“I’d Rather Not Get Anything”: 42 People Share The Worst Christmas Presents They Ever Received

My brother gave me a hand turkey that he drew minutes earlier for Christmas. This would have been ok if he was 5 or something... He was 21 years old. I framed it and gifted it back to him the next year.

When I was 21 my mum wanted a new jewellery box. She asked if I wanted a new jewellery box. I said no, because I don't wear jewellery. She bought "me" a huge wooden jewellery box for Christmas and then threw in "if you don't want it, I'll have it" when I said "we already talked about this". I took it because she always does this, and I wanted to screw her out of the thing she clearly bought for herself. I never used it, and donated it 2 years later.

My brother-in-law is a pretentious and spoiled prick from a wealthy family. He was snobby, so I didn't like him at all. He didn't like me either. So, one Christmas, we accidentally got each other the same present. Ugly $2.00 clearance sweaters from KMart.

A bar set with very nice glasses from someone who knows I quit drinking after 30 years of alcohol, fatty liver disease diagnosis. It was my mom. My family just cannot process the idea of not consuming liquor every day.

My husband once gifted me a bicycle ....I was 8 months pregnant and had recently fallen and cracked my tailbone.

My mom regularly gifted me Reeses-themed sweets and things with cinnamon, like scented candles, etc. While they could be great for the right person, I'm highly allergic to both cinnamon and peanut butter.

I'm now divorced and no contact with both parties.

I had mentioned to my uncle one year that I wished I could grow a beard like his. Come Christmas time, my uncle hands me the present he got me. I unwrap it and what do you know...It's his beard in a Ziploc bag.

My uncle gave me soap and a razor as a Christmas present when I was 13. Not the best message from my weird uncle to a young girl starting puberty.

My stepdad's dad and his much younger wife always give us used presents at Christmas.

One year, I got a tube of body wash (already a cop out), only to find some crusted product on the squeezy hole.

Another year (13 at the time), I got a pair of Aldi women’s lacy underwear with the size scribbled out (they were XL). The woman came over to me after the present time and said, "I got them for myself, but they were too big, I just blacked that out so you didn’t feel embarrassed".

I’d rather not get anything than have to say thank you for that.

I was in a Secret Santa gift exchange at work. We did 4 days of little, inexpensive gifts. I received NOTHING but an insincere apology on the last day from the person who was supposed to be my Secret Santa. It kinda [hurt] because it was my first Christmas away from home, and my family punished me for not coming home for the holiday by ignoring my existence for a few days. Not a gift, not a card, not a phone call.

My cousin lost her hair during cancer treatment, and still, her parents got her hair products for her birthday.

My boss regifted me a book that she’d never read. I had given it to her last year for Christmas.

My sister gave me library books for Christmas and told me I would need to return them or renew them in two days.

From my sister-in-law, a nice pen with her initials engraved on it. I mean, I know you re-gift, Susan, but at least check that it wasn't personalized for you before you send it to someone else.

Recovering from gambling, thankfully, I managed to kick the habit before it totally ruined my life. This year, I got a bunch of lottery scratch-off cards. Had my wife do the honors with them, and the joke is on my family, they actually won a decent amount of money. Nothing life-changing, but will definitely pay for some bills we knew were on the way.

Yes, they knew about my problems. They still have gotten me Texas hold-em poker sets when those were en vogue, and other gambling-related stuff over the years. Despite my continued insistence they not, and pointing out that some of these would be like giving a recovering alcoholic a gift card to the liquor store.

I gave my girlfriend $300+ in jewelry, she gave me $10 cleaning supplies, and said “I know you like to clean, so here”.

One Christmas, as my wife and I visited her dad and step-mom, I was amazed at the gifts bestowed upon her younger half sisters by her folks: new MacBooks and iPhones were among the presents under the tree. As we were leaving, they handed us a gift, which we opened when we got home. What treasure awaited us?

A decorative tin from Costco containing flavored popcorn, which had expired two years prior.

When my wife and I first got married, her parents hated me. One year, they got me a woman's sweater. It was very obviously a woman's sweater, too. The next Christmas I wore it over, and my MIL asked my wife why I was wearing a woman's sweater.

I watched a friend's sister gift her an already scratched off scratch off ticket for he birthday. When asked why, she replied, "Well, I didn't want to give it up if you won a bunch of money." I laughed out loud, and when I got an icy stare, I realized she was serious.

My sister got a book from my grandmother titled “Proper Etiquette.” She proceeded to tell her in front of the whole family that “She’ll be more likely to make the boys stay after reading it!” My sister just smiled and carried on.

