“I’m Not Doing Secret Santa Ever Again”: 20 People Share The Worst Gifts They Received
Interview
The Christmas season certainly isn’t all about giving and receiving gifts, but the game of Secret Santa is! Whether you play with your colleagues, best friends or family members, it’s always exciting to surprise someone with a heartfelt gift. The understanding with this game is that everyone puts in time and effort and is rewarded with the warm feeling of making someone’s day, as well as a gift of their own.
But apparently, some Secret Santas out there belong on the naughty list. TikTokers have recently been sharing the worst presents they’ve received from gift exchanges, so we’ve gathered some of their photos below. While these presents must have been painful to receive, we have to admit that they’re hilarious to see. Keep reading to find a conversation with Raeshorn Creque, one of the TikTokers featured on this list, and be sure to upvote the gifts that you'd consider worse than coal!
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To learn more about how it feels to receive a lackluster Secret Santa gift, we reached out to TikToker Raeshorn Creque, who recently shared his disappointing present online and was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. Raeshorn said he was inspired to post a video about his experience because he knew his audience would be amused by the clear lack of effort put into his gift.
For some reason, Raeshorn's Secret Santa gave him a half-eaten box of Pop-Tarts, used cologne, a Roku remote and a sauce packet. But thankfully, he said this is the first time he's had a bad experience with Secret Santa. "I enjoy Secret Santa! It's very exciting knowing someone who may or may not know you can you get something that can one day forever be a treasure in your heart," the TikToker shared.
It looks like it was in a gift bag though. It could have just been left on your desk by itself. That happened to me once.
Raeshorn also shared that he went all out purchasing his present for someone else. "I ended up spending around $100-$150 on a gift for my person because I knew them personally and knew what they really wanted to do with their life," he explained. "I gifted him a tripod that moves, a microphone for his phone, Dior Sauvage cologne and a gold chain. I know he likes to smell and look good while also wanting to become an influencer."
And as far as preventing himself from receiving bad gifts in the future, Raeshorn says he doesn't believe it's possible unless he were to simply change who he was playing with. But he told Bored Panda that he's still a fan of the game. "Secret Santa is a game for families to come together and show their creativity, and that’s what I love most about it!"
This is what one of my coworkers likes to do for a "funny" white elephant gift. She thinks it's HYSTERICAL and we make sure that we explain the rules to new hires before she can get to them, otherwise she instructs them to give "naughty" gifts like she does. She's the only one who thinks it's funny and she's the only one who does it. One year I got stuck with her gift which was her junk drawer that she had emptied into a box and wrapped up. Newsflash: it SUCKS to walk away without a real gift when everyone else gets something nice because you're the only one who gave literal garbage away. There are silly gifts that get passed around every year, but the silly gift ALWAYS comes with a real present to make up for the gag gift. This woman doesn't believe in that, though. I can't f*****g stand it.
The first time I ever participated in a Secret Santa gift exchange was my freshman year of high school. I was absolutely thrilled and spent so much time and effort planning the perfect gift for my person. I created a shirt online for her, ordered it and ensured that it would be delivered in time for our Christmas party. I knew she would love it.
But what I didn’t think about until the day of was the fact that I would be getting a gift too. Well, in theory. The person who picked me conveniently didn’t show up for class that day, and when he appeared the next day, he handed me a box of chocolates. That’s it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate. But it was obvious what had happened there.
Despite having a disappointing first experience with Secret Santa, I was not deterred from participating again in the future. In fact, I think I’ve participated in a Secret Santa gift exchange nearly every year since. And because I love getting presents for others and spreading some Christmas joy, I’m always happy to participate. But after seeing the photos on this list, I can understand why not everyone is eager to hop on the Secret Santa train.
According to the University of Technology Sydney, if your office has 20 employees who wish to participate in Secret Santa festivities, there are about 895 quadrillion possible combinations of who will choose who (while still ensuring that no one has to purchase their own present). But as it seems from this list, there’s probably a 1 in 20-ish chance that you’ll receive a present you hate.
ITS A TINY TABASO SAUCE. ITS SO TINY. I NEED IT. FOR MY TRINKET COLLECTION.
It also seems that plenty of employees know before they even agree to participate in Secret Santa that they’re dreading the experience. Employer News reports that nearly one third of participants say they worry about choosing certain colleagues who they wouldn’t want to shop for, and the same number of employees admit that opening up gifts in front of their coworkers makes them uncomfortable. 24% of participants say they’ve had to buy a present for a colleague they’ve never even spoken to, and 18% say that Secret Santa adds unnecessary stress to an already hectic season.
