People Share The Worst Christmas Gifts They’ve Ever Received

Christmas is supposed to be a time when there’s no shortage of love, hanging out with family and friends, and receiving amazing presents. Sadly, however, that isn’t always the case. Sometimes, people end up walking away with gifts they would’ve preferred not to have received at all.

And that’s exactly what the people of the internet have shared today. Check out some of the most bizarre, out-there, funny, and even sometimes shady gifts that were given as presents for Christmas. Maybe you’ll end up being a little happier about the less exciting gifts you’ve received…

The Most Tear-able Gift Ever

One year, as a bad gag gift, I was given wrapping paper. The lead-up was that I had only asked for one thing from my big family. All I asked for was a $25 Banksy poster. I was really into street art at the time and just really wanted the poster. That was it; I didn’t particularly want anything else.

Well, I went through the whole unwrapping motions, and there was a poster box/tube. I was overjoyed. Opened it. Wrapping paper. They thought it was hilarious. Later that night, I was nearly in tears because some of my cousins and siblings got things that were nearly $1,000+ and all I wanted was a poster. Reddit user: ShutruNahhunte

Something Bright And Ugly

This mortifies me to this day. Picture: eleven-year-old me, chubby and awkward. Gifts under the tree early because Mom was like that. Beautiful cylindrical tin, printed with some iridescent whatnot and graced with a big glittery bow, made out to me. I was stoked to open this gift after a good three weeks of torture.

It’s Christmas morning, and everyone is there: grandparents, my brother’s girlfriend, pets, the whole nine. I’m so stoked to open this gift, and everyone’s wondering what it is. Mom knows. With the equivalent of fanfare, I open the top of this thing and pull out bright pink granny panties. I was so mad. I’m still mad. Reddit user: FreckledLasseh

The Amazon Wishlist

One year, my parents found the Amazon wish list of someone with the same name as me, but it wasn’t actually me. They thought it was a bunch of weird and out of character items but decided not to check in with me, or any other family member, to see if they had the right list.

That’s how I, as a 24-year-old male, ended up with a maternity body pillow for Christmas. I’m pretty sure we ended up returning the maternity pillow and the rest of the gifts so they could get their money back. They ended up using that money to buy actual gifts. Reddit user: P0werSurg3

The Same Gift Every Year

Clowns. Every year a new clown. So I try to tell my Abuelito I don’t like clowns. They’re weird. I get a new clown figurine, doll, lamp, picture, or whatever every year for Christmas and my birthday. I have boxes of clowns. Thankfully some time in my mid-twenties, my father managed to divert him to kittens…but that was only after four awkward years when he decided I loved cows.

I don’t love cows either. On the bright side, since I kept them all on my dresser growing up, I was never afraid of clowns. They’re just background noise to me. I could probably walk into one in a dark alley and just be all, “Oh, it’s just one more dang clown.” Reddit user: mayonnaisejane

Gifts From The Mother-in-Law

My boyfriend’s mom has had trouble with accepting that we’re the real deal and I’m not going anywhere. My family has accepted him with open arms for five years and got him really good birthday and Christmas presents. They spend the same on him as they do on my brother and me.

His mom, the first year we lived together, got me a $1 scarf from Walmart. It had the clearance sticker still on it. His nieces and nephews got me washcloths. Last year, they showed up to our house with a toaster oven and a bunch of other gifts that were for him.

At the last second, she grabs a pen from her purse (at her husband’s urging), and then (not even subtly) crosses my boyfriend’s name off of the toaster oven, and then just writes my name instead. Obviously, it was misspelled. Reddit user: polly-pickpocket87

Used And Not My Shade

I got my aunt’s used nail polish that she didn’t want anymore. They were not sealed, and none of them were colors I liked or would have worn (tans, browns, oranges, and neutral pinks). This was common when I was a teenager, and I was always very uncomfortable. Unfortunately, the gifts have not gotten better over time.

