35 Underrated Christmas Gifts That Definitely Deserve More Hype, As Shared By People In This Thread
Growing up, I remember every movie and TV show seemed to portray a few things as the worst possible Christmas presents you could receive: socks, underwear, pajamas and money (as opposed to something more personal). However, as an adult, I have realized that I cherish high quality socks, comfy pajamas are a godsend, and money is a much more practical gift than something I may never use or have to find space in my home for. So to help relieve some of the stress you pandas might be feeling to pick the perfect gifts for your loved ones this holiday season, today we’re talking about underrated Christmas presents.
One curious Reddit user recently sparked a conversation asking people to share their ideas of Christmas gifts that deserve more hype, and people did not disappoint in the replies. From toiletries to groceries, we’ve gathered some of the best underrated gifts down below to help you decide what to hand out this December. Be sure to upvote the ideas you find most brilliant or that you would be thrilled to find under your tree, and then if you’re not quite done channeling your inner Santa Claus, be sure to check out this Bored Panda article featuring even more gift ideas next!
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Every year my grandma would get everyone toilet paper, deodorant, toothpaste, Q-tips….didn’t realize how great it was until she was gone
Grandma didn’t have a lot of money so she would shop at krogers and however much she saved, she would use towards Christmas toiletries
Apart from grandma being unbelievably wholesome, it's also a very useful gift, compared to much of the nonsense that people buy.
Last year my Dad got me a box of snacks. But they were all things from my childhood he would get me if I was emotional in any way. It was just filled with so much love and happy memories.
One time at work, we were doing this white elephant thing (I don't remember the exact rules, but essentially, everybody brings a gift and everybody leaves with a different gift). The plan was to buy goofy, funny things, like the non-risque stuff you see at Spencer's or something. When I opened mine, it was a 124 pack of toilet paper. Everybody laughed and thought it was funny, but I've never even come close to receiving a gift as amazing as that, I have no idea why nobody tried to take it from me unless they somehow knew I'd physically fight them over it.
My grandmother paid my gas bill one Christmas. I thought that was a nice present.
Aparently I'm a pain to shop for so my parentals pay for my Internet as a combined crimbo and birthday, its a couple of hundred quid they know I will make full use of save me a bill. Bills are a great gift
Grandma told us every year, "Just get me something I can smoke, drink, or eat."
Premium subscription to something the person already uses the free version of.
They're guaranteed to use it, and it's already something they've decided that they weren't going to splurge on themselves for. So as a gift, it's both a necessity and a luxury.
I did this for my wife last year and she still talks about what a great gift it was.
One year when I was pretty broke someone gave me a nice tote filled with non perishables. I suddenly had a nice stockpile of stuff like soup, crackers, and cookies and on top of that had a tote to store stuff in when I emptied it!
It was way more useful to me than a soap set or something else like that that they could have potentially given me.
My mom always gives me a “care package” that includes: Toilet paper, paper towels, dish soap, laundry detergent and trash bags from Costco. I look forward to that s**t every year. I don’t have to worry about buying that stuff for a couple months.
A blanket. I don’t care how many f*****g blankets I have, I’ll always appreciate another one.
New bedding. That s**t is so expensive.
Yes it is! I still have not gotten my bed or sheets because I'm paying off the frame I wanted
Quality Coffee
*laps up the spilt coffee in the saucer* Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! *pounces everyone and everything*
A really good version of something that’s usually inexpensive. A nice pen, great tea or coffee, good leather bound notebooks. Even a nice version of most of those things is going to be under $50 but is still really luxurious.
My MIL always gets my husband and I and BIL and his girlfriend a HUGE box of everyday household items for Christmas. Laundry detergent, paper towels, dog treats, lysol, dish soap, bounce sheets, kleenex, etc. BIL once had a girlfriend who complained and said she never wanted to receive that again. I think it's the best gift ever. Totally underrated and totally useful!
Nice sheets or towels. Everybody enjoys them but no one i know can ever justify spending good money on sheets or towels. I have gifted a bunch and are always well received.
I will never pay for an overpriced towel, but if someone gifted me one, I'd probably never get dressed after my shower. I'd just towel cocoon myself.
Experiences. Like when someone gives you a coupon or something and it's good for going to the movies with them.
I showed my dad a video from Jaime Farr of M*A*S*H* fame personally singing him Happy Birthday on his 70th birthday and he still talks about it 4 years later. He said at his age he didn't need more "stuff" and would rather get memories and experiences.
One year when I didn't have much money but a lot of wrapping paper, I bought random groceries and wrapped them. No one complained. People called when they used the box of pasta/cake mix/pancakes months later.
Restaurant gift cards, especially for local, non-chain restaurants. You give them a reason to go eat out with their SO, its thoughtful and usually will bring them a lot of joy.
