80 Of The Most Disappointing And Outright Cruel Christmas Presents People Received

With the holiday season upon us, presents are on top of many people's minds.

When it comes to the receiving end, a survey from November found that 43 percent of Americans would be the happiest if they got money, making it the most desired gift this year.

But not all letters reach Santa in time. A few days ago, Redditor Leading_War_5847 made a post on the platform, asking everyone what's the worst thing they found under the Christmas tree, and it already has nearly 15,000 replies.

From a bottle of shampoo to a case of toilet paper, here are the ones that earned the most upvotes, or sympathy, if you will.

Image credits: Leading_War_5847

#1

Cheap bath set I'm allergic to. Every year, twice a year, for 20 years.

Image credits: slytherinqueen1525

#2

3 bottles of wine. Every year for the past eight years I work in to a conversation with this person that I don’t drink. Usually at a dinner or party “can I get you a drink?” Thank you, I’m good with water, I don’t drink alcohol.

Every year I get wine.

Image credits: Purpleberry74

We managed to get in touch with Leading_War_5847, whose real name is Kate, and she was kind enough to have a little chat with us about her now-viral post and the discussion it has started.

"Just before I blasted that question out to the r/AskReddit world, I had pondered this and past years' gifts that had me mentally or verbally stating '...What? Why? Is this real life or did I really just open an avocado as a Christmas gift?' (If you know the meme, you know)," she told Bored Panda.

"I knew I wasn't the only one who had these same thoughts and wanted to hear different strangers' responses!"

#3

My brother gave me a bright orange wallet. Because you like orange so much, he said while flashing the wallet I gave him a few years ago. It's red. He's colour blind.

Image credits: Whole-Arachnid-Army

#4

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

Image credits: Legendary_Lamb2020

#5

Whitening toothpaste. That's all I got.

Image credits: Hitovelli

"Several reoccurring themes amongst the comments seem to be 'Nothing', which is heartbreaking sifting through thousands of comments," the Redditor observed. "Here is a reminder to [think of] your loved ones in your life, even the smallest gesture will evidently be cherished!"

Kate releases poetry and other forms of self-expression on her blog, and whether it's her compassionate nature shining through or not, she doesn't necessarily believe in a "bad" Christmas present.

That being said, "there are well-thought-through, caring gifts, and last-minute, careless gifts. I personally prefer the first group!" she explained.

#6

My mom made pineapple upside down cake for dessert because she said she knows it’s my favourite… I’m allergic to pineapple

Image credits: 111gemini111

#7

Cheese slicers...didn't have any until now. For some reason my family thought it would be funny to get me FIVE different ones..

Image credits: Visible-Cupcake-9215

Kate's right. Research into the psychological side of the subject suggests there are two things to consider when giving someone a gift.

The first is to make the recipient happy — that mostly depends on whether the gift is something they want.

The second is to strengthen the relationship between us (the giver) and them (the recipient). This is achieved by giving a thoughtful and memorable gift, one that shows we know the person and can figure out what they want even without directly asking.

So there's no one universal thing for all.

#8

First gift I opened said it was from my mom. There was a small jewelry box which I opened to find FOUR MOLARS.

My sister starts cracking up. They’re her wisdom teeth LMAO. Her husband even found something with my mom’s handwriting on it to make the tag believable.

Image credits: saebyuk

#9

I got put into a 10k run. Unbeknownst to me

Image credits: BulkyJaguar9616

According to Adrian R. Camilleri, senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia, the best kind of gift is one both desired by the recipient and is thoughtful.

The worst kind of gift, on the other hand, is neither desired nor thoughtful.

"This is why buying a gift can be so anxiety-inducing. There is a social risk involved," he explained.

"A well-received gift can improve the quality of relationship between giver and recipient by increasing feelings of connection, bonding, and commitment. A poorly received gift can do the opposite."

#10

Okay mine was a good "seriously?"

My boyfriend's grandma is getting me a diamond ring. NOT AN ENGAGEMENT RING.

She and I had gotten dinner while he was on a 3 week trip. She had a really unique diamond ring and I complimented the setting. So we got lunch on the 23rd so she could give me my Christmas present. I opened the box and was really confused because it was little plastic rings. I thought it was maybe something craft related (I crochet). Turns out it was for sizing a ring. And a piece of paper under it showing me the ring that was being custom made.

So yeah. She said it's a good "every day diamond". So now I'm apparently a woman who has every day diamonds.

Image credits: notyourcoloringbook

#11

A personalized gift with my name misspelled

Image credits: my-uncle-bob

#12

I asked for a jigsaw puzzle that had 300-1000 pieces.

I received three jigsaw puzzles with 100 pieces each.

