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Buying the perfect gift is often a lot easier said than done, but buying a truly terrible, uniquely horrible gift is, in many ways, harder. Most folks can still make use of almost anything or, at the very least, sell what they don’t like. But getting someone an item that is actually insulting in its own special way takes talent.
A woman went viral after asking the internet what the worst Christmas gift people have gotten, so we gathered the best replies. Get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own tragic examples in the comments down below.
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#1
My family flew across the country to visit my aunt. I turned 8 during that trip. She gave me some used office supplies (a used legal pad, some post-its and a tape dispenser). I was a polite kid and just said thank you. Then she said “ok you passed the test, you’re grateful because it’s the thought that counts. Now give them back, I need them for work”. And no, there was no follow up gift.
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#2
Worst Christmas we ever had, we were barely able to scrape together a couple gifts for each kid and nothing for each other. My brother and SIL sent us a book on how to manage debt. Not gonna lie, I cried off and on the whole day.....
Charlotte Ingle 5 hours ago
Nothing worse than insults veiled as help. Some people need to be kept at arm's length
#3
my catholic step-family was never good to me because I'm not catholic and was born out of wedlock. my first Christmas with them, they gave me a lump of coal. literally. in front of about 30 people. I was 10.
#4
An essential oil candle making kit - I suffer from migraines and scents are a trigger, especially those. And the gift giver knew that.
#5
was invited to participate in the $25.00 gift exchange game at work. I got stuck with a Walmart brand sponge that had a clearance sticker on it. im still bitter
Peripheral Visionary 2 hours ago
Wth do companies make people celebrate things together FFS? It's time to end that s**t. Not everybody celebrates the same holidays or eats the same food. People are there for pay cheque, not to be forced to socialize with people they,'d never speak to if not forced to.
#6
A yard of random fabric and a heart-shaped wreath made of straw when I was like 9. I had never shown interest in any fabric crafts, and I have no clue what the wreath had to do with it.
#7
A USED children’s coloring book. Received from my dad’s mother when I was in high school.
#8
I copier/printer/fax machine. I didn’t have a computer at the time, but they had just bought one.
#9
A brand new, super nice crockpot. I was then told that I didn’t really need that big crockpot, so here, you take our used one and we’ll keep the nice new one.
Charlotte Ingle 5 hours ago
Why not just give you the used one in the first place? Instead of being known as people who gift used items, now they're the people who take gifts back. I don't think I'm the only one who's consider.that worse
#10
5 dollar Walmart t-shirt... I knew they were 5 bucks because I was wearing the same one they bought me 😁
Charlotte Ingle 5 hours ago
That's not a bad gift - it's a gift you obviously can use. It's just inexpensive. Nothing wrong with that, there's no minimum entitlement for gifts.
#11
I got a hand and stone massage gift card to use on my birthday. Birthday came, and I was excited to use it after a summer of oncology treatment. The staff told me that the person that gave me the card had already redeemed it online.
Kate Johnson 1 hour ago
Oh, that one I would have given some serious "feedback" the the grifter, no that wasn't a spelling error. They would be invited to f right off out of my life entirely for good.
#12
Im 48 and my mom got me Lincoln Logs for Christmas last year!
#14
an 0 balance gift card to Sephora. I told them it was empty and they didn't do anything either
Kate Johnson 1 hour ago
I would never accept another gift from them. I'd just hand anything they tried to give back and say, "no thanks".
#15
my ex gave me a bunch of fabric and said "I know you love to sew. you can make me clothes." 😭
#16
My sister in law gave me a bag of flour because “I loved biscuits so much”. I don’t even like biscuits. Still used the flour though
#17
I received a crock pot from my boss. I could tell it had been used cause it had dried food on the bottom if it. Yuck! I threw it away.
