By: Lindsay Gordon

In today’s day and age, it is very clear that there are good gifts and bad gifts. Although the definition of what a “good gift” varies from person to person, the idea of a “bad gift” is generally the same no matter who you ask. Fortunately, the online website, Reddit, has no shortage of stories surrounding the topic of terrible gifts people have received during the holiday season!

1. A lawyer from Little Rock, Arkansas took to the internet to share his yearly Christmas horror story. He said that every Christmas, his grandfather would send him a fruit cake from a Texas bakery. However, not only was it usually stale upon arrival but he also adamantly told his grandfather that he hated fruit cake and would rather have no present instead. Either way, his grandfather still continues to send the fruit cakes, despite his grandson’s pleas to stop. 
2. One Reddit user shared her holiday gift devastation with the internet to shed some lightheartedness on the situation at hand. She said that her aunt had given her a $10 Walmart gift card. Although it was not a gift she was expecting, she was kind and happily accepted it, not wanting to be rude. However, when she went to use the gift card at Walmart, the balance of the card was actually 53 cents, despite the fact that she had never even used it. Sounds to me like her aunt wanted to shop at Walmart for cheaper and thought that she wouldn’t get caught!
3. Reddit user “LaserLens4” posted a story that can only be described as an absolutely devastating excuse for a present. He says that he received fake M&Ms from the dollar store that were made from lentils. Yes, fake lentil M&M’s! The M&M’s came in a plastic tube. This honestly sounds like my worst nightmare, especially because I love M&M’s!
4. Regifting, although extremely rude, is actually a common thing to do. One Reddit user explains that for Christmas, her own mother regifted her a book that she had given to her mother only a year prior. Not only did the user’s mother not admit to the regifting when confronted about it, but she pretended that she had purchased the book completely on her own!
5. Another Reddit user says that for Hanukkah, his wife and kids gave him socks that he had ordered for himself from Amazon. He said that they saw the box when it was delivered and wrapped it up pretending they had bought it for him when in reality, it was he who bought it for himself. Although a disappointing gift, the user did say he was shocked to see they had re-gifted him his own gift to himself!
6. Another Reddit user says that she felt extremely grateful to have received a tie-dye kit, something she had been wanting for a while. However, when she opened up the kit, she was immediately met with sadness and disappointment. Not only was there no dye in the kit, but there was also no shirt and no rubber bands; only empty bottles. 
7. Reddit user “OTMShank” described a rather peculiar gift he once received from someone. He says that he and his girlfriend were just about to make a cross-country move, and without any discussion beforehand, her mother gifted them with a kitten. If I’m being honest, I wouldn’t really mind a gift like this!
8. “Sevensevensixseven” took to Reddit to share his nightmare Christmas gift. He says that for the past three years on Christmas, his ex-mother-in-law gifts him the same exact crockpot over and over again. He states that he firmly believes this woman has a secret stash of crockpots hidden away in her home that she saves for the holiday season. Although a rather repetitive gift, at least he knows he will always have something to cook with!
9. Reddit user “Master6000,” said that he and his cousin received the same exact presents in order to avoid any fights between them. However, things went awry one Christmas day. As the narrator watched his/her cousin receive Kirby, a character for the Game Boy, they couldn’t help but be ecstatic thinking they were getting the same! However, the excitement quickly turned to disappointment when they realized that instead of getting the same amazing present as their cousin, they had received a dictionary. The narrator ends the story by stating that it was not only just a terrible Christmas present in general, but it also came at the worst time; just a year before the internet replaced the dictionary. 
10. One woman took to the internet to share what she thought was the worst present in the world. For the holidays, her family would always gather and exchange presents every year. She says that her cousins received the most beautiful scarves and her brother received a new video game. However, when it was her turn to open her present from her aunt, she was left completely shocked. As she opened a neatly wrapped box, she realized the only thing inside of it was a rock. Although disappointed, she accepted the rock, not wanting to be rude. The following year, she returned to the holiday season with even greater expectations of an amazing present from her aunt, in order to make up for last year’s debacle. Once again, she was left disappointed. This time, her aunt had gifted her an acorn from her front yard. Needless to say, she would never feel excited about her aunt’s presents ever again!

From regifted books and socks to rocks and acorns in a box, Reddit does not fail to impress with the many stories of horrible holiday presents people have received. This Reddit thread serves as a valuable lesson to never get too excited about a present, just in case it isn’t really what you were expecting. It also shows that even though you may receive a horrible gift from a friend or family member during the holidays, you should still always be appreciative of the things you do have and realize what matters most, which are family and friends. The holiday season is a time to band together (in a COVID safe way) especially during these difficult times. Just remember that if you receive a terrible gift this holiday season, it could be a funny story to tell later on in the future!

Photo courtesy of Yahoo images.