Image credits: Feral-Librarian

#13

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

Image credits: janedane72

#14

A couple’s massage from my sister. My divorce is almost finalized and I’m not seeing anyone.

Image credits: jvxoxo

#15

I once got a beard trimmer only to discover that it had been used and put back in the box with curlies!

Image credits: KonichiwaJones

#16

My husband knows I'm a huge health nut, so he had several gifts for me and one of them included this big 10 lb bag of wheat grass. He even put a red bow on it and everything....

Image credits: StiffDiq

#17

A $50 visa gift card from an extended family member. You see, I had also gotten her a $50 visa gift card. We basically both made it harder for ourselves to spend the money we already had.

Edit: I'm normally known for giving very thoughtful and personalized gifts, so I kind of hate that this comment is blowing up, lol. This person is on my partner's side of the family, and I was very specifically instructed to get her a visa gift card, as "she is very picky" and apparently often does not like the gifts that she receives... :') looks like the joke is on me, I guess. and her. and NOT on visa.

Image credits: LowerRoyal7

#18

A pair of coasters. I still live with my parents, so I don't really know why I alone was given coasters when I don't drink anything in my room besides bottled water, so these would just end up in the den with all the other coasters.

Image credits: DimAllord

#19

A Blu Ray movie we aren’t equipped to watch.

Image credits: Missus_Aitch_99

#20

A company Christmas party at restaurant by the canyon. . Great prime rib dinner and open bar. Only this year the announcement was made at the end of the night that everyone had to pay for their own stuff this year. Seriously, no warning lol.

Image credits: Ping-A-Ling-

#21

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

Image credits: bodhiboppa

#22

Recovering gambling addict here, 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 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 addiction. 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.

Ah, the gift of not being heard

Image credits: Other_SQEX

#23

My grandparents gave my parents a framed picture of a random little boy and nobody knows who it is

Edit: no it’s not the one that came with the frame

Image credits: iamnotahermitcrab

#24

My MIL, is very much a theme giver. My husband gets all things WVU because we’re alumni. My son gets everything saxophone related because that is what he plays. My daughter gets gifts with cats be he likes cats. I have been dealing with breast cancer for the past year. My birthday and Mother’s Day gifts were breast cancer related. I told to please not do that for Christmas. Well, she didn’t listen. She got me a breast cancer awareness shirt, Christmas ornament (because nothing screams Christmas like cancer), and a table top snow man decorating a Christmas tree with breast cancer ribbons. ?‍♀️. I was polite and said thank you but inside I wanted to scream ‘are you kidding me!’. I’m not sure if it is all going to good will or the trash.

Image credits: Tinkerfan57912

#25

I got a REALLY nice whiskey set from the MIL. Four tumblers, 12 bullet ice cubes, a decanter, and a high priced bottle of whiskey.



I don't drink.....

Image credits: RankedAverage

#26

A bird house made out of bird seed.

The premise of the gift is for the birds to eat themselves into homelessness?

Image credits: Whistler8292

#27

My dad got me a fire blanket. And then the next day, my wife's aunt got me... the exact same fire blanket. I can only surmise that there's some conservative lunatic podcaster advertising fire blankets.

#28

my MIL gave us homemade applesauce and strawberry jam. she lives in Seattle, we’re in Boston. the applesauce was in a tupperware and the jam was in jars with wax seals topped with aluminum foil. there was a packet of “blue ice” included, but everything was room temperature by the time we got it. based on the postage label, it was in transit for a week. my husband insists it’s fine to eat.

edits: MIL is 90. She’s preparing to move into a senior living facility in a few months - she’s spry enough for her age, but honestly thought this was a lovely gift. She won’t be doing any cooking once she moves, so this is a one-time thing.

There is no chance the jam was canned in a hot water bath, she told me years ago that she only makes freezer jam.

I’ve put everything in the freezer while my husband insists this is safe to eat. I’m not willing to risk it, but he’s an adult who can make his own gastrointestinal choices.

#29

Nothing. I got nothing for Christmas this year at all.

#30

a 20 year old oster hand blender that was won in a golf game and kept in a storage room until I decided to move out

#31

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.

#32

No Christmas bonus from corporate. We had to buy our own drinks at the Christmas outing.

#33

My parents got me a pizza stone.

For context, I have a propane grill with a pizza stone insert. It's specifically designed for this grill. I used it a TON over the summer, but the stone broke in September. I told my parents I want a replacement for it. The stone they gave me was not the one manufactured for the grill. It's not the same size, not even close. In fact, it's not big enough to fit a full sized pizza on it. It's not even a regular shape. I'm pretty sure it's just a piece of granite my dad had lying around that he sanded smooth and called a pizza stone. So now I just have a useless, flat rock.

