74 People Are Sharing The Worst Christmas Gifts They Have Ever Received
There's a Latin idiom that sounds like this: Noli equi dentes inspicere donati. Meaning, you don't look a gift horse in the mouth. A guy named John Heywood supposedly used this phrase in some Middle English text way back in 1546 but some experts think it's much older than that.
Since a horse's teeth can reveal a lot about the animal, including its age, checking its mouth would be a sign of mistrust towards the gift giver. This would be bad manners. So let's do that.
We at Bored Panda discovered a couple of Reddit posts (one and two) that asked users essentially the same question: what was the worst thing you received for Christmas? So given that the holidays are just around the corner and some of us will have to force a fake smile while unpacking our presents, here are a few memorable times when people were immensely disappointed by theirs.
#1
It was a shirt that had "I'm not a gynecologist but I'll take a look anyway". It was from my stepdad's mom. She knows I want to be a doctor and her English is no bueno. I found it hilarious. Once we translated it to her she almost cried from embarrassment. I proudly wore it for the rest of the day.
Image credits: wheelchair_boxing
#2
Christmas morning around the tree with my family and gf at the time. We are all opening presents and I open one from my gf. I unwrap the box and inside I find a flat billed baseball hat. Strange, I neither wear hats, nor give a s**t about the team whose logo was plastered on the front, let alone the sport. So, I pull it out and hold it up so everyone [but mainly my gf] could see. All the adults give a quizzical look. Even my little sister makes a 'huh?' face.*You say, "But totes, maybe it was gift to a male friend. Are you against your gf having male friends??" No, I am not. Just wait:
So I say something like, "uh thanks, hun." Her face drains of color. She says 'oops, that is for some one else, must have brought it inside on accident.' Then snatches it out of my hands.
And then I hold out the card that was attached to the wrapping: Hey baby, love ya lots. Merry Christmas.
And to clarify; yes, she was cheating. I guess there were tickets to some big upcoming game tucked inside the hat too. Needless to say it was f**king embarrassing to have to essentially break up with your gf in front of your family on Christmas morning.
*Typos and s**t: am not a writer.
**And Happy Holidays to you too!
Image credits: totes-muh-gotes
#3
I had left some video games in my mom's room, she found them and assumed my dad had bought them as Christmas gifts for me. So for Christmas, I got... my own games.
Image credits: unknown
#4
A giftcard to a lingerie store from my grandma. The f**ked up part wasn't the gift itself, but the fact that she made my poor 19 year old brother go in and buy it. As he told it, the conversation went something like this: Cashier: "shopping for your girlfriend?" Brother: "no, my sister...well my grandma..." Awkward silence...
Image credits: handikat
#5
I had mentioned to my uncle one year that I wished I could grow a beard like his. Come Christmas time my uncle hands me the present he got me. I unwrap it and what do you know...It's his beard in a Ziploc bag.
Image credits: ainen
#6
I got a book called "Coping with Being Adopted" from Santa while I was in high school. Was news to me....
Image credits: AngryCyclops
#7
Grandma got me a pair of jeans that were way too small with a card that read "Lose some weight, then maybe you will fit into these".I was beyond furious, and our relationship was never the same. I didn't shed a tear when she passed away.
Image credits: Sumo_Cerebro
#8
When I was 15, I really wanted a dog. My mom knew this.Cue Christmas morning. After we had opened any other presents, my mom came back with one last one...it was a wrapped box with holes in the sides, bouncing/moving some, and puppy barks of cuteness.
I got sooooo excited to open it and meet my new best friend. When I opened it, it had a stuffed animal puppy (not taxidermized...), a bumble ball toy, and a small tape recorder with puppy barks.
My heart sank and I just sat there and cried.
#9
I got an empty box of a toy I really wanted. I was 9.