My ex-mother-in-law gave me a used, broken tape dispenser for Christmas one year. My kids even remember this. Another year, she gave me a very oversized, deep purple sweater. Dragged my now ex-husband and made him wait in line to return/exchange it. Waited over an hour in line to find out it was a clearance item and only worth $1.75. Even he was a bit taken back at the time.

Meanwhile, sisters in law would get $100 gift cards, luxury items, and actual items off their lists we gave her for ideas. The woman is an awful human being, not because of her poor gifting of said items. Those are just minuscule examples of her poor demeanor.

My Dad gave me earrings several years in a row.

I don't have pierced ears.

One year, my mom got mad at me for not cleaning up my toys, so she took them all away. For Christmas, she gave them back to me and nothing else. My sister got a new bike.

My mom gave me her high school diploma one year for Christmas when I was 24.

Not me, but my mom. Of all 6 grandkids (my mom and her 5 siblings), my great-grandma absolutely hated my mom in particular, even in early childhood. My mom looked, and I guess had a personality most similar to my grandma, and my great-grandma HATED my grandma.

One year for Christmas, my great-grandma got presents for all the kids except my mom. This made my grandma furious, obviously. After they had a screaming match about it. My great-grandma picked up a magazine and cut out some pictures of models. She gave them to my mom and called them "paper dolls".

The time I realized my ex-MIL hated me. She told me all the things the family wanted for Christmas, and I spent about a hundred dollars on everyone individually. I woke up Christmas morning to see all the presents already opened, and breakfast was eaten. One present was under the tree for me: a dog mug. I'm a cat person.
Also, I was involved with the family/with her son for 5 years.

True story. I was storing some boxes of things I didn't want anymore in a shed at my boyfriend's house. I was going to put it all in a yard sale eventually. I went to his parents' house for their family Christmas later that year. Every person who opened a gift from him were items from my yard sale stuff. To say I was humiliated would be an understatement.

My grandparents gave my parents a framed picture of a random little boy, and nobody knows who it is. (No, it’s not the one that came with the frame).

Sister and her husband gave everyone a sweatshirt with a print of their wedding picture on it for CHRISTMAS.

This guy I dated in college got me a framed photo of himself for Christmas. I thought it was a joke. It was very much not.

I keep getting kitchen appliances every year, despite making it very well known that I don't have a square inch of countertop space to spare in my kitchen.

My aunt (retired teacher) was visiting over Christmas. She spent Christmas Day with us. My wife and I spent $50 on a gift basket for her. It had mugs, cheeses, crackers, spreads, teas, and other assorted stuff.

The next day, we went to visit my grandfather (my aunt's dad). She was there as well. When my grandfather opened his gift, lo and behold, it was the gift basket with about 1/3rd of the stuff removed. So she kept what she liked and regifted the basket to her father in front of my wife and me. This also means she didn't spend one cent on her father for Christmas. My wife and I were both looking at each other with our jaws dropped, but we were too polite to say anything.

The relative gave his wife a gym membership for Christmas after she put on weight. Tears and violence.

A mug with my name spelled wrong from a family member who has known me my entire life.

I towel with another family member's name on it.

My in-laws usually give us a gift card to my favorite restaurants (a group with a seafood place, an Italian place, a BBQ place, etc) and a note that they'll babysit the kids so we can have a date night. I look forward to it every year.

This year, they gave us a certificate to go to a religious couples retreat. We are not at all religious.

My mother has given me the same cheap boxed crystal chess set 3 times for Christmas over the last 12 years.

I have no idea why, but apparently she keeps buying them every time Target or Macy's puts them out on display at Christmas.

I got a gift card to Burger King while working at Burger King from a manager who drew my name for Secret Santa. It was literally useless because none of us actually paid for food in the first place.

My step-mother bought me a shirt that said, "blondes have more fun." I have always been a brunette.

My office was absolutely positive that she was pregnant. She wasn’t. They all got her a car seat. She laughed it off like a pro, and has a niece on the way that she needed a seat for.

A shoe size measuring tool. Like a full-on metal one that you’d see at a shoe store.

I asked for a Ring doorbell and received the cheap version that is a "decoy" ring doorbell. It doesn't function in anyway except hang out by the door. Next year I'm buying what I want for myself and wrapping it up and putting it under the tree.

A guy I knew in college wanted to get his girlfriend something he knew she'd use, so he looked in her bathroom, saw what kind of shampoo she used, and bought her 10 bottles of it!

He was really sweet and was actually trying to get a good gift, but the execution was poorly done. The gift was not appreciated way he thought it would be.