used self-check) and sent it to me.
After I opened my gift and got up to go play it, I was confused. I called and asked my grandma how she had actually bought the game. She told me self-check. Oh no…
Game disks aren't actually in the box, just in case somebody tries to steal it. Instead, you have to go the counter and buy the game, then they will put your disk in the box.
I went to Gamestop, hoping they would replace it, but the guy at the counter didn't. He got angry and said he's never heard of the store the game claimed it came from, so I was “scamming” him. I looked up the store and showed it to the manager, so I got the game at about 20 dollars off. My grandma tried to pay for it, but I didn't let her.
Sara Frazer 2 days ago
Well that seems like an honest mistake, and grandma tried to pay for it *again*. I don't think she's the bad guy here
#30
You know that scene in Nightmare Before Christmas where the kid pulls a shrunken head out of a box?
Of course you do.
Well imagine my horror when I happily opened a present from my great aunt and I got to live this scene. She gave each of us a Santa head (no body, JUST the head) and I pulled it out by the hat and promptly started screaming.
Honorable mention from the same aunt: she gave my sister a candle and me a candle snuffer. We had to use our gifts together.
Sad extra: She remembered my BIL on the Christmas card she sent a few years ago, but completely forgot me.
#31
Ok, this was a birthday present, but one of my buds had given me a plaid shirt the previous year, pulled it off my closet rack, rewrapped and regifted it to me. He laughed and laughed.
#32
My stepmother and I are engaged in a Cold War surrounding the worst Christmas decorations we can find. She buys me something ugly, I try to top it. I think she's currently winning.
Unfortunately, I think she's just that tacky and likes the abominable creations I find at local craft shows. It helps my peace of mind to think of this as an ugly war, though, and allows me to ignore the fact that she thinks I'll like poinsettia doilies or melting snow man statues.
Michael Largey 22 hours ago
Commission a Christmas decoration based on a photo of your stepmother.
#33
My former roommate had a habit of getting me Christmas/birthday presents, but somehow mysteriously losing or breaking any that I gave to her. (I found out later that she didn't want any gifts from me because apparently she felt sorry for me because I made less money than she did.)
So I just broke one of her wineglasses one day when she was at work, boxed it up, and wound up giving it to her as a present, to be passive-aggressive about it. I just pretended I'd somehow, accidentally, broken it in the box without realizing it.
I don't think she even realized that it was one of *her* wineglasses. She had a fair amount (plus she broke them all the time too, since she was an alcoholic).
#34
Some goofy dinosaur earrings that were supposed to be a gag gift for a quick chuckle. The recipient didn't like them and seemed to be reading into me giving him jewelry as a romantic thing. He awkwardly pretended to like the gift, and then spent several months lashing out at me to put me in my place and make sure I knew he was uninterested.
Erla Zwingle 2 days ago
He obviously missed the chapter that explains gags. Tone deaf much? I can only hope he gave up lashing out when he saw how much it made you laugh. Lashing out? Good grief.
#35
We used to have a mentally ill sociopathic sister-in-law who we would give generous Xmas gifts to, but she only put any time or money into her side of the family. I always felt that she bought out Xmas gifts in those little knick-knack bins next to the cash register at clearance stores, things like a golf ball mounted on a piece of felt.
One Xmas she gave my wife a one dollar jar of cold cream, and gave me a sack of jelly beans. When I reminded her that we were on a no-carb diet, she shrugged and said “Oh well, you can give ’em to your clients.”
If I ever see her again I will ask whether the shitty and horrible gifts she always gave us were just indifference or if she was actually trying to be insulting.
Michael Largey 22 hours ago
Once you regard a family member as "mentally ill sociopathic", you don't get to expect their gifts to be mainstream.
#36
Half a chocolate bar
A few days ago, a girl that I share a lot of classes with was handing out sweets and stuff to people for Christmas, and she gave me one. It was really awkward for some reason (but absolutely hilarious) and I asked if she wanted some. Don’t question that, I really can’t find an answer for why I said it.
I broke some off, and it ended up being half, but by now I really didn’t care and handed it to her anyway. By some miracle she ended up managing to eat it in about ten seconds. At this point we were both pretty much dying of laughter and this was made worse by the fact that she felt sick immediately after.