Image credits: spoonie_tatoonie
#10
My dad bought my mom an actual human skull for Christmas a few years back. He wrapped it in a box some toy came in. My parents are weird; this wouldn't have raised an eyebrow at my house. Unfortunately we did our gift exchange at my maternal grandmothers who is much less creative with gifts. My dad and brother waited for this to be the last gift given. It was a big presentation. Upon opening it my mom squealed and shoved it back in the box. She was excited but knew it would t go over well. Of course now everyone wants to know what is in the box. My grandma insists my mom take out the mysterious gift and show it to the room. My aunt started screaming, made her kids leave the room. My grandma almost fainted and told us to get it out of the house immediately. 'Twas hilarious.tldr my dad se7en'd my mom on Christmas in a hilarious fashion.
#11
This wasn't my gift, but it was the most awkward situation ever. So a few years ago my grandma had her legs amputated. Don't feel bad, since then, her health has improved a ton. Anyway, last Christmas my Aunt bought her socks. It was sooo awful
Image credits: datcat2
#12
Every year my family does a secret Santa on Christmas. When i was about 10 my aunt had to buy me a gift. So Christmas morning i open my gift, and i find a Christmas sweater along with a pair of my aunts s**t stained underwear. Apparently she was doing laundry and wrapping gifts at the same time and got the two mixed up.
Image credits: Swirlingmystic
#13
It was the first Christmas my father and current stepmother had together. My step siblings each got a new laptop computer, I got a $20 gift card to McDonalds.
Image credits: Mystic_Waffles
#14
My grandmother bought me a little piano book when I was about 10. It was meant for a 6 yr old. It had some little electric buttons on it to look like a numbered piano, and nursery rhymes with numbers over the words so you could play the songs.Things like Three Blind Mice and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. It was a real baby present, and as soon as she gave it to me she was immediately embarrassed and offered to exchange it for something for an older kid. I guess she was also embarrassed because we lived 1000km away and didn't see each other very much and probably remembered me as a younger kid.
I learnt every f**king one of those songs.
She died 18 years ago now. I still miss her so much.
#15
Book about how to take criticism, gifted by my mother-in-law.
Image credits: PM_ME_POW
#16
Grandms got me a douche and a hospital gown that "would make a nice dress if someone sewed it all up" for me. That was weird.
Image credits: pyewacketcg
#17
Every year my Mom would take us all to Dollar Tree to buy one gift for each member of the family. At the time there was five of us kids plus Mom and Dad so we would get 5-6 presents all worth a dollar each. Christmas, we would sit around and take turns opening them. Eventually this would turn into gags as we got older.One year I thought it would be a funny idea to give my brother and brother in-law a s***ty can of beef stew... My brother in-law was so pissed off (he was a serious fellow). At first I didn’t know why and was in shock. I didn’t think a can of soup was that bad. Turns out my dumbass bought them Gravy Train a can of dog food. Which turned out to be hilarious to everyone else who were mocking me. My brother and I took it a step further though and decided we would try a few bites. It was the most awful thing ever. Wet, slimy, chunks, of puréed grit that makes me gag thinking about it but we were “tough” and could not show our disgust to the other.
When my sister first got married (to the serious fellow) we each got her pregnancy tests which turned out pretty fun.
All of our gifts we could have perceived to be the worse. Honestly it did suck sometimes seeing kids at school with iPods. None were great, most were thrown away or broken minutes after receiving them. We were poor. What started out as a $20 Christmas for Mom and Dad has created years of fun memories.
#18
A calendar with half nude pictures of my father and stepmother
Image credits: naitomea
#19
My grandmother gave my boyfriend a coffee mug with a German Shepherd dog on it. He has never owned nor expressed any interest in German Shepherds.He uses it at work. It's a great conversation starter.
"Oh do you have a German Shepherd?"
"No."
"..."
Image credits: StrangeFarulf
#20
I am going to answer for my sister. When I was about five (making her nine) our uncle/aunt/cousin family asked me what my sister liked. I had no idea. All I knew was she liked to yell at me. So I dumbly replied she like hair ties. For Christmas that year my sister received an assortment of an insanely high number, like two hundred different high ties, scrunches, ect. She didn't let me live that down for a looong time.
