Gifts That Ruined The Holiday Vibe In No Time

Holiday gift fails that will make you laugh, cringe, and relate!

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• December 25, 2024

The holiday season is meant to be about giving, but even with the best intentions, things don’t always go as planned. No matter how much thought and effort goes into finding the perfect gift, sometimes it just misses the mark.

The outcome can be less than ideal, Whether due to a last-minute rush or a simple misunderstanding of what the recipient truly wants. What was intended to be a thoughtful present can end up feeling disappointing.

There are the awkward gifts, like a sweater that’s no longer in style or a gadget that no one uses. While it’s the thought that counts, these types of presents can leave the recipient feeling underwhelmed.

Then, there are those gifts that feel too generic. A candle or a mug might seem safe, but they often lack a personal touch. These gifts can be helpful, but they rarely feel meaningful or unique.

They often don't create that special connection that a more thoughtful gift might. Another letdown comes when it’s clear the gift has been re-gifted.

Whether it’s something used or something the giver didn’t want in the first place, it can leave the recipient feeling as though they didn’t matter enough to get a present picked out just for them. In these situations, people often turn to the internet to share their funny or frustrating experiences.

Reading about others' similar letdowns can make the awkwardness feel less isolating. It’s comforting to know everyone has their fair share of disappointing gifts; sometimes, a laugh is the best way to handle it. We've compiled a collection of photos showcasing some of the biggest holiday gift disappointments, which you can check out as you scroll down.

Holiday gift catastrophes prove even the kindest gestures can go wrong!

"This “Gift” For Employee Appreciation"

"Got My Nieces (3) This Tent For Christmas. One Ran Away, And One Started To Cry"

My SIL was like “we have one of those, it’s the time-out tent”.

"Most Of My Gifts Are Stuck In A Distribution Center And Have Been For Over 2 Weeks. Guess My Brother In Law Gets This"

"Merry Christmas, Here’s Your Gift!"

I sent my sister a stockpot and claimed other home goods for Christmas (she just got an apartment and has nothing for her kitchen).

She came home to find her package looked like it had been run over. The guy at the front desk who took the package in said the delivery driver seemed supremely uninterested in the problematic package. Getting it refunded and a new one sent over, hopefully in better condition and in time for Christmas.

Bonus cat in pic too. Say hello to Star!

"My Husband Got Me Some Gifts To Help Challenge My Ocd In Small, Manageable Ways"

I don't know what I find more upsetting - the lopsided notebook or the lack of alignment on the dots of the die.

"At The Bottom Of A Plastic Cup"

"Today Is Teacher Appreciation Day. Our Principal Told Us She Left “Surprise Treats” In The Lounge As Our Gift. These Are The Treats"

"I Received This Gift From My Crush"

"After Working 3 Positions And Managing 20 Employees, Here’s My Work Christmas Gift"

"Christmas Gift From Sister-In Law: Handmade Soap With Real Legos Embedded In It. They Slowly Start To Emerge The More You Use It. Can Wait ‘Till The First One Falls Out Mid-Shower"

"Growing Up My Parents Refused To Ever Get Me Dolls Or Accessories, I’m In My 20’s Now (No Kids) And They Have Decided To Buy Obnoxious Doll Stuff Each Year And Laugh In My Face"

"Cfo Sent Me A Thank You Gift"

Backstory: I've been doing the workload of 2 people for almost 2 years now, they just fired someone from my team and my manager has gone on stress leave and long service leave so I've been covering for both of them for the last 5-6 weeks too.

The company CFO, who I report to, lives in a different state. Last month I had to do our end of month procedures by myself for the first time (which usually involves 4 people) and had to be done on a strict timeline. I worked my guts out to do it, and afterwards I had 973 emails of my own to action that I had ignored to finish end of month. I was overwhelmed and told the CFO and CEO that I was taking a day off because my workload is too high and I needed to mental break to reset.

The CFO has been making a big deal for the last 3 weeks to the exec team and other managers in my office about how she's organised a nice gift for me to say thank you for the hard work I've put in. The last week she mentioned it to me directly and has been asking me to hunt it down because she couldn't understand how it still hadn't gotten there and didn't want it to get lost etc...

Today it turned up and it was literally 2 packets of Peppa Pig lollies. I have never laughed so hard, yet been so offended at the same time.

How would you take this? Should I say something?