Those pens are satisfying to play with
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Looks like they mixed up a secret Santa gift with a leftover party favor bag for a 4 yo birthday party
Even though one third of employees at UK companies say they’ll participate in their workplace Secret Santa this year, 30% admit that they’d really rather not take part. 36% admit that they’ll even give away the gift they receive if they don’t like it. So even though a whopping £167m has been spent on Secret Santa presents, at an average of £15.50 per gift, £60m of that ends up being wasted.
it's a pity they don't fit, this isn't a cheap gift. :-( Unless they were unloading old stuff on you.
She's an ageist. Anyone at any age can be an asshat secret santa. Her caption made me not feel bad for her at all.
Employees are also calling for some changes to be made to the Secret Santa setup. Nearly a third would like to see a smaller spending limit, and 22% of employees say they’d actually rather give to charities than one another. It’s not surprising, considering how questionable the gifts they receive often are. Respondents told Employer News they’ve opened up presents to find used candles, toilet paper, cash and half-eaten or expired food items.
I love all of those things. All of them are useful. I don't have human children, so that baby book would 100% be filled with photos of my cats and dogs XD
Whats wrong with Lindor? This is expensive chocolate, I pay about 25-30 Euro pro kilogram (and it is not sold by the kilogram)
where is he getting his skincare products from his skin is F. L. A. W. L E. S. S.
To prevent receivers of Secret Santa presents from going home saying “bah humbug,” some companies have implemented mandatory wish lists to ensure that everyone gets something they actually like. Websites that allow everyone to upload wishlists, like Elfster and Draw Names, can be a massive help, especially when employees don’t actually know one another well. Just because you picked a person who you couldn’t even spot in a crowd doesn’t mean you have to get them a generic gift!
Most of these were not fails but simply ungrateful people. Also half the fun of secret Santa is the horrible gifts! Just have a laugh and better luck next year.
Agreeing with Panda Cam; gag gifts are for White Elephant exchanges, not Secret Santa. It can be hard to be grateful for cheap trash, especially if you put time & thought into what you gave. They say "It's the thought that counts" but what sort of thought goes into giving fast food sauce packets, name tags, or items where the target consumer is the 5-11 age group? Sometimes it's better to get nothing at all.
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Forced gifts in exchange are never a good idea, especially when there don't seem to be any rules and max values. And for some people even $5 may be a struggle. I am happy this isn't a thing where I work.
We have a secret Santa at work that you can opt into. We give a gift every day for one week. Monday to Thursday is $5 and under gifts, and $10 for Friday. No one is forced to participate.
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I really struggle to know how to feel about Christmas. At its best it is wonderful. It's a time for loved ones to be together and connect with each other. However, I see and feel firsthand the mental toll it takes on so many, particularly those with low incomes. The guilt single parents feel because they can't give what others can. The loneliness so many feel. The most magical time of the year for many, is also the most difficult time of the year for many more. I'd love it if we shifted the focus from gifts to community because that's really what makes Christmas magical.
That is actually up to the families. We have had hard financial times - so the focus is more on the traditions and the fun - Shake the box and everyone meows - silly. Although I do always have a bit of stress as I love to give gifts, and I could never have enough money to be as generous s I would like. although I try my best.
Load More Replies... Did Secret Santa twice at work. Both times, everyone gave a list of things they'd like to receive to the organizer, who gave them to the appropriate "Santa." Both times, we were instructed to only buy things that were on the list. First time, the giver went off-list and I received a set of four very generic, gold-rimmed highball glasses that looked like they came from Pic-n-Save. I already had way too many glasses, don't like gold, and don't drink alcohol at all let alone highballs (and yes I know you can drink anything out of them, but still). Second time the giver also went off-list, and bought me a card game which he thought I would like. And he was right, it's a very fun game that I really enjoy playing. It's a pity that I already owned it, which is why it wasn't on the list. So yeah, one "I appreciate the thought, I really do, but..." gift and one "You didn't put any thought into this at all, did you?" gift.
I've never had any luck with Secret Santa and I hate it because I always go out of my way (whatever the $ limit is) to be thoughtful about figuring out what they'd like and I always get c**p with not a single thought about what -I- might like. But One year I didn't even get mine. The co-worker totally forgot about Secret Santa and was on holidays for 2 weeks, so I got mine when she came back in mid January. Funny thing is - it was the ONLY Secret Santa I got that I actually loved. Go figure.
We had a minimum of $25 and I had everyone fill out a sheet of preferences. I got a bag full of s**t that I'll never use and don't like. Person said "I didn't know what you liked so I got you this." Uh. Yeah you did. Yeah. You did. I have a very personalized nice glass jar to my person as I knew it's exactly what she wanted. What's the point? I'd be mad but whatever.
A minimum of $25? Who can afford that, for a random colleague where one does not have friendly ties with?
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My first secret Santa I received a pair of faux fur toxic green slippers. The gifter deliberately chose something she 'knew' I would hate. I loved those slippers, as did my cat. Pissed my coworker off royally.