Image credits: chubbybunnybean
#21
I grew up really poor and received some batteries for an old toy car I already had lol. Looking back at it it's kind of funny but I remember crying when that happened. I was 7
Image credits: neon_giraffe9
#22
When I still lived with my parents they got me a cards against humanity deck. Right after I opened it they told me I’m not allowed to play it until I turned 18. I was 15 at the time
Image credits: neon1876
#23
When I was 13 I was taking drum lessons and was desperate for my own kit.My mum worked at the Early Learning Centre (preschool age kids shop for non-UK chaps). Mum and Dad got me this little plastic toy drum and made me play a tune on it.
I tried my best not to look upset, I failed and stopped just short of bursting in to tears.
Turned out to be a sick joke, the drums were wrapped up in the dining room.
#24
My uncle got me a giant block of cement once. He put random things throughout the block and gave me a miniature hammer and chisel. I actually chiseled through the whole thing and found some coins and what appeared to be a arrowhead. My uncle is the strange one in our family.#25
When I was in sixth grade in 1995 my parents got me a CD case.I didn’t have any CDs.
Image credits: AlrightJohnnyImSorry
#26
When I was sixteen years old, my sister gave me a copy of "He's Just Not Into You." I had just broken up with my first ever boyfriend. Since my birthday is in early January, it was also my birthday present, BTW.
Image credits: pavloviandogg
#27
My grandma gave me bright red undies with googly eyes on them and an extra piece of black cloth to put your d**k inside as the "nose"....I'm a girl.
Image credits: Sbo8890
#28
Probably a box of my grandmother's ashes wrapped to look like a gift.My mother did this.
Image credits: PavementBlues
#29
My mother is terrible at gift giving. She shops for others with herself in mind, not them, so everyone gets s**t she likes but they don't. Or she buys it in March and then can't find it come December, and your gift is her telling you that's what happened. Or she'll buy, say, a book trilogy in an art box, and she'll give each book one holiday at a time, then the final gift will be the box.As I grew older, I started seeing this. I never got anything that I specifically asked for, possibly a close approximate at best. I figured it was because nothing I asked for interested her, so I tried something: I asked for something that she would be into.
I asked for a Bible. I specified the brand, the translation, hardback/paperback, and the book cover including the color scheme. I got exactly what I asked for, down to the last detail.
I kept it as a reminder of what not to do to my kids.
#30
My Mom rarely cared what gift we might actually want or what our personal tastes were and most often she would select a gift based on her own personal tastes. In the late-80's she decided to buy me a stereo as the main/large gift for whatever reason and she selected a Fisher Price (the children's toy brand) turn table (record player). This is after CD players were invented and of course nobody played records any more. The worst part was that she decided to treat this stereo as some sophisticated equipment that was too good for a child to play with so after Christmas she stored it, in it's original box, in our attic where it has remained until this day. It was supposed to just be stored there until some arbitrary time but my Mom is a huge procrastinator and that time never came. I'm still salty that she wasted all the money on that stupid gift rather than on something I might have enjoyed and actually got to use.#31
Ex GF gave me book on the history of gunpowder. I admit I enjoyed it as it was an interesting read. Problem was, I had already read it two months prior, because she had already given me a copy as my birthday gift.#32
When I was a kid, my grandma heavily favored me over my little sister. One year she bought me a cool set of pokemon, which was my absolute favorite thing at the time. She bought my sister a weasel ball, ie a toy meant for cats.#33
When I was 8 I got a lighter from my grandmother...I am not done yet.
On the lighter was a marijuana leaf and it said "Natures way of staying high"
My grandmother had thought it was a cartoon of a plant giving a high-five, and I thought it said "Natures way of saying high" with "high" as in "hi" with a plant hand.
Image credits: Approvingcanadian
#34
Peanut M&Ms dispenser. My own Mother forgot about my nut allergy that year.#35
My sister got a bag of Kroger shredded cheese from my aunt one year.