To add to this, after a second she looked really worried and asked me if I could even eat it (I’m diabetic). I was really tempted to say ‘no’ but knew that if I did my arm would be bruised to say the least, so I had to say ‘yes’. I’m laughing just thinking about the panic on her face, though I do have a tiny bit of regret that I didn’t say ‘no’ anyway.
I want to stress again that I really didn’t care about this (the fact that she was nice enough to get me anything is an amazing gift by itself), and this event probably made my day, just from how funny it was.
What do you think ?
ThisIsMe 2 days ago
Loved these posts! Reminded me of my FIL - sweet guy, but we aren't around him very often (divorce was when my husband was a kid, and he lives elsewhere). A couple of times a year he comes to town to visit his kids. He'll always have something for my husband related to his former military career (think medals, his beret, etc) or otherwise history related (my husband is a history nut). Me - for the last 3 visits he's gifted me a bottle of vanilla extract that he buys in bulk whenever he visits Mexico. The whole family knows I don't cook, my husband is the cook. But all of the DILs get a bottle of vanilla, so....
Deborah 2 days ago
Send the vanilla extract to me, LOL. I use it in baking a lot, and that stuff gets expensive. :)
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Jessica Rabbit 1 day ago
My SIL is notorious for giving c**p gifts. One year I received a bag of samples that she got when she purchased makeup for herself plus an EXPIRED discount coupon for a wine club. Last year it was a regifted spa basket with open and half-used bath salts. This year it was diddly squat. Not a single member of my family bought a present for me, despite my getting presents for all of them.
Joanne Earle 16 hours ago
My ex was lousy at gifts too. My last bday w/ him in 2010, he took 100 out of the bank which was literally between Fred Meyer and Ben Franklin Crafts. I am an avid crafter. Instead of going to Ben Franklin, he goes to the Fred Meyer toy dept and buying me like 3 board games including Battleship. I am an only child and never really got into games other than trivial pursuit. I was so mad. We'd been together 21 years at that point. I returned them all and got the refunds and went to Ben Franklin.
James Howell 21 hours ago
Have an aunt who gave me deodorant for Xmas. Mind you, I bath and use deodorant as well as cologne. She lives on a hog farm. .......... She's a petty, jealous C@#t who holds grudges for the slightest ideas she conjures up in her head. Foul. I dropped that hag and never looked back. LOLOLOLOL
ThisIsMe 2 days ago
Loved these posts! Reminded me of my FIL - sweet guy, but we aren't around him very often (divorce was when my husband was a kid, and he lives elsewhere). A couple of times a year he comes to town to visit his kids. He'll always have something for my husband related to his former military career (think medals, his beret, etc) or otherwise history related (my husband is a history nut). Me - for the last 3 visits he's gifted me a bottle of vanilla extract that he buys in bulk whenever he visits Mexico. The whole family knows I don't cook, my husband is the cook. But all of the DILs get a bottle of vanilla, so....
Deborah 2 days ago
Send the vanilla extract to me, LOL. I use it in baking a lot, and that stuff gets expensive. :)
Load More Replies... Jessica Rabbit 1 day ago
My SIL is notorious for giving c**p gifts. One year I received a bag of samples that she got when she purchased makeup for herself plus an EXPIRED discount coupon for a wine club. Last year it was a regifted spa basket with open and half-used bath salts. This year it was diddly squat. Not a single member of my family bought a present for me, despite my getting presents for all of them.
Joanne Earle 16 hours ago
My ex was lousy at gifts too. My last bday w/ him in 2010, he took 100 out of the bank which was literally between Fred Meyer and Ben Franklin Crafts. I am an avid crafter. Instead of going to Ben Franklin, he goes to the Fred Meyer toy dept and buying me like 3 board games including Battleship. I am an only child and never really got into games other than trivial pursuit. I was so mad. We'd been together 21 years at that point. I returned them all and got the refunds and went to Ben Franklin.
James Howell 21 hours ago
Have an aunt who gave me deodorant for Xmas. Mind you, I bath and use deodorant as well as cologne. She lives on a hog farm. .......... She's a petty, jealous C@#t who holds grudges for the slightest ideas she conjures up in her head. Foul. I dropped that hag and never looked back. LOLOLOLOL
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