Nine people reveal the worst Christmas gift they've ever been given

Being a great gift-giver is truly an underrated life skill, and not all of us are lucky enough to possess it.

Unsurprisingly, this results in many awkward exchanges come Christmas Day. While it truly is the thought that counts, there are some gifts that really miss the mark, requiring an Oscar-worthy performance just to say thanks.

Perhaps the stories below will help save yourself and others the embarrassment, by knowing which terrible Christmas gifts to skip for the home.

1. The not-so inspiring present

I really find cheesy quotes quite irritating. Perhaps it’s the sheer amount of them floating around, but for me they have the opposite effect of annoying me rather than motivating me.

But clearly this isn’t something my mother-in-law is across as, almost every year for the past five years, I have received something for the house with a motivational quote on it. 

One year, I got one of these live, laugh, love decorative plaques, and just last year I got a couple of cushions that had different sayings on them, one had “follow your dreams”, and the other had “enjoy the little things”.

All of them live under our bed, and whenever she comes to visit I make a point to put them out on display.

– Claire W

2. The ole re-gifting fail

My aunt gave me a photo frame just last year, which she had forgotten was a present that my mum gave her the year before.

– Hannah B

3. The creepy elf

My grandmother’s hobby was ceramics, the kind you pick out already made then painted. One year my little brother got a lamp with a ceramic elf (maybe it was a gnome?) on it. He was so scared of the creepy elf, he turned it around to face the wall every night before he went to bed.

– Luke S

4. Clean up your act

My husband once gave me a gift basket of cleaning supplies as a joke but, as you can imagine, it didn’t go down too well.

– Sarah M

5. For the love of Jack Daniel’s

I told my aunt that I liked Jack Daniel’s and instead of buying me a bottle of it like most people, for three Christmases straight I was given Jack Daniel’s related presents – and they’re all as bad as each other. 

The first year I was given a Jack Daniel’s lamp. Well, when I say lamp, it was an empty Jack Daniel’s bottle with fairy lights inside. The second year, I was given yet another empty Jack Daniel’s bottle with glitter and water inside, which I had no idea what to do with. Last year, I got a pair of Jack Daniel’s sunglasses that broke within a week. 

Fingers crossed I get a bottle with Jack Daniel’s actually in it this year.

– sean12349, Reddit

6. At least she shopped locally

Last year, my mum got me and my two brothers matching oil paintings on large canvases. They were copied from a photo taken of us a few years ago. She said she had a “local artist” paint them, but they looked pretty dodgy. We are all in our 20s and 30s by the way.

– James M

7. The present that went down the toilet

A couple of years ago my dad bought me a decorative toilet cover for Christmas. I think it was made from resin and it had seashells, starfish and dolphins painted on it that looked like this. 

He said he found it at a vintage store and thought of me because “I love the beach”. I’m not sure where it is now, but I know it’s not on my toilet.

– Danni  F

8. The “What are you trying to say?” present

I got gifted a bathroom scale last year by my sister-in-law, and I opened it in front of everyone straight after our big Christmas lunch. 

She said it was because I had previously mentioned in a passing comment that I wanted one of those “fancy ones” for the new year, which was fair enough I suppose but it was still pretty embarrassing.

– Sophia M

9. Such a dad move

My dad gave me an advent calendar … on Christmas Day.

– MarsoAmirPez, Bored Panda