Image credits: Jamorg12
#36
My mother passed away when I was in high school. One of the years after she passed, my dad kinda-sorta forgot to buy me a big Christmas present. So I came downstairs, went to get my stocking (we still do stockings), and pulled out a fistful of 20s. He'd run to the ATM early that morning so I'd have something.The cash was great and all, but at the time, it felt awful because I just missed my mom, and wished we could have a "proper" Christmas.
#37
Three years ago I got a shake weight christmas morning. When I opened it my dad laughed and yelled "it's for practice when you get bored in the dorms" while making a jacking-off/handjob gesture in front of my grandparents..
Image credits: kaodonnell
#38
A couple years ago my dad registered me to see a few of my favorite shows taped in NYC. I got super excited about it but then realized that he wouldn’t be paying for anything and expected me to stay with my narcissistic grandma in New Jersey who I avoid as much as possible. Then I found out that not only were the tickets to see the tapings free, but he had already told my grandma I’d be staying with her and she had all sorts of yard work and stuff ready for me to do for her once I arrived. Obviously, I didn’t go and my dad is still bitter that I didn’t appreciate his gift.#39
Not me, but about my brother. In high school, he was caught sleeping over at a girl's house and didn't grab all of his clothes before he left. My parents were really upset with him for this. They contacted the girl's family, wrapped them up in a huge box, and gave it to him.The look on his face was a painful mix of shame, anger, and sadness.
Image credits: Nnnkingston
#40
In the late 70's, all the cool kids wore Ocean Pacific brand clothing. We were kinda poor so my mom and grandma made most of our clothes. My grandma made me pants and hand stitched the letters O and P on the pockets. Looked nothing like the real thing. I had to wear them.
Image credits: unknown
#41
My mom uses christmas presents to tell us where she thinks we rank in the family. One year she got me a woman's coat (I'm a middle aged man). Another year she got all the grandkids pajamas. She got me the same thing, kid's pajamas sized small (I'm 6-1 and almost 200 pounds).#42
When I was 5 or 6 I gave my brother his own Teddy bear. I wanted to give him something I knew he’d love so a week before Christmas I hid his favorite bear and wrapped it up. He was upset that he couldn’t find his bear but even more upset on Christmas when he realized the reason he couldn’t find his bear was because his dumb ass brother thought it would make a good Christmas present.#43
My parents got me an acoustic guitar one Christmas. Problem: my brother was the one who asked for a guitar, not me. So essentially my Christmas present was seeing my brother absolutely gutted. Meanwhile I had to pretend I was happy. Awkward.#44
My grandmother was a piece of work. One year myself and my two cousins were at her house for Christmas morning. All the family was there and there was a big, gorgeous pile of presents wrapped in the corner. We (me and my cousins) were promptly told that those gifts were for the other grandchildren. When we gave our grandma the blank stare of confused children, she hurried back into her room, threw an old ziplock bag down at the ground between us (full of half used nail polish and broken jewelry) and told us Merry Christmas.#45
Piles and piles and piles of Star Trek tots when I was like, 10 or something.Star Trek action figures.
Star Trek micro machines.
Die cast Star Trek ships.
Star Trek puzzles.
Star Trek toys.
Star Trek everything.
...I asked for Star Wars toys.
#46
my grandparents are notorious regifters. there was this old, broken pinball game thing that every time they'd gift to one of us, we'd leave it at their house. then they would find it and gift it again in a couple of years, as we'd forgotten. one time they gave my mom three wine glasses. one was chipped.#47
For a secret Santa I received two of those free promotional tickets to the science museum that had already expired.#48
Years back my cousin bought me a rifle case. I had never owned a gun nor expressed interest in it. Just an empty rifle case.#49
My uncle presented my family with a very large gourd once. In the middle of a restaurant. No one wanted it. We left it there.#50
I was dating this girl. She knew I was self conscious about my teeth (I have fluorosis), so I wouldn't smile very much. When I did, I'd try really hard to hide my teeth. Well, this girl's family bought me a toothbrush. It even had my name on it.
