The Absolute Worst Gifts People Got for the Holidays

Picking out the perfect gifts for family and friends can be a daunting task during the holidays. Sometimes you end up getting something that you really don’t want. These Reddit users share some of the worst gifts they got, ranging from hilariously incompetent to seriously yikes worthy.

Socks Would’ve Been Better

I actually asked for socks this year because I actually need them and well, I’m broke. I got a bag of Doritos instead.

Story credit: Reddit

Gift Exchange Extravaganza

I have gotten kitschy gifts from girlfriends; things like chocolate bars, and stupid books, and to be honest, I did not mind. If they took the time to put some thought into it, or at least write and adorable note, I was pretty happy.

With that in mind, my worst Christmas gifts have come from these online gift exchanges I participate in. These only work if everyone puts some effort into the gifts they buy; not everyone does, however.

During a book exchange, I got a used mystery novel (nothing to do with my stated interest) that came with a note “Sorry, I am a poor college student and did not have the time or money to really shop.”

I stopped doing the gift exchanges for a year after that. Then I joined up for a record exchange and hit the jackpot: I got two records that really matched my interest, and the person really put a lot of thought into the gift. Awesome.

After the record exchange, I decided to give the Secret Santa exchange a shot. I received a used comic (the list price was 2.99 new) without any note. The strange thing is, this person spent $6 on shipping so it would arrive on time. I was furious.

I was not expecting an expensive gift, but was hoping for one with some thought behind it. Crap, if they sent a well thought out letter and $5 something homemade, I would have been happy. Sadly, I won’t be doing gift exchanges after this.

In case you are wondering, they never wrote a follow up issue to the comic, it was a 25 page comic without any continuation of the story.

Story credit: Reddit/JohnWH

A Minimalistic Gift

One year, when we were kids, my brother got the worst Christmas gift ever. We were opening up our presents. My mother had this all-too-proud-of-herself look as my brother unwrapped a box.

He suddenly got this puzzled expression on his face, and I looked at what he got to see what was the matter. He picked up the box, turned it upside down, and shook it, almost as if expecting something previously invisible would suddenly fall out.

But much to his disappointment, the completely empty box was his present!

My mother, in all her wisdom, thought she was so clever to give him an empty cardboard box because he could use it to store baseball cards (and no, she didn’t include any baseball cards with the box). The look on my brother’s face…. I will never forget it.

He still can’t laugh about it to this day. Story credit: Reddit/SiflOlly

A Very Last-Minute Gift

This was for Hanukkah but whatever. We had some friends of my parents visiting and they had no idea it was Hanukkah until they were there. They were embarrassed they had no gifts and ran out to procure them. That year I became the proud owner of a brand new set of toenail clippers.

Story credit: Reddit/Ron_Jeremy