#34

I got pants that are like eight sizes too big from my dad, again. The same thing 4 years in a row. Even though we have the size discussion every year and I buy the majority of my pants from their stores for like $4.00 because I destroy them at work anyway. ?

#35

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.

#36

I didn’t get a Christmas gift…again. Nothing. Seriously? My husband promised ski lessons last year that never materialized. This year he claimed (on Christmas Day morning) that the new coat I bought on sale two months ago was my gift. Sigh. ?

#37

Bag of pretzels from MIL

#38

Something they knew I'm allergic to

Image credits: terrabellan

#39

The same holiday set of s****y body wash I’ve been throwing away since I was like 17

Edit: to stop the notifications the throwing away bit was for dramatic flair- it’s already in the donate bag with some other well-meant but not useful to me gifts that I’ll donate next week.

Image credits: agnes238

#40

I have a 6 month old daughter. Brother figured an age appropriate gift would be a skateboard. Go figure

Image credits: RumHam3491

#41

Two headbands bought at a craft fair. I'm 35 and have never worn headbands in my life. That was the only thing I got. Which is fine, just confusing. Thanks, mom.

Image credits: ivy-river

#42

Rub on tattoos….I have real tattoos.

#43

This was an internal "seriously" that is now a running joke. I love whiskey and Star Wars. A few years ago, my wife got me a really cool Stormtrooper decanter and I absolutely love it! Then a few months later I got a promotion and my old branch gave me the same decanter as a going away gift. Then I got one from secret Santa last year. Now my Brother in Law is 21 and he is excited. He got me the same decanter.

The great part is I love Star Wars and always have room for duplicates. Now I have a stormtrooper army to hold my whiskey. Plus somehow the original my wife got me is a higher quality so I will never mix it up with the others. I love them all but have to laugh at it lol.

#44

Case of toilet paper?
So 2020.

#45

Not me but my husband... his mom got him a tshirt with an ugly monkey in an army uniform on it, weird but whatever, that is until she told him she got it because she thought it looked like him. ?

#46

I'm bald. I got shampoo...

#47

A mini jewelry box for traveling from my mother. She gets me cheap jewelry every Christmas (because she likes it) and the only jewelry I wear is my wedding ring and occasional necklace. And I never travel. Lol oh well. She tries.

#48

Good "...seriously," my husband not only got me tickets to the bowl game of my absolute favorite team, he had a legendary player from said team cameo to tell me. Many tears were had

#49

$2k. I’m going into the 3rd month of my maternity leave and have exhausted my gov’t aid, PTO, and paid maternity leave hrs. We’re moving in two days to give my little one a new room. Money has been tight. My mom is retired, doesn’t have much, and lives in a other state. She gifted me 2k in cash and I’m still in disbelief. It’s going to help cover so many bills. Parents are amazing!

#50

I got a positive one that made me say "seriously???" in an excited way. My husband got me a ring with our kids birthstones and it was so unexpected and touching. I also made a comment about the stocking thing going around about mom's having empty stockings. He tries and puts a couple small things in. I mentioned it was such a fond memory having an over-stuffed stocking with a couple small gifts and loads of candy. My stocking was comically stuffed this year with some items even having to sit beside it. Bless this man.

#51

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.

#52

My son bought me a gallon of WD40. A gallon! Of WD40!

I looked him straight in the eye and said, “this is the most alpha present I’ve ever received”

#53

I got my wife a 375 count pail of Reese Cups. Next year I might get her the 5 gallon bucket of pickles I found on Walmart. I'm still chasing the reaction I got the year I got her the book "How to Talk to Your Cat About Gun Safety: And Abstinence, Drugs, Satanism, and Other Dangers That Threaten Their Nine Lives"

#54

I worked at an affluent condo on Palm Beach island when I was in my early 20s. Most of the residents would give cash, but one lady would wrap something from her apartment to gift us. I got a book about Egypt one year and a wooden piggy bank that smelled musty and had rusted screws the next.

#55

Pliers, electric tape, and a level. I have no use for these, nor have I ever shown interest for anything like this. I mean i appreciate them giving me something.

#56

This wasn't a gift I got, but a gift that my aunt got. She unwrapped a knife set from my grandma. I was confused at first because I had out a knife set on my Christmas list, but i assumed that she also wanted one. Plus, I already got some smaller gifts from my grandma, so while I was confused, I wasn't upset. After the aunt left, she confided in me that she wrote the wrong name on the box but was too embarrassed to take the set back ?‍♀️

#57

A book from family dollar “everything you need to know about cats” written in size 87 font. I am a 30 year old woman.

#58

My ex gave me a calendar with pictures of dogs pooping for my very uptight/conventional office at work

#59

A pair of Micky Mouse dish towels from my mother, for some reason.