YES! This is my gift to my family every year. Hubby and I choose a mom & pop/family owned business (usually a restaurant) and get each family a $25 or $50 gift card. This year we are doing a family butcher shop. They have the best meats but ooh they are pricey.
A massage. I believe the only people who don't need a massage today are the people who got one yesterday. So many people who have never had one don't realize the benefit of getting one and it can be life-changing for people who've been living with some kinds of pain.
Yes! My partner got his first massage after I pushed him to go after his back gave out a couple of times. Now he goes more than I do! Still trying to convince him to try simple mani pedi once in a while as a treat
My husband regularly gets pedicures! Very normal for men now a days.
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Personally one of the worst gift you could possibly give me - I can't stand massages. My mom is the same and both of us get gifted them fairly often. We just pass them on to someone we know will enjoy. I'm always grateful as it's so thoughtful but its usually quite expensive so I feel terrible knowing I'm receiving a gift I will never use.
My mom doesn't like them either. She said she doesn't want some stranger's hands all over her. My sister and I will happily take as many as you'll give us.
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My husband did this for me one year, after I sought help for my depression. The meds started off giving me body aches, so he bought me a massage certificate for a whole body massage. I almost cried.
I just got one. I really good friend off mind who is amazing at giving massages came to my home and gave me one. It was so sweet because after long covid relapse I am not able to go my regular massage salon.
Well that would be just horrible for me. I have a blood clotting disorder where I constantly create DVTs. No matter how much you'd like to, they shouldn't be rubbed. Doing so could break a piece loose and it could travel to my lungs, brain, heart... bad deal. So, no thank you. :-)
I hate massage - that would be the worst first for me. Same with SPA's
Not all kinds of pain, though. A massage for me would trigger massive amounts of new pain and leave me unable to function for days, if not weeks. Could be a great gift for many, many people, but don't assume you are going to ease somebody's pain if you don't understand their condition.
100%. Came here to say this. Last time I got a massage, the masseuse who worked with my physiotherapist insisted it would help and kept pushing me to go longer. I was in a wheelchair for two weeks after that, which I generally wasn't, at the time.
Load More Replies... We had a very small spa not far from us that had amazing spa services and also had a small number of guest rooms, which were so luxurious and comfy. Cordon Bleu chef. They had put postcard advertisements in the mail around Christmas. Since my job was incredibly physical and stressful (nurse), my mom bought me a 3 day visit at the spa. Best gift ever! I went back again and again over the years. Got to know the owner and her daughter well. A gift that kept on giving.
I don't think I have ever bought pajamas for myself once in my life. Gift pajamas feel more comfy somehow too.
It’s become tradition for my husband and I to gift matching pajamas to our immediate family. Then, each household takes a picture of everyone in their pjs in front of the Christmas tree. We frame each picture and hang them all on our walls during Christmas.
As a cat owner: catfood and cat litter for my cat (or a gift card for the respective shops). It’s something that is always needed and very much appreciated at any time of the year.
Basically: if unsure- everything for the cat.
Not sure about this one... many people have a brand they swear by, and won't experiment with their pet's food, so unless you buy the very same product, they'll end up not using it.
Cash
A well-built multi-tool, like a Leatherman or Victorinox. Finding one portable enough that someone can keep it in a pocket/car/purse means they’re more likely to use it. And a good multi-tool comes in handy much more often than people who don’t have one realize.
Bought one for my now husband 20 years ago, I was a broke student and I saved money during a full year. One of his more precious belongings and still very useful
Extra long charging cables and a multi port fast charger. Go to the Anker website load up. Show up on Xmas with a bag and say lighting or usb c and hand them out or be god tier and give everyone one of each that’s 6ft long with a fast charger. Everyone needs more cables, not enough people think to go extra long or they just use the charger that came with the device.
Wiper blades. Stop pretending they're "fine", you can't f*****g see!
This is weird because just this week I was like....damn okay it's time to change these, I can barely see. Lol
A one-time Mobile Detail or Landscaping Service.
Got one of each once. Life-changing. Such a small but positive thing to motivate you to keep things that may have gotten out of hand clean.
As a kid I used to pity my uncles for getting socks for Christmas. As an adult I look forward to it and its almost always one of my most appreciated gifts.
I blew my grandson's mind when I told him I have socks older than he is!
Jerky.
That stuff is too expensive to buy for yourself, like $100/kg, and everybody loves jerky. My cousin got a huge jar of jerky one year, and we were all sitting there gobbling it up around the Christmas tree.
I wouldn't say everyone loves jerky, but I imagine it's a nice present for those who do like it!
A bidet, better than sliced bread
Butter doesn't spread so easily on it "Nutella" however is a completely different matter..
Extra phone chargers and wire organizers. I'll be damn glad I have an extra charger if mine goes missing/breaks. It's something I'd probably not think about until it happens, and then I'm scrambling to find a charger before my phone dies.