#18
When I was turning 15, my mom started asking me about two weeks before my birthday if I wanted an aquarium. I made it very clear. I did not want an aquarium because I did not want fish because I did not want pets because I did not want to take care of them. She asked me every day for two weeks and I very clearly said no. Guess what I got for my 15th birthday 🤦♀️it wasn’t the gift itself. It was the BS associated with it that makes it the worst.
goldenwood_cottage 8 hours ago
Oh, god yes. Same, except I was about ten. They sat it up in my room ( I had very little space) then I was in constant trouble because I didn't take care of it
#19
Told my ex how I’m EXTREMELY picky when it comes to perfumes and that I have to smell and choose them myself. Guess what he bought me for a bday gift?
Michael Largey 1 hour ago
Never tell someone you don't like the scent of their perfume. They may not be wearing any.
#20
I was once gifted a trash can. From my now ex-mother in law. Everyone else got iPads, video games, makeup, etc. I got a plastic black trash can with the goodwill sticker still stuck to the bottom. 😀
#21
I don't collect pops. one year my only 2 relatives both got me the same pop because one of the only things they knew about me was I liked the show. they went shopping together and knowingly both got the same one and just insisted they were copied by the other.
Tyranamar Seuss 2 hours ago (edited)
How do you know they went shopping together and both decided to get the same one? That would be weird and I can't see the advantage of it.
#22
My then husband bought “me” 4 towels for Christmas. There were 5 of us in the family. Guess who didn’t get a new towel to dry off with..
#23
My x mother in law got me maternity clothes. I was not pregnant 😬
#25
I was given a bible despite them knowing I’ve been pagan all my life. They said “I needdd guidance”
#26
My ex bought me decorative table napkins 😒 for my birthday our THIRD year together. And they had sunflowers on them. I hate sunflowers.
#27
secret Santa, there were 3, 1 was a tiny glass box you would get from the dollar tree, 2 was a glass piece of corn decor from Thanksgiving and the 3rd was a ugly brown glass vase. I was absolutely horrified that someone would think its ok to give trash as presents
#28
Guy at work gave me a taxedermy bass fish mounted to a piece of wood. lol
#29
The guy I was seeing, stopped by the liquor store before we were going to exchange gifts and picked me up a bottle of wine. I don’t drink wine. I got him a gift that I had bought months before that I knew he was going to love. Afterwards, I found out that the other woman he as seeing (unbeknownst to me) got some very special, heartfelt gifts. Still hurts when I think about it.
#30
When I received nothing on Christmas after gifting my family everything they wanted.
#31
for a secret santa i was given a pack of pencils… to give to her… because she would “borrow” my pencils in first period so she could have a pencil for the rest of the day
#33
an anti-aging cream for 60+ people while i’m 17💔
#35
Somewhere between eight and twelve I was gifted a mop head for my birthday
#37
I had three separate people go in on a five dollar gift card from Best Buy for my Birthday.
Michael Largey 49 minutes ago
Wonder how much of the $5 credit had already been used when the OP got it?
#38
my bf bought me king size sheets for my bed except I had a queen size bed. He had a king bed. He bought me sheets for his bed because I slept in it sometimes. 🤦🏻♀️Married him and accepted he is the worst gift giver ever
#39
My sister got me face wipes, weird bug and moth notecards, and a free bag of coffee. I was trying to repair our relationship at the time….
#41
My ex gave me a chip of paint from a coach bus he was working on because it’s expensive paint and therefore expensive gift.
#42
my grandmother gifted my dad the sleep apnea mask my grandfather was wearing when he passed away in his sleep. 😆 🤣 😂 only because my dad also uses sleep apnea thought he could use it.
Robin Roper 15 minutes ago
This is disturbing. I have 2 cochlear implants and an uncles who recently passed had 1, both of us had the implants made by the same company. I gladly took his extra parts but it wasn't a Christmas gift, it was just "Can you use these?" offer.
#43
my boyfrind of 3 yrs Mom gave me a manicure kit. She worked for Avon and it was a party gift she got free from Avon. i was 18. i saved up and bought her an expensive sweater
#44
Ex Bf gave me dollar store candle. He came from a wealthy family. I threw it away.