I wouldn’t mind if we just stopped the extended family gifting, aside from the children. Somehow, I don’t mind missing Christmas this year due to my husband working. It will be spent snuggling with our puppies instead. Also, I can’t afford gifts this year, so I’m making some treats instead. Reddit user: Nhadalie

Regifting My Own Present

When I had gotten home from college, I found myself with some excess cash. I decided to invest in some new video games for myself and had them sent to my house. The strange thing was that I had only received half of the games. I emailed the suppliers and told them I hadn’t gotten my packages yet and was growing quite sad.

Well, Christmas morning came around, and I was opening up my presents. I got to the one from my older brothers. I tore the paper away and opened the box. Inside there were several other packages that had been mailed to our house. With my name on them. My brother had taken half of my games and hid them from me until Christmas. Reddit user: I_am_paperclip

Making An Unnecessary Effort

Last year for Christmas, my boyfriend wanted to show my family his best self, so he begged me to give him gift ideas for my family. I didn’t feel it was completely necessary, but he insisted and bought everyone awesome gifts, including my sister. Her favorite wine is hard to find, but he managed to track it down.

After calling dozens of stores, he found out it was only sold at one place in the whole state because the others had sold out already. It was expensive, and he drove several hours to go pick it up and then to come back. He wrapped it beautifully and included such a nice card.

What did my sister get my boyfriend in return? She got my boyfriend a sample size bottle of garlic and onion sauce for cooking. Here’s the thing: He’s allergic to onions and garlic. Now he understands why I told him not to bother; my sister is a huge jerk. Reddit user: purplepinkpurple

Porcelain Madness

One time, I was out shopping with the ex. I saw a small porcelain doll with an interesting costume. I spent about five minutes looking at the doll because I sew and was interested in the way the costume was made. That Christmas, I got the doll as a gift from my ex.

He also gave me a little stand for me to display the doll. But, like a good girlfriend, I put the doll on the stand and stuck it in the bookcase. Because of the next gift-giving occasion, the ex thought it would be cute to do a treasure hunt, which seemed nice in theory.

But as we got to every clue, there was another porcelain doll. So now, I have a collection. And since I’m now a collector, everyone in the family started giving me porcelain dolls for every birthday and Christmas. I have porcelain dolls all over the house. Reddit user: rusty0123

Learning New Words For The Holidays

My cousin and I always got the same presents so we wouldn’t fight. Same little purses, same cutesy jewelry. My mom showed me what my cousin’s present was, and it was the game Kirby for the Game Boy! I was so excited, because that meant I would get it too.

But my mom said, “No sweetie, I got you something a little different. It’s kind of crazy.” I immediately knew that my present would be a pet chameleon. Or so I thought. Mom got me a dictionary. My cousin gets Kirby, and I get a dictionary just a year or two before the Internet was good enough to replace it. Reddit user: Master6000

 The Bison Moment

My wife’s grandparents didn’t like me, possibly because we were living together before we got married. They believed that we should have been married first before moving in together. One time, they gave me a gift for Christmas. It held a large old-fashioned portfolio-sized wallet.

You know, the kind that’s about the size of a shoe. Leather, with a large bison embossed on the front. But there was something that I noticed right away. The bison was anatomically correct and appeared to be having a personal moment. Reddit user: KenPopehat

A Difference In Treatment

One Christmas, my millionaire dad and his wife gifted my brother a house and a new Escalade for his entire family. What did they end up giving me? A gift card to the store Men’s Wearhouse for a measly $200, which would normally be nice, but not in comparison.

When my brother turned 40 years old, they gave him $100,000. When I turned 40, they bought me dinner. They provided him with a “college fund” of $250,000 for his kids. When his kids dropped out of high school, they handed him the money to spend on cars and stuff. You think my kids got the same thing? I wish.

When my kids (who happen to be straight-A students) graduated high school, my dad and his wife told me that it was my responsibility to pay for my kids’ educations. Once, when I asked why there was such a difference in treatment, my dad told me I was being ungrateful. I tend to stay away from them now. Reddit user: 77jeep

 For The Loaf Of Christmas

A roommate of mine was dating this really boring guy. He had a job making a lot of money but wasn’t interested in a lot of things. My roommate and I were going to spend Christmas together, and he decided to invite himself along, no big deal. I, not wanting to be rude, spent time finding him some things for the few interests he did have.