#60

I used to give family friends gift cards to Nordstrom or whatever and I always without fail, got the Ghirardelli peppermint bark squares. Now I love those… but like the jumbo bags, the snowman variation and the minis… for years…. Annoying. I stopped giving them gifts lol

#61

My sister and I bought each other the same orchid Lego set ? it was a good "seriously" moment lmfao

#62

My dad gave me a hammer and pliers from his extensive tool collection. Wrapped it and everything ?
Put it the gift bag with the baking dish he got me( which I wanted).

I was like wtf until I realized the other day I told him I don’t know what happened to my pilers or hammer.

#63

I asked for some new tool for my hobby. Opened it, happy. Next gift is apparently a companion - open it - same thing. My parents didn’t understand what they bought so I got two custom sets of the same thing. It was funny but unfortunately not useful to have two of them.

Edit just because I’ve responded a few times to comments: my parents are trying so hard and they’re so well meaning but it was hilarious all around. They are also very generous about returns and whatnot, and always have been. I didn’t only get the two things so there was a lot more to enjoy while I laughed some more. They’ve had some hard times recently so they’re a bit stressed and distracted, which makes it harder for them to understand the finer points of my hobby.
Added edit: Something like this happens pretty much every year. My dad always gets some article of clothing that is accidentally comically small or large and for some reason it is impossible to avoid. He got a small tee shirt instead of XL this year which was also hilarious. Years ago he got a pair of 4x pants (how???) and we still laugh about it. He’s a magnet for mislabeled packages of clothing.

#64

MIL got me an ugly boxed up purse with the TJMaxx clearance sticker still attached. The box it came in was dusty and damaged.

She got our family of five an expired popcorn assortment and a container of Jolly Rancher lollipops.

Meanwhile, I gave her an engraved bracelet with her late husband's handwriting on it.

Please don't gift just to gift. Put a *little* thought into it or don't give anything.

#65

My mom still gives me extremely religious books (think straight-up scripture digests) that are “just so good and inspiring” despite the fact that I have been clear for years on the fact that I am simply no longer religious

Even more frustrating is that she gave my partner (he’s Jewish) and I each an identical copy of these scripture books, so not only did she hand us what we would consider totally inert clutter objects, she sent two to the same household.

Off they go to a Little Free Library box, where I genuinely hope they are found by someone who will connect with it…

EDIT: lol no LFL, I won’t clutter them up further

#66

12 baking sheets.

#67

I got a bottle of non-alcoholic sparkling wine from my father where the expiration date had already passed.

#68

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

#69

I sent my husband a screenshot of what I wanted. He got something very similar instead.

#70

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.

#71

Recently was talking with my mom about how I've cut back pretty significantly on scented products of any kind for my health as I have allergies and asthma that has gotten worse. She got me scented shower steamers because she felt I must miss the fun scented stuff.



Also, for some reason, there was an orange scented and mint scented steamer in the same box, right next to each other, so when I opened the box it smelled AWFUL. (Individually they smell fine)

#72

My sister gave my 15 yo son a flame thrower. ?

#73

A notepad with a Guinea pig wearing heart glasses that says “Guinea be productive”. I mean, it’s cute I guess, it’s just one of those things I’ll toss in my junk drawer and move around for the rest of my life.

#74

All I got this year was a can of corn, a can of chicken noodle soup, and a bag of popcorn in my stocking because last year I complained that I didn't need one full of candy and junk food.

#75

My filthy rich aunt and uncle got me a 500-piece sloth puzzle.

#76

my brother and i got each other baldur’s gate 3 for christmas. that was hilarious.

#77

The ai generated targeted shirts my grandparents order off of Facebook

#78

A small caddy made to carry 6 bottles of beer and has an opener on the side.

Whole thing feels too flimsy to support using the bottle opener, and why would I take beers out of a crate to put into the caddy, why would I only take 6, and there's no way to keep them cold.

Even if it was used for bring guests drinks after getting them out of a fridge, I'd open them in the kitchen and I can carry 6 in my hands.

It's from one of my stepsisters, this whole reason is why my brother and I stopped getting each other anything. We're adults and can buy whatever we need, and have no use for useless tat like this

#79

3hr vegan cheese making class, in the heart of the city an hr and a half away....

- I am not vegan
- I am not lactose intolerant
- I am not vegetarian
- I do not like the city
- I have high driving anxiety
- They don't have a website, just a phone number to book
- I have no way to refund this gift.
- The class cost more than most things on my wishlists.
- The person that gave it to me has known me for 13 years
- The person that gave it to me is a meat and potatoes person.
- The person that gave it to me is on both of my wishlists, so if they needed ideas... ( My these items don't give me anxiety to ask for list and my personal.)

#80

A Lion King T shirt. I am a 37 year old woman that hasn’t watched the animated version in over 20 years nor have u ever brought it up in conversation since.

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