Every Christmas, every kid, and even adult expects some sort of gift, a token that shows appreciation and how others value them. These gifts often come in little red socks or big boxes, and they make us feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.
These people, however, did not experience those warm feelings, they experienced - shock! To say these gifts caught them by surprise is an understatement. Read these 40+ stories and get an insight into the misery or extreme happiness of others.
1. Comic Relief
Guess what I got? A pack of dish sponges. Me and my sister were meant to take turns washing up, but she'd almost always have an excuse why she couldn't that day and I'd get told to do it.
After a while, my mother stopped even pretending to care that my sister was meant to do her share. Also after a while, I'd get laughed at whenever I complained and shouted at if I didn't do them immediately.
I know it's petty, but it feels like crap seeing your parents show that they don't give a crap about fairness and then actually laugh at you for objecting.
That and it was another example of my sister basically being allowed in on a joke at my expense. Naturally, my sister very quickly took advantage of using as many dishes as she wanted because I'd have to wash them up.
So come gift time I opened up a Christmas present meant for me and it was