My roommate got me a bad bread-baking kit with a pan that said something about Jesus on it. Mind you. I’m not religious at all, and it was a really bad bread mix. Needless to say, it immediately got donated to someone else. Reddit user: TheBuckeyeChef

 Bad Gifts Year After Year

My dad usually gives the worst gifts. I mean, I love him, but boy. Every year I tell him exactly what I want, even send him links to an item. Every year, he still gives me a bunch of random stuff he thinks I’ll like but that I’ve never said that I like.

For instance, while I was away at college, he gifted me a children’s jewelry case. It was Barbie pink with neon green peace signs and purple flowers all over it. I told my mom to give it to my nieces. This last year, he got me a purple masquerade mask and an elf mug. Still don’t know what to do with it. Reddit user: Hanarchy

 A Thing For Jack Daniels

I told my aunt that I liked Jack Daniels, and instead of buying me a bottle of it like most people, for 3 years straight at Christmas, I’ve had Jack Daniels-related presents. The first year, I was given a Jack Daniels table lamp. Well when I say lamp, I use that term generously; it was an empty Jack Daniels bottle with fairy lights inside.

The second year, I was given yet another empty Jack Daniels bottle with glitter and water inside that I had no idea what to do with. Last year, I got a pair of Jack Daniels sunglasses that broke within a week. Fingers crossed I actually get a bottle with Jack Daniels in it this year. Reddit user: sean12349

A Tradition Of Gag Gifts

A couple years ago, my brother started a tradition of buying people clever gag gifts for their birthdays and Christmas. Last year, my brother got me a box of about 200 small nails. Before he gave it to me, though, he removed and bent every single nail to a 90-degree angle.

Some other gifts include a portable shovel he gave to my other brother for Christmas. It was actually just a regular shovel he had sawed into a bunch of pieces and packaged in a box with a roll of duct tape. He even tried to pass it off as being special while we all sat there confused.

He also got me a nice set of wine glasses that were packaged loosely in a box along with some scrap steel and rocks. He then told me to shake it to see if I could guess what it was. The wine glasses didn’t last too long after I did that. Reddit user: ncurry18

 A Same-Name Problem

Two years ago, I started opening gifts from my mom. The first was a bunch of screws. “Okay,” I thought. “Thanks mom!” “It’s something you asked for!” She explained. “You’ll understand when you open the rest of them.” Well, I continued to open presents, and some were things I asked for, but others were just strange.

Weird brackets and pegs. Hardware-type stuff. I remained clueless. After a while of opening up strange hardware, it dawned on us that the presents I was opening were for my dad, and they were part of a workbench he had asked for. As my dad and I have the same name, my mom had wrapped all of his presents and mistakenly given them to me. Reddit user: TheHeroOfAllTime

 Let’s Toast

My great auntie (my maternal grandma’s sister) bought us some slices of toast wrapped in paper towels one year. Yes, toasted bread in tissue paper. Presented them to us like the kings presented Jesus with his gold and frankincense. My dad thought it was hilarious.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t her being a dotty old lady. It was her way of getting back at my mum for inheriting all of my grandmother’s money when she died. Her husband was really embarrassed and slipped me and my sister a twenty each when they left. Reddit user: ihaveacat92

Coal For Christmas

Literally coal. Straight A student, never got in fights, helped in the community, never talked back, helped around the house, and paid for everything I owned with jobs since I was 12. My sister got a Gamegear (dating myself, I know) along with games etc. as her stocking stuffer, let alone her other presents.

I got a piece of coal. After the laughter died down, I asked if I could open my real presents to be told that WAS my present. When I asked why and what I did to deserve it, I was told, “You didn’t do anything wrong, I just thought it would be funny.” Stopped holding my breath for sibling equality or even something resembling it after that. Reddit user: [redacted]

Bigger Is Not Always Better

When I was 7, I received a bad gift. You know when you’re a kid and you see a big present and you’re like, “Oh man, this is going to be good”? Well, it had a huge gold bow around it in a giant box, so I was all excited and waited to open it last. I’m the delayed gratification type of person. It was a globe.

