We know that Christmas isn’t just about spending money, but you have to admit it’s kinda nice to have people buy you things. That is, until they get it disastrously wrong.
There is no greater seasonal awkwardness than the opening of a gift that leaves you wondering if the giver actually hates you and is plotting your slow demise.
So (without sounding terribly ungrateful), we asked people to share the worst presents they’ve ever found under the Christmas tree.
A 3 litre bottle of Coke because my grandparents had never seen one before and thought it was a "special edition for christmas"
— Nicknote (@JulioJamaica) December 14, 2017
My brother was once given a ticket to a comedy show by our mother, who knew he couldn’t go to it, but still gave it to him anyway.
— Rob Young (@robjyoung) December 14, 2017
A blank video tape. Can't remember who gave it but it was given with the expectation that I would be overwhelmed with joy.
— Jo (@Kippersknickers) December 14, 2017
My stepmom once filled my Christmas stocking with tampons, sanitary pads, and deodorant. I was 12, and opening it in front of my dad was mortifying for both of us. The best part? They were all free samples she’d got in the post.
— Tanya Preston (@engineeredcopy) December 14, 2017
A calculator, from my little sister. When we were kids, our parents used to give us some cash & bring us to the local shopping centre to buy each other gifts. She thought she saw what I was buying her, didn't like it, & then got me a really cheap, rubbish calculator as payback.
— Mairéad Cahalan (@MaireadSays) December 14, 2017
I got an empty camera box a few years ago because my parents forgot the actual camera in the shop. I sat there in disbelief thinking they had given me an empty box on purpose....
— Yessi Bello-Perez (@yessibelloperez) December 15, 2017
A kazoo. Given by my brother for Christmas circa 2007. https://t.co/xyx4t12MA6
— Marie-Anne (@mapduliand) December 14, 2017
No joke, once I got a £1 WHSmiths voucher from my step mum’s parents. In the thank you card and told them I was saving up for a biro 😂
— Daisy Ellen Tinker (@daisy_tinker) December 14, 2017
I received the strangest #Christmas haul ever...teaspoons, OHP pens, #HarryPotter bin + matching lamp, bumper pack of glue sticks, computer screen cleaner 😂 Turns out dad left his shopping to the last min & only @StaplesUK were open! Convinced it was a decoy & I was getting a 🚘
— Alexandra Bertram (@Alexandra__JW) December 14, 2017
I was about 12yrs old and my uncle gave me what looked like a Victorian lady cameo set within glass. Don't know whether it was a wall ornament or paperweight but now in my 40's I'm still asking why?!?! pic.twitter.com/41uoaD03ui
— Nathalie Sheridan (@NASheridan) December 14, 2017
John Motsons autobiography from my father in law. He meant well.
— Gordon Murphy (@Lordmuca) December 14, 2017
A magazine rack.
— missmonepenny (@missmonepenny) December 15, 2017
Not a gift I received, but one disastrous Christmas about 15 years ago, my dad bought my mum a DIY book and some Yorkshire pudding tins. Mum thought it was a prank, kept asking for her 'real' present. Did not go down well...
— Jasmin Gray (@JasminGray2) December 14, 2017
My dad once got me a (small) bottle of Malibu. I've literally never drunk Malibu. That's all he got me. It still hurts tbh.
— Duff (@duffball) December 14, 2017
An Andre Rieu DVD. From my (thankfully now) ex-in-laws. I regifted it in a work Secret Santa!
— Rager (@Rager1000) December 14, 2017
I asked my dad when I was younger for the new kids film about penguins. Christmas arrives and instead of receiving Happy Feet, I was given March of the Penguins 😭😭
— Katie Brooks (@Katiielou580) December 14, 2017
My husband put fuses for electrical plugs in my Christmas stocking. He thought I’d find them useful because I use a lot of DIY tools. We’re divorced now. https://t.co/lk9Wccxvuw
— Kelly Hearne (@Rakantha) December 14, 2017