Image credits: dark_not_evil
#51
My (divorced) parents pooled their money to buy me a gameboy colour. The problem was they’d already got me a gameboy colour, but I guess they didn’t understand that it was the same one and thought it was new.They both looked so excited as I opened it I didn’t have the heart to tell them. So I just kept playing my one game on my new game boy colour.
#52
My mom took me to her boyfriend’s family Christmas party in rural Michigan once. Someone gave me The Year in Clemson Football: 1993.It was very nice that someone thought enough to give me a gift but 9-year-old me really struggled with the logic behind the purchase.
#53
My cousin had died in a drunk driving accident a few months before, so my mom got me a breathalyzer keychain. It wouldn't have been so bad, but the card it came with said it was "from" my cousin.. I see what my mom was trying to do, but still f**ked up, IMO.
Image credits: heyitsEnricoPallazzo
#54
Pink panties from my crazy grandpa. I'm a guy. It was back when I was twelve, that awkward middle school age.#55
10 bibles.Not all at once, but every year from the time I was 6 through 16, my uncle gave me a bible for Christmas.
Every. single. year.
#56
One year my parents and all of my aunts, uncles, and grandparents gave me scented lotion. I guess they all thought that's what you get 14 y/o girls?#57
My father decided that it was a great idea to give his medically constipated son toilet paper and wet wipes in front of the whole family as a "joke".#58
I received a dictionary from my parents with the price sticker was still stuck on it, they bought it for 5 dollars. I wasn't even mad I didn't get anything the year before#59
I was not the recipient of this gift but my uncle, who had 6 children at the time, was given a very large box of condoms from my aunt (his sister) . My cousins were not impressed.#60
My aunt got my mom a wine glass that holds an entire bottle of wine.My mom is diabetic...
#61
We're not friends anymore and haven't been for more then ten years now. However we were very very close from ages 12 to 25. One Christmas when we were 18 her present to me was a wrapped up VHS taped I had loaned her years before and she had forgotten it was actually my tape of Wayne's World I was now getting back as she tried to pass it off as an actual gift.#62
Toothpaste. Apparently it wasnt even that my breath stank, we were just out of toothpaste.#63
My parents always did a Christmas auction at their house with little gifts and silly ones. I spent $700 monopoly money on frozen cat crap.#64
A wooden pop out play set from my aunt, recommended age was 2-4, I was 14.
Image credits: PlatinumAmphibian
#65
My non-favorite grandparents once gave me a Peter Parker doll when I was like 17. I mean a doll too. I could undress him if I so pleased. He didn't come with a Spidey costume either haha#66
I got a fake beer can full of handkerchiefs when I was like 14.#67
I got a bucket.. just a bucket#68
I once got a used copy of the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack. Upon later investigation, the disk was cracked. The next year I received a copy of the movie. I have never expressed an interest in SoaP.#69
My little sister who collected beanie babies used to give me, who did not collect beanie babies, beanie babies....#70
I didn't see my grandpa THAT often as a kid. So whenever he bought presents for me and my brothers they were always the cliche, "terrible grandparents gifts."One year, I remember he got me this INCREDIBLY freaky porcelain jester babysitting cross-legged on a pillow. When you wound up the key on the back, it would slowly start spinning at the hips while playing a song from a tiny internal music box. It made the best torment fuel against my brothers for a long time though. So that was good.
#71
The same exact set of the same exact scent of axe stuff my grandma gets me every year. F**k axe.#72
One year for Christmas my aunt gave identical cuckoo clocks to my parents, my brother, and me and my husband. It was just confusing. We've never asked her about it.#73
One Christmas, my 4 year old brother got a TV with a DVD and VHS player in it, my sister got a computer.... and I got a bookshelf. I was pissed. My sister didn't even like computers, wtf?I guess to add insult to injury, a few years later she was given a printer. Like, she had a big heavy gift, she got all pumped in the days preceding xmas, and when she opened it, it was a printer. She cried. For like an hour. It was terrible.
On the upside, we really needed a new printer.
No comments