#45
My grandma gave me one pound weights and then asked for them back about six months later
#46
A old used beanie baby and a card from my mother in law that said “sorry I disappoint you”
#47
A handmade coupon for a homemade dinner once a month, from my mother, for Christmas, for both me and my wife. I was in my 40s. Didn’t even get one. She claimed it was because she was broke. Turns out she was giving money to her drunkard, deadbeat neighbors.
#49
For my quinceñera my godparents got my sister and I necklaces her name was spelled right my name was spelled Lisa ( my name is laisa)… my mom made me wear it for pictures, she didn’t want them to think I was ungrateful. So my quincena pictures the necklace is visible and so is my misspelled name 🤦🏻♀️
#50
lol, at Christmas with my in-laws and my MIL opens a gift from my FIL. It is a gaudy gold necklace. She barely comments on it and turns and then gives it to me. Like now if I accept it, I am adding to my MIL's gesture of disdain towards my FIL, but if I decline it I insult her generosity!
Robin Roper 11 minutes ago
"Thank you the generous offer but dear FIL gave that to you. That you would give it away would probably hurt his feelings. I'm sure he wants to see you wearing it."
#51
I don’t know if this is the worst, but it did kind of suck. I bought something for myself left it at someone’s house and months later after I had forgotten about it, they gifted it to me. I asked them if it was something I had left at their house and they said no. The receipt was in the bag and it had my credit card number on it.
#52
Losing lotto scratchers .. there is no way to tell, I get it. But the 30 second scratch thrill is meh.
Sarah Belt 5 hours ago
I have to sell those at work and sometimes I feel like offering to bin their money instead to save time.
#53
It was 1989, I was goth, my brother gave me a new kids on the block cd. I skipped it like a rock down the street.
#54
An unfinished bathroom door
Michael Largey 38 minutes ago
As a gift, an unfinished bathroom door is preferable to an unfinished bathroom visit.
#55
When I was 12, I was gifted a pajama shirt with Santa Claus’ body on it. My bday’s in February 😒
#56
My kid sister got a pair of boots, my younger brother got an expensive bathrobe from our mom and I… got a bathrobe and two used DVDs that didn’t work.
#57
My mil got me a gift of tea light candles and incense because she wanted more grandchildren and that was supposed to be ambiance to get my husband and I “in the mood” to make that happen.
#58
My great aunt gifted me old lady shirts from thrift shops on sizes L and XL. Had me try them on after I told her I was a size Medium. Told me I look bigger than that and was surprised when the shirts she gave me did not fit.
#59
My ex’s wealthy grandma regifted me an old lady moo moo nightgown that had a collar and cows on it. Everyone else got gift cards to restaurants or stores. There was also slippers she had already worn that had foot crust in them. Yes, foot crust.
#60
My grandma was a doozy when it came to gift giving. For one birthday, she gave my mom (her daughter in law) a menopause pamphlet from her doctor’s office. For one Christmas, she gave me a single mitten. Just one, and I never received the other one. Meanwhile, she always gave elaborate, lavish gifts to the relatives she liked more. We could always tell which people were her favorites. 😐
#61
My aunt gave me a sweater that was gifted to her that she didn’t want but was too small for me.
#62
My first Christmas dating my yt husband, his mom gave me a Native American ceramic doll because “she has black hair and dark skin” just like me. I’m Mexican. Another year my MIL gave me a used electric foot bath/spa that she bought on ebay and it only worked on one side.
Michael Largey 26 minutes ago (edited)
Not the first MIL to treat their DIL in a one-sided manner.
#63
When I was 12 my grandma gave me a 4XL neon yellow men’s polo 👕. My other gram gave me a pair of hot pink and zebra print 6 inch heels (also at 12).
#64
my mom tried to give me life insurance for my 27th bday, but with her as the beneficiary, not my wife... "happy birthday, if you die i get money" 🙃 i refused to sign the forms. so she gave me eagle-engraved real silver boullions instead. equally weird.
#65
One Christmas I thought I was getting getting a ring 💍 for by boyfriend , instead a got a radar detector for my car..he said I wanted to get you a “practical “ gift
Michael Largey 23 minutes ago
For oh so many boyfriends, a radar detector is a much more practical gift than a ring from them.
