We all love Christmas, even the corniest things: the shopping malls decorated way too early, the same repetitive music playing every year and of course the family gatherings and parties. All of this usually comes with a Christmas gift exchange. Have you received a terrible Christmas present? We certainly have, and now here’s a list of the top 10 worst Christmas gifts we’ve compiled.
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Bad Christmas Presents: What are the worst gifts?
Since horrendous presents come in different shapes and sizes, avoiding them is not always easy. And most of the time they come with the best intentions. Keeping it simple may be the best way to avoid giving terrible Christmas presents and keep your friends and family happy.
This is our selection of the top 10 worst Christmas gifts we have received
1. Something very meaningful and very used
While there’s nothing wrong with gifting a wonderful vintage or retro item, it’s important to think twice before giving something directly from your house simply because you didn’t want to throw it away. Make sure the Christmas presents you give to your friends and family bring them joy, rather than being perceived as items from a house clean-up.
2. Fitness, health or exercise items
Unless you specifically agree with your loved ones, try to avoid giving them presents that convey the message “you could look better”. It can be quite depressing and make your friend indulge in Christmas sweets even more.
3. Age or people-inappropriate Christmas presents
We can’t really blame an elderly aunt or grandma who, with the best intentions, gifts a teenager with a Care Bears book and crayons. But it will still make our list of bad Christmas presents. Another common mistake is giving dog or cat toys to children. If you’re unsure about what to buy for someone’s age, it may be better to consider giving them money instead.
4. Something you received from someone else (regifting)
Oh yes! This is a classic example of a bad Christmas present: someone gave you a scented candle, a tacky decoration, or another bowl you simply don’t need. So, you think to yourself “One less gift I have to buy for Christmas”. Well, what often happens is that people end up regifting such presents to the very friends and family who gave them in the first place. Not nice at all!
5. Socks and underwear
It might be fun to get a cheesy pair of Christmas socks, but some people can just gift boring socks and underwear every year. We know we need them, but we’d still like to get some shiny, pretty presents for Christmas.
Don’t be late for the holiday season and find out about:
6. Personal care or hygiene products
While a set of expensive beauty products can be a nice gift, it may not be so nice if you repeatedly offer hygiene products to the same people over… and over… and over again. We know it’s hard to be creative every year, but at some point, someone may start wondering if there’s a hidden message behind those bad Christmas gifts.
7. Things you don’t know exactly what they are
It happens more than you think, and many people get face massage toys or fancy lingerie for Christmas from grandparents, aunts, and people who… well… offer extremely inappropriate items with the best of intentions. Exceptionally, in this case, it is best to just go with the boring socks!
8. DIY Items for non-DIY people
Some DIY items can be interesting… for you! Not everyone enjoys doing things by themselves, and you may end up gifting someone with something that may end up under your own Christmas tree next year. Just to be safe: give them the real thing… i.e. something that’s already finished and ready to enjoy!
9. An imitation of something
Either because you don’t want to spend too much money or just because you think brands are overrated anyway, you may decide to purchase an imitation of something your friend or relative really wants. This can be really disappointing: I know I will never forget the look on my face on I got a cheap Chinese game console instead of the Sega Saturn I really wanted. If you can’t afford it, it’s just best to go in another direction and give something affordable but much more meaningful.
10. Anything for house chores
Maybe your mother complains constantly that her vacuum cleaner is not good enough or that she could really use a new microwave. But bear in mind: these are things for the house, not for your mother. It may feel weird giving your father a really cool gadget while your mother gets a device to keep the house in order. After all, we’re in the 21st century!
If you you want to send something from this list anyway – check out the packing guidelines!
How to avoid giving bad Christmas presents?
Since we don’t want you to disappoint your loved ones, we have compiled a list of the best gifts for Christmas!
And now that you know the top worst Christmas presents you can gift anyone, it’s time to act quickly and select gifts that will truly make your friends and family happy. There’s not much time left, especially if your loved ones are far away, and you still have to send gifts abroad.
So, it’s time to check gifts off the list and start wrapping things up. Merry Christmas!
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This article was written in collaboration with Berenika Teter.