"Husband’s Christmas Gift From My Sister"

"My Boyfriend’s Mom Regifted Me This Blanket For Christmas That I Had Recently Gifted Her For Her Birthday"

"A Fine Example Of The Unlucky Luck I Have, I Won A $250 Gift Basket... That No One Realized Was Supposed To Be Refrigerated"

It’s filled with fancy oils and rotten artisan cheeses. On the plus side, I have a new pet, Mary Jane Rotten Cheese

"My Dad Celebrated His 60th Last Night, A Majority Of His "Friends" Brought Bottles Of Wine As A Gift. He's Been Sober For Over 26 Years"

"Did This Annoyingly Difficult Prize Puzzle Just To Find Out After That It Was Used And The Code Had Already Been Redeemed"

Received this puzzle as a Christmas gift. The puzzle was pretty bad quality and that made it really hard to do, but it was a fun concept and promised you could win some cash prizes, including a million dollars! It was in a sealed package, but we found out after that it came from a bookstore that sells used books and games, and they shrink wrapped it. When we finished it and scanned the code, it had already been redeemed. Worked on it all day and joked we would end up with the lowest prize of $1, but we didn’t even get that, ha.

"The AirPods My Sister Got Me As A “Gift”

"A Gift I Received For My Birthday. I Have So Many Questions"

"Made My Husband Pick Out His Own Mother's Day Gift For His Mom This Year. It's A Beauty"

"4 Of My Coworkers Quit Last Week, So Corporate Handed Out Gift Bags. Corporate Clearly Thinks We're Kindergarteners"

"For Christmas 2019, My Boss Gifted Us With 1 Work From Home Day In 2020"

"My Gift From Secret Santa. I'm Allergic. Yes, They Knew"

"Just Got My Valentine’s Day Gift. Thank You, Shari’s Berries And UPS!"

"Employee Appreciation Gift"

This was what our company gave everyone for employee appreciation week. A rock. I’ve been here 4 years and haven’t received a raise since 2021 (not for lack of tryin!). a rock.

"The Best Thing In A Gift Bag My Friend Received From His Employer"

"The Gift I Got From Work For "National Thank You Day." I Feel Truly Insulted"

"This Is Our "Employee Appreciation" Gift. A First Aid Kit, Complete With A Children's Activity Book And Crayons. I Work At A Factory"

"‘Gift’ From The School My Girlfriend Got For Teacher’s Appreciation Week"

"This “Gift” My Husband Received At Our Baby Shower"

"Genuinely Ready To Quit! This Was My Bonus For Making The Company $85,000 In February"

"First Day Of Teacher Appreciation Week. This Was Our Gift Bag Given To Us By Administration"

"Won A Gift Card At School, It’s Expired. Kinda Was Expecting More, I Literally Go To A Private School"

"My Buddy Was Cleaning Out His Desk While At Home During The Quarantine, And Found A $50 Gift Card"

"Got This As A Gift And Honestly I Don't Want To Throw It Away Just Because It's Terribly Funny"

"My Wife’s Teacher Appreciation Gift From The Administrators Who Have Let Everyone Know All Year They Do Not Appreciate Them At All"

"My Wife Received A Corporate Gift From One Of Her Partners For Christmas. It Came With Candy, Champagne Flutes, And A Small Bottle Of Bubbly. It Has Been In The Fridge Since"

"Personalized Gift For “Iva”

We bought a gift for our friend with personalized embroidery. Her name is Iva.

The company (Intimissimi) claims this is correctly spelled, just the font is funky.

(Of course, they’re lying)

"I Got Gifted A Bath Bomb By A Friend (I Don't Own A Bathtub)"

"My Husband’s Gift For 5 Years Of Employment Arrived Today…"

"I'm In Afghanistan And This Is What My Wife Sends Me For An Anniversary Gift"

"USPS Bent My Neices Christmas Gift, Which Caused It To Break"

"Was Sent An Ice Cream Cake As A Surprise Thank You Gift. This Is What I Saw When I Opened It"

"What I Ordered vs. What I Got"

To keep it short, I was specifically looking for a Goldendoodle holiday figurine for my MIL. At the time, there were no reviews on this and it was $30 so I took a risk. It didn’t pay off this time… I at least thought it would be 3D...

I would be a bit upset if it wasn’t so funny. I think I’m going to keep him and put him outside.

"This Is The One Gift My Sister Decided To Give Me This Year…"

"My Girlfriends Boss Handed This To Her In Her Office Saying, "These Are Being Handed Out From The Company." I'm Not Sure If This Is A Christmas Gift. What Do You All Think?"

"My Girlfriend And A Group Of Her Friends Decided To Order A $150 Rug As A Birthday Gift For A Friend. The Rug Arrived Today, And It Seems No One Bothered To Check The Size"

"I Was Gifted This Expensive Candle But It Doesn’t Have A Wick"

"Ordered New Headphones From Amazon, Got Used Ones With A Surprise Inside. Sorry Nick, Looks Like Tony Didn't Like His Gift"

"Yesterday My Grandfather Gifted Me His Fathers Watch... Tonight It Fell Off My Desk"

Holidays are about more than just gift-giving. The time spent with loved ones and the memories created together truly count.

It's easy to get caught up in finding the perfect present, but in the end, the moments shared that matter most. Even if a gift isn't flawless, its real value comes from the thought and care behind it.

Damjan