A brown globe, the kind that you see in libraries. By no means was I a history aficionado at that age, and my parents knew I hated the geography subject in school. It wasn’t a joke gift, they honestly thought I’d love it and that it would be a great homework tool.

Yeah, just what a kid wants for Christmas: something that refers to homework. It’s still just a decoration on a mantle in our house, and I can’t think of a single time in the past 20 years when I went, “Hmmm, well, that’s a tough question, better consult the globe to be sure.” Reddit user: freestbeast

A Trashy Gift

My son received the worst gift ever from my wife’s parents. My mother-in-law had bought both kids some chocolates and was gonna put $50 inside for them to pick out whatever they wanted. She wrapped my daughter’s and left my son’s out for my father-in-law to do. What a big mistake that was.

Since he ignores most things people say, he ended up pocketing the $50 and eating the chocolates and putting the wrappers inside the box. The next morning, my MIL saw the unwrapped box with no cash and assumed the cash was inside. She wrapped the box of trash and gave that to my son for Christmas. Reddit user: Its_Gif_Not_Jiff

A Dog’s Git

I had an awesome cocker spaniel Lab mix. He was a quirky dog. For three years, he brought my mom a Christmas present. First year, it was a live squirrel. He laid it at her feet. Of course, the squirrel shot up and ran around the house. It took our entire Christmas Day to get it out of the house. It was quite a day, to be sure.

The next year, he gave her a rabbit, but learning from his previous mistakes, it was dead this time. Again, he laid it at my mom’s feet. The third year, he brought this huge goose-down king size comforter. No idea where he got it or where it was from.

The comforter was actually in surprisingly good shape, too. Christmas was the only time he ever brought in anything from outside, and he always gave it to my mom. Was pretty smart of him, though. Some dog owner I turned out to be. Reddit user: hardaysknight

A Cheap “Soaprise”

Every year when I was younger, my family would have a white elephant celebration party on Christmas Eve. About a month prior to the party, everyone who participated would select names from the hat. One year, my older cousin pulled my name from the hat.

I was extremely excited when I found out, due to him being very wealthy and the gifts he had given in previous years. The night finally came. I opened my gift only to find that they had gotten me soap in the shape of ice cream. The kicker to it all? I’m lactose intolerant. Not sure to this day if it was some kind of sick joke or not. Reddit user: Farcry18th

The Christmas Photo Gift

One year, my dad got into photography, but not like art photography; it was like family photo studio kind of photography. Specifically, churches would hire him to take photos of the members to put in their directory. So for Christmas that year, he gave each of us (my sister, my mother, and me) a framed photo of himself holding a camera.

They were large photos too, like the size of a magazine. We all just kind of looked at him in confusion trying to figure out if he was serious or not; he totally was. And this wasn’t even like an extra/side present, this was his major gift to each of us. My sister and I found it hilarious, but my mother was not impressed. Reddit user: UrgotMilk

A Place To Store Things

This was actually really funny. It was from my grandmother. I unwrapped it, and it was a little tin box. I opened the box, and there was a fake gift card there, like an indication of “this is where you put the gift card.” And I just looked at her like…what is it, or what’s going on?

And she goes, “It’s a gift card holder. You can put all your gift cards in there.” And I just started laughing saying, “Noooo, you’re supposed to put a gift card in here to give to someone!” It was really cute though. Bless her heart. Reddit user: [redacted]

A Rocky Holiday

A few years ago, my aunt gave me a rock. She gave presents to me and my two older cousins and said it was time for the big girls to open their gifts. She made my cousins go first and they got scarves, and then I opened my present and pulled a rock out of the package and looked up, waiting for her to laugh.

She said to me, “Isn’t it wonderful?” So I had to tell her, “Yeah, I loooove it!” Then she told me that she had dug it out of her garden the previous summer and she knew that I would think it was so cool. I honestly didn’t know what to think of the gift.

But it was clear after a few minutes that I was really disappointed. The following year, she gave me acorn tops because “some people know how to use them to whistle and I don’t know how to show you or explain, but I’m sure you can figure it out.” Reddit user: gennieb7

One Can Never Go Wrong With Socks

The first year at family Christmas with my now-wife, her Nanna gifted me one pair of socks. But the best part was that it was one pair of sports socks you get in a pack of 10. So she must have bought a pack and just wrapped one pair for me individually, then kept the rest or something.

A single pair. Of course, at the time, I wanted to act all super grateful, so I pulled off my current socks super enthusiastically and put on the new ones as soon as I opened them. I think my current socks were actually a little damp from the winter anyway, so it worked out. Reddit user: justatypo

Did Someone Ask For Breath Mints?

I was in a bowling league as a kid, and we had a gift exchange. I helped my dad pick out something great to give, and I wound up with something decent (a Polly Pocket). Another little girl opened hers up and someone actually wrapped up a six-pack of Tic Tacs for her.

The little girl started to cry. My dad felt so bad and had me trade her gift for mine. As a kid, I was selfish and was like “no,” but he insisted and said he would then make it up to me later. “Fine.” I traded with her, and she finally stopped crying.

She then had this huge smile on her face. I don’t remember if my dad ever did make it up to me in the end, but that’s not really important. He taught me a huge lesson honestly, and I’m forever grateful for that to this day. Reddit user: Knightchick08

Going Big (And Expensive) This Christmas

My parents went on a cruise, and they won a load of money. They bought me a gigantic gold chain necklace for Christmas. I mean, Mr. T style, but with the thickest links I had seen. With a matching bracelet. I have never worn any form of jewelry or anything around them and never gave any indication I would wear a huge necklace.

I opened it and chuckled like it was a joke, but their faces said “honest present.” They left the price tag on it, and it was surprisingly expensive. They also told me how good I looked in it, so I don’t have the heart to cash4gold it. I’ve worn it twice, both times in a Flavor Flav costume style. Reddit user: TheShrinkingGiant

Some Things Need Power

My mom once gave me half a pack of batteries. It wasn’t really a big deal because I usually don’t do the gift exchange with my family, and my mom had some leftover batteries from one of the kids’ toys, so she gave them to me. I still like telling people about it though, because it sounds horrible.

Runner up would be the year my mom regifted a set of measuring cups to me that someone at her office had given her. She neglected to take the little card off of it, so for a moment I was left wondering why my mom’s assistant was giving me measuring cups. Reddit user: milesunderground

A Fruity Christmas

My grandmother gave me a pineapple wrapped in newspaper. She told me that if she were to use real gift-wrapping paper, she would have to deduct the cost from the real gift. She was really cheap that way, but no one got mad at her for it because she couldn’t change, even though she tried.

I don’t remember what my grandmother got my brother that year, if it was a stereo, a Discman, or a safe…or which one of those he got. What did I get? I got a little red plastic bucket. I do remember not being the favorite grandchild though. Reddit user: iouoneusername

A Citrusy Present

I used to live in an intentional community, where we would share meals and living space, support each others’ families, etc. We had decided to have a Christmas gift exchange as part of the household. After spending weeks getting good and thoughtful gifts for my housemates  Christmas morning came…

I got people vintage books, sci-fi movies, and gift cards for everyone. They had given me an orange. A freaking citrus fruit! And that’s not even the worst part. What was worse is that it was one that I bought for our produce. The whole community forgot me. Reddit user: [redacted]

The Thought Doesn’t Count

I have a super-duper cheapskate aunt like nothing you’ve ever seen. She’s the kind of person that goes to Chili’s (I could stop right there) and orders a $3 bottomless chips and salsa and doesn’t leave a tip. For Christmas a couple years ago, she gave me a discount Cinemark movie ticket. Just one. And it wasn’t for a free movie.