#66
My brother gave me his old retainer wrapped up so pretty one Christmas. I was so excited he actually got me something because he never did and then the let down. I’ll never forget it. 😂
#67
My mom promised a month in advance to take me to a rage room for my birthday. It was all I wanted, I didn't want gifts or cake. my birthday comes, it's ten pm, when she says "Oh yeah, it's your birthday. Do you wanna get some food?"
#68
ironing board for 🎄
#69
A new toilet! Literally wrapped up with a red bow and put under the tree!
#70
My aunt very proudly gave me “something so meaningful, handmade and thoughtful” from a mission trip to a country in South America ? Maybe central? I don’t remember. But I was maybe 12 at the time and the gift was quite literally a domino on a string. To this day my mom and I joke about it. I’m 31 now
#71
Work gave me a gift card then said gift card was taken out of my next check.
#72
for our first wedding anniversary my now ex husband got me lightbulbs
#74
The year my parents forgot to get me xmas gifts and just retagged some gifts very obviously meant for my sister.
#75
My aunt gave my brother a tv and me a box of chocolates
Michael Largey 19 minutes ago
A tv is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get.
#76
I once got hair clips and slippers. They were cool but I wear a size 10 and the slippers were 7s. And I’ve never worn hair clips in my entire life 🙃 pretty sure they were extra pieces of junk my mom got with her shopping addiction
#77
1. Camping equipment. I hate camping! 2. Clothes that were tried on my short, fat, mousy cousin and never fit tall, thin, redheaded me.
#78
My MIL gifted me a pair of olive green polyester western pants. One Christmas she got me a mop bucket!
#79
Literally the other day someone gifted me a Jo Malone gift with purchase, like with the small samples! I was utterly confused like why? 😂😂😂
#80
My ex’s dad’s girlfriend got me an XXXL jacket from J Crew. She “thought it would fit me.” I was a size 6.
Robin Roper 5 minutes ago
Well, it did fit OP as well as 5 other friends all at the same time.
#81
fish covered toilet seat for Christmas
#83
a Homer Simpson chia pet. it was a bday gift from my ex. (I never watched the Simpsons or expressed any interest in owning a chia pet)
Tyranamar Seuss 1 hour ago
You get chia pets bc it's what you can pick up at Walgreen's the day of.
#84
my dad and his wife gave me a puzzle from a library sale- oh yeah and they aren't sure if all the pieces are there. ALSO, a 100 things to do when you retire book... this was last xmas gift
#85
my own grandma once bought me a necklace with my birthstone! it wasn’t even my birthstone…
#86
My ex husband bought me some fancy ramen noodles for my birthday…So I could make ramen for him. I didn’t even eat ramen.
#89
One year my aunt gave me beautiful gold hoop earings, the next year i was given a decorative bar of soap. thats it.
#90
A large freaking TEDDY BEAR—as a 34 year old woman—for Valentine’s Day, from my husband, who was “influenced” by a radio commercial, and who knew I don’t care for Teddy Bears. Terrible Gift. He was more into the radio station than me. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
#91
when I was 15, for my birthday, my aunt gave me 20 dollars. twenty whole dolleridoos. and told me "here. not even my grandkids get that".... 2 weeks later, she gave me cousin(her grandkid), 100 dollars total, combined with my uncles money for my cousin, and she loved and doted all over him.... he was turning 9. and got 2 or 3 $30+ action figures of wrestlers.
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What do you think ?
Charlotte Ingle 4 hours ago
Some of the these were mean or thought less. But some were not worth getting upset at - like getting a cheap Generic gift for secret Santa. What did the recipient expect for secret Santa?
Missy Moo Moo 4 hours ago
My ex made me thank him because he was going to buy me some expensive shoes… I had to thank him for the thought
Charlotte Ingle 4 hours ago
Some of the these were mean or thought less. But some were not worth getting upset at - like getting a cheap Generic gift for secret Santa. What did the recipient expect for secret Santa?
Missy Moo Moo 4 hours ago
My ex made me thank him because he was going to buy me some expensive shoes… I had to thank him for the thought
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