I do not understand that. Even people I do not care for - I would still not give them something they hate. I would go the opposite way - hate me- so the gift I give you will remind you of me every time you see / use it ( and you wont get rid of it because you really wanted it) EVIL
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One of the few times secret santa started bad (for me) and turned out great was when I got three bottles of wine (I hardly drink and when I do it's not wine, hate it) and my colleague got a big box of expensive Whittards coffee, and she's a tea drinker. So we swap our gifts the next day 😁 we were both thrilled!
Difference between those gifts and the articles. Wine and Coffee are both very nice gifts. The junk that was given in the article were not nice - but mean
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We're all different. Some have class, some have humor, some are self entitled, some are jerks, some are generous. Get the picture yet?
Never have done it, never will. Just opt out unless you're prepared to get "joke" gifts. Claim to be a Jedi if necessary.
although i have gotten some interesting secret santa gifts when i was working it seems that i was always in demand to have as a secret santa. this is because i knew of some great places to shop and been able to get things that were unexpected. an example of this was getting an amber and silver bracelet that was marked down to $20 just because the silver was black with tarnish. guess the jeweler didn't feel like cleaning it but it polished up nicely.
Everywhere I've ever done a secret Santa there are rules. Like a dollar amount and whether "adult" items are allowed. Also even if it is a joke one or a nice one.
I forgot to tell my husband's stepmother to make a donation in my name instead of a gift. Received yet another useless gift. May it find a good home. Anyways, it made her happy to give it to me, so I can't really complain much.
Better than my EX mil - who offered to give back to me a gift I made her, but did not sell at her garage sale.
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I hate Secret Santa. I never know what to get anyone, anyway. Much less someone I barely know. I just always end up going with gift cards. The one year I was a manager, and my team wanted to do Secret Santa, I wrote a list of the names of all who were opting in, put it on the board, and then had everyone write a couple small gift ideas next to their name. Like a hobby, or favorite sports team. Just to make it a little easier. I still didn't get anything from the ideas I'd written down, lol. Didn't hate my gift though. But still hate Secret Santa in general. Got asked to participate in one this past Christmas. Said no thanks.
Another series of pics and comments full of ungrateful crybabies. BP is getting real old lately with all the delicate egos and soft headed adults.
If there is a price limit don't be mad if you go over it and the person who has you doesn't. We did it at my old job I think it was 2 three dollar gifts and a 10 dollar gift. We filled out a form so people had idea on want to buy. I got chips for one gift, a moutain dew another gift and a 10 movie card.
Our Secret Santa was completely voluntary with a $15 limit and included a wish list for each participant.
A lot of these gifts weren't bad, it was just that receivers didn't like it for some reason, or problems like 'I bought expensive gift and received something cheaper". We did something like that in high school, except you knew who gave you gifts. We had one rule: Price of gift shouldn't be more than 100 czk (around 4 euro). We usually bought each other gag gifts. I gave my classmate colouring book and received fridge magnet shaped like crocodile.
Let's watch mainly spoiled people or people who expected way too much
Most of these were not fails but simply ungrateful people. Also half the fun of secret Santa is the horrible gifts! Just have a laugh and better luck next year.
Agreeing with Panda Cam; gag gifts are for White Elephant exchanges, not Secret Santa. It can be hard to be grateful for cheap trash, especially if you put time & thought into what you gave. They say "It's the thought that counts" but what sort of thought goes into giving fast food sauce packets, name tags, or items where the target consumer is the 5-11 age group? Sometimes it's better to get nothing at all.
Load More Replies... Forced gifts in exchange are never a good idea, especially when there don't seem to be any rules and max values. And for some people even $5 may be a struggle. I am happy this isn't a thing where I work.
We have a secret Santa at work that you can opt into. We give a gift every day for one week. Monday to Thursday is $5 and under gifts, and $10 for Friday. No one is forced to participate.
Load More Replies... I really struggle to know how to feel about Christmas. At its best it is wonderful. It's a time for loved ones to be together and connect with each other. However, I see and feel firsthand the mental toll it takes on so many, particularly those with low incomes. The guilt single parents feel because they can't give what others can. The loneliness so many feel. The most magical time of the year for many, is also the most difficult time of the year for many more. I'd love it if we shifted the focus from gifts to community because that's really what makes Christmas magical.
That is actually up to the families. We have had hard financial times - so the focus is more on the traditions and the fun - Shake the box and everyone meows - silly. Although I do always have a bit of stress as I love to give gifts, and I could never have enough money to be as generous s I would like. although I try my best.