It was a 50% discount movie ticket only valid at Cinemark brand theaters. In the city we live in, there’s only a single Cinemark theater: the dollar theater on the north side. Thanks aunty. I can now go by myself and see a dated $1 movie for fifty cents. Yippee. Reddit user: ixqy

Plastic Presents

I was a step-grandchild, and my grandmother sold Avon jewelry. While the other six grandchildren (actual blood relatives) got real leather jackets, diamond jewelry, motocross lessons, and one year an actual motocross bike, I got plastic Avon jewelry.

I got placed with my grandparents two weeks before Christmas when I was 16 years old. I watched everyone open up their gifts, and then the one aunt gave me a Walmart bag that had some socks in it. The really cheap kind that would rip after a few wears.

Another one told me I should be grateful that the family was taking me in instead of leaving me on the street and that was my present. Seven aunts and uncles and their spouses, along with my grandparents, and that’s how they treated me in a situation that was out of my control. Reddit user: morgueanna

One CD, Two Christmases

I love my dad dearly, but one Christmas he got me “The Eagles: Hell Freezes Over,” which is I guess a live Eagles reunion concert. Throughout my life I had expressed zero interest in the Eagles. I don’t hate them, per se; I just have no interest in them.

The gift was pretty baffling, but whatever. The very next Christmas, I went to open a small, DVD-shaped package, and it was the exact same DVD. I thought it was a prank at first, but his earnest expression meant he had literally no recollection of buying it for me the year before. To say I was annoyed is an understatement. So now I have two of these things that I can’t throw away because they’re gifts, and I know my dad meant well. Reddit user: jonnyload3

When Gifts Send A Message

My older sister and I are from my mom’s first marriage. One Christmas, we got socks from our step-grandparents while my brother (their blood grandson) was given Nerf guns, toy cars, and lots of candy. I was 10 and my sister was 12; I don’t think I’ve ever seen my mom that mad before.

We were always treated like crap by my step-dad’s side of the family because “blood is thicker than water.” Thankfully they divorced when I was 15, and she’s now in a happy and loving relationship with a great guy who has an awesome family. Reddit user: Niddrie

A Seven-Year Gift

My grandma got me a subscription to Nickelodeon Magazine when I was 10. She kept renewing it every Christmas until I was 17. After that, she switched it to Golf Digest. I don’t even like golf, and I still get them every month. She has not forgotten she’s paying for them.

She prints off the 12-month order confirmation and wraps it up in a box. If I tell her I don’t like it, she’ll think I’ve hated my gift for the last 8 years. Which is true, but I can’t do that to her. I just put on the biggest fake smile and act surprised. Reddit user: [redacted]

Horrible Miscellaneous Gifts

I’ve received so many that it’s hard to narrow it down. Like last year I got kitchen decorations shaped like eggplants from my sister in law; I will be using it as my white elephant gift for this year. But one year I did get an outfit from my sister-in-law for Christmas and decided I wanted to wear it that day.

I went to put it on and it didn’t fit me at all. I stayed in the bathroom for almost an hour crying. But it turned out great in the end because it helped motivated me to get in shape, and I lost over 100 pounds the following year. Reddit user: [redacted]

Cologne… Just Not The Human Kind

I wouldn’t say it’s the worst gift. It was more like the oddest gift. I was at a friend’s house one day. When I went to leave, she went, “Hey, I got you a Christmas present. It’s dog cologne.” She then handed me a whole freaking gallon of dog cologne.

Yes, there is such a thing. So, it was a strange gift for sure, but hey, my dog has never smelled better in his life. It made his coat all shiny too. And as random as it was, I guess it wasn’t too bad when you really think about it. Reddit user: [redacted]

An Uncertain Gift

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve HATED the smell of cigarettes. My parents and Nana were chain smokers, and everything I owned was dingy, stained, and smelled really bad. I believe I was around 9 or 10 this year my uncle and his blob of a wife came up for Christmas.

I opened my gift, and it was a cigarette case with a lighter holder. Blob said, “I wasn’t sure if you’re smoking yet. But when you start, you’ll need that”. The next year she bought me a copy of The Newlywed Game. What makes anyone think that those are good gifts for a child? Reddit user: [redacted]