Wire/cord organizers are just great year-round.
My best friend from college buys me fancy panties every year for Christmas and I love it so much.
A couple of years ago my dad sent me a wonderful gift out of the blue - it was a graphic novel version of my favourite book growing up - To Kill A Mockingbird. He put a card in it and wrote "I saw this online and thought of you". This is really strange, but it was so random, and so incredibly heartfelt that I sobbed when I realised what it was. I'm tearing up now just typing this.
Sometimes, just knowing that someone was thinking about us is the best part of a gift.
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Train tickets to the nearest big city. At this end of the rich/poor spectrum (relatively) I can either afford to get there, or do something when there, not both. Being able to get there for "free" means a rare day out, and as we all know a change of view is sometimes all we need.
My mother gets my sister and me a big basket of non-perishable food items that she knows we like, every year. She puts in something for our whole families, some treats for our children, a bottle of wine we can share with our husbands... It's always very thoughtful. She also puts in a gift voucher for a weekend away. The gift basket started out as a way of not just giving the voucher on its own, but to give us a nice gift and not just a sterile, lonely voucher. I like basket with the food&treats almost more than the voucher, it's so nice to pick something from 'grandma's basket' when we want to treat ourselves!
1) Snacks/junk food from our home country. There are childhood favourites that aren't sold in the UK, except at one specialty import shop. 2) Exotic fruit box - or just a fruit basket of good out of season fruit, that they won't buy for themselves due to price, big win for fruit lovers.
Yes, I get a load of goodies for my South African friends, as I randomly have a very good shop near me
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I love the ideas for things we need every day. Food, toileteries, etc. Like my grandma before me, I ask for birdseed, b/c I like to watch them at the feeders. Things like that.
My dad owned a cabin in the mountains, and when I was 18 or so I started going up there by myself pretty much every other weekend. That year for Christmas he bought me jumper cables and snow chains. Not only were they extremely useful, but I knew it was his way of saying, "I love you and want you to be safe."
When I turned 30 (yeah yeah, not Christmas, whatever) my wife gave me the money I owed her. We have separate economies since I was an irresponsible young adult and still have to pay for the sins I committed back then. I couldn't and still can't pay back much at the time, so she gave me exactly what I still owed and I could push that thought out of my min. Best gift that year.
Plants. Can't ever go wrong with a unique/beautiful/ cherished plant.
You could with someone like me who is hopeless with plants. The poor thing would be doomed in my home.
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Every year, I stock pile things I find useful as Christmas gifts and end up giving a random assortment of things that my parents and kids wouldn’t necessarily think to purchase for themselves, but I know they’ll use. My daughter tells me I “win” Christmas every year. This year’s packages contain things like: a good mini flashlight, a digital otoscope, cable clips, silicone lids for cans, silicone sponges, a ceramic box opener, an emergency car escape hammer… stuff like that.
Bottom line for anyone paying their way, the best gift is something practical and they use every day. The added bonus to this is that the giftee then gets to decide how to spend the money he/she doesn't have to spend on essentials 👌
One year I started reading Sue Grafton. I think that first book was "J is for Judgment". For Christmas that year my son & his gf gave me a shoebox filled with Grafton paperbacks from A to I. I'm the girl that would rather shop at Home Depot than Nordstrom. A few years ago my husband gave me a Defiant LED Tactical flashlight. One of my all time favorite gifts.
Every year for the last 10 years my parents renew triple a for all the drivers in our family. My youngest is the last one and he turns 16 next week. It's a great gift. May not always use it but man when you need to it's nice to have.
One year my grandma sent me a fancy box of dried fruit. It was so amazing and lasted for over a month.
One year my sister gave me a hubcap to replace the one I had lost. Greatest gift ever.
As a young female, the most empowering and useful gift I received was an electric drill. It wasn't even a fancy one, but I could do so much for myself, learned so much, and never had to rely on anyone.
I don't know about that. On one hand, yes, all those things are useful, but I'm not sure I'd be excited to get a new blanket or a pack of paper clips for my birthday. I'd rather get something more memorable and unique, even if less useful.
I bought my broke college student cousin a big jar of his favorite peanut butter one Christmas. He loved it.
I asked my sons... just out of curiosity, what they would think if I gave them socks for Christmas. They didn't find the idea strange at all and said that socks were perfectly fine for Christmas... because that way, they wouldn't need to buy any themselves. Since then, they've always gotten some... usually they're thick, plush and very soft socks for "hanging out on the couch." Of course they also get something else, if I have the enough money. I also like to give away small bags of homemade Christmas cookies to friends and family, etc
Before the pandemic hit, my friend and I would bake for each other, it was fun. I miss her since she had to move to the province during the pandemic.
John Lewis grade version of the worn out thing you got from a pound shop and use constantly. Belt, wallet, phone case, kitchen knives, tea mug, bedding, pen.
A couple of years ago my dad sent me a wonderful gift out of the blue - it was a graphic novel version of my favourite book growing up - To Kill A Mockingbird. He put a card in it and wrote "I saw this online and thought of you". This is really strange, but it was so random, and so incredibly heartfelt that I sobbed when I realised what it was. I'm tearing up now just typing this.
Sometimes, just knowing that someone was thinking about us is the best part of a gift.
Load More Replies... Train tickets to the nearest big city. At this end of the rich/poor spectrum (relatively) I can either afford to get there, or do something when there, not both. Being able to get there for "free" means a rare day out, and as we all know a change of view is sometimes all we need.
My mother gets my sister and me a big basket of non-perishable food items that she knows we like, every year. She puts in something for our whole families, some treats for our children, a bottle of wine we can share with our husbands... It's always very thoughtful. She also puts in a gift voucher for a weekend away. The gift basket started out as a way of not just giving the voucher on its own, but to give us a nice gift and not just a sterile, lonely voucher. I like basket with the food&treats almost more than the voucher, it's so nice to pick something from 'grandma's basket' when we want to treat ourselves!
1) Snacks/junk food from our home country. There are childhood favourites that aren't sold in the UK, except at one specialty import shop. 2) Exotic fruit box - or just a fruit basket of good out of season fruit, that they won't buy for themselves due to price, big win for fruit lovers.
Yes, I get a load of goodies for my South African friends, as I randomly have a very good shop near me
Load More Replies... I love the ideas for things we need every day. Food, toileteries, etc. Like my grandma before me, I ask for birdseed, b/c I like to watch them at the feeders. Things like that.
My dad owned a cabin in the mountains, and when I was 18 or so I started going up there by myself pretty much every other weekend. That year for Christmas he bought me jumper cables and snow chains. Not only were they extremely useful, but I knew it was his way of saying, "I love you and want you to be safe."
When I turned 30 (yeah yeah, not Christmas, whatever) my wife gave me the money I owed her. We have separate economies since I was an irresponsible young adult and still have to pay for the sins I committed back then. I couldn't and still can't pay back much at the time, so she gave me exactly what I still owed and I could push that thought out of my min. Best gift that year.
Plants. Can't ever go wrong with a unique/beautiful/ cherished plant.
You could with someone like me who is hopeless with plants. The poor thing would be doomed in my home.
Load More Replies... Every year, I stock pile things I find useful as Christmas gifts and end up giving a random assortment of things that my parents and kids wouldn’t necessarily think to purchase for themselves, but I know they’ll use. My daughter tells me I “win” Christmas every year. This year’s packages contain things like: a good mini flashlight, a digital otoscope, cable clips, silicone lids for cans, silicone sponges, a ceramic box opener, an emergency car escape hammer… stuff like that.
Bottom line for anyone paying their way, the best gift is something practical and they use every day. The added bonus to this is that the giftee then gets to decide how to spend the money he/she doesn't have to spend on essentials 👌
One year I started reading Sue Grafton. I think that first book was "J is for Judgment". For Christmas that year my son & his gf gave me a shoebox filled with Grafton paperbacks from A to I. I'm the girl that would rather shop at Home Depot than Nordstrom. A few years ago my husband gave me a Defiant LED Tactical flashlight. One of my all time favorite gifts.
Every year for the last 10 years my parents renew triple a for all the drivers in our family. My youngest is the last one and he turns 16 next week. It's a great gift. May not always use it but man when you need to it's nice to have.
One year my grandma sent me a fancy box of dried fruit. It was so amazing and lasted for over a month.
One year my sister gave me a hubcap to replace the one I had lost. Greatest gift ever.
As a young female, the most empowering and useful gift I received was an electric drill. It wasn't even a fancy one, but I could do so much for myself, learned so much, and never had to rely on anyone.
I don't know about that. On one hand, yes, all those things are useful, but I'm not sure I'd be excited to get a new blanket or a pack of paper clips for my birthday. I'd rather get something more memorable and unique, even if less useful.
I bought my broke college student cousin a big jar of his favorite peanut butter one Christmas. He loved it.
I asked my sons... just out of curiosity, what they would think if I gave them socks for Christmas. They didn't find the idea strange at all and said that socks were perfectly fine for Christmas... because that way, they wouldn't need to buy any themselves. Since then, they've always gotten some... usually they're thick, plush and very soft socks for "hanging out on the couch." Of course they also get something else, if I have the enough money. I also like to give away small bags of homemade Christmas cookies to friends and family, etc
Before the pandemic hit, my friend and I would bake for each other, it was fun. I miss her since she had to move to the province during the pandemic.
John Lewis grade version of the worn out thing you got from a pound shop and use constantly. Belt, wallet, phone case, kitchen knives, tea mug, bedding, pen.