Load More Replies... Did Secret Santa twice at work. Both times, everyone gave a list of things they'd like to receive to the organizer, who gave them to the appropriate "Santa." Both times, we were instructed to only buy things that were on the list. First time, the giver went off-list and I received a set of four very generic, gold-rimmed highball glasses that looked like they came from Pic-n-Save. I already had way too many glasses, don't like gold, and don't drink alcohol at all let alone highballs (and yes I know you can drink anything out of them, but still). Second time the giver also went off-list, and bought me a card game which he thought I would like. And he was right, it's a very fun game that I really enjoy playing. It's a pity that I already owned it, which is why it wasn't on the list. So yeah, one "I appreciate the thought, I really do, but..." gift and one "You didn't put any thought into this at all, did you?" gift.
I've never had any luck with Secret Santa and I hate it because I always go out of my way (whatever the $ limit is) to be thoughtful about figuring out what they'd like and I always get c**p with not a single thought about what -I- might like. But One year I didn't even get mine. The co-worker totally forgot about Secret Santa and was on holidays for 2 weeks, so I got mine when she came back in mid January. Funny thing is - it was the ONLY Secret Santa I got that I actually loved. Go figure.
We had a minimum of $25 and I had everyone fill out a sheet of preferences. I got a bag full of s**t that I'll never use and don't like. Person said "I didn't know what you liked so I got you this." Uh. Yeah you did. Yeah. You did. I have a very personalized nice glass jar to my person as I knew it's exactly what she wanted. What's the point? I'd be mad but whatever.
A minimum of $25? Who can afford that, for a random colleague where one does not have friendly ties with?
Load More Replies... My first secret Santa I received a pair of faux fur toxic green slippers. The gifter deliberately chose something she 'knew' I would hate. I loved those slippers, as did my cat. Pissed my coworker off royally.
I do not understand that. Even people I do not care for - I would still not give them something they hate. I would go the opposite way - hate me- so the gift I give you will remind you of me every time you see / use it ( and you wont get rid of it because you really wanted it) EVIL
Load More Replies... One of the few times secret santa started bad (for me) and turned out great was when I got three bottles of wine (I hardly drink and when I do it's not wine, hate it) and my colleague got a big box of expensive Whittards coffee, and she's a tea drinker. So we swap our gifts the next day 😁 we were both thrilled!
Difference between those gifts and the articles. Wine and Coffee are both very nice gifts. The junk that was given in the article were not nice - but mean
Load More Replies... We're all different. Some have class, some have humor, some are self entitled, some are jerks, some are generous. Get the picture yet?
Never have done it, never will. Just opt out unless you're prepared to get "joke" gifts. Claim to be a Jedi if necessary.
although i have gotten some interesting secret santa gifts when i was working it seems that i was always in demand to have as a secret santa. this is because i knew of some great places to shop and been able to get things that were unexpected. an example of this was getting an amber and silver bracelet that was marked down to $20 just because the silver was black with tarnish. guess the jeweler didn't feel like cleaning it but it polished up nicely.
Everywhere I've ever done a secret Santa there are rules. Like a dollar amount and whether "adult" items are allowed. Also even if it is a joke one or a nice one.
I forgot to tell my husband's stepmother to make a donation in my name instead of a gift. Received yet another useless gift. May it find a good home. Anyways, it made her happy to give it to me, so I can't really complain much.
Better than my EX mil - who offered to give back to me a gift I made her, but did not sell at her garage sale.
Load More Replies... I hate Secret Santa. I never know what to get anyone, anyway. Much less someone I barely know. I just always end up going with gift cards. The one year I was a manager, and my team wanted to do Secret Santa, I wrote a list of the names of all who were opting in, put it on the board, and then had everyone write a couple small gift ideas next to their name. Like a hobby, or favorite sports team. Just to make it a little easier. I still didn't get anything from the ideas I'd written down, lol. Didn't hate my gift though. But still hate Secret Santa in general. Got asked to participate in one this past Christmas. Said no thanks.
Another series of pics and comments full of ungrateful crybabies. BP is getting real old lately with all the delicate egos and soft headed adults.
If there is a price limit don't be mad if you go over it and the person who has you doesn't. We did it at my old job I think it was 2 three dollar gifts and a 10 dollar gift. We filled out a form so people had idea on want to buy. I got chips for one gift, a moutain dew another gift and a 10 movie card.
Our Secret Santa was completely voluntary with a $15 limit and included a wish list for each participant.
A lot of these gifts weren't bad, it was just that receivers didn't like it for some reason, or problems like 'I bought expensive gift and received something cheaper". We did something like that in high school, except you knew who gave you gifts. We had one rule: Price of gift shouldn't be more than 100 czk (around 4 euro). We usually bought each other gag gifts. I gave my classmate colouring book and received fridge magnet shaped like crocodile.
Let's watch mainly spoiled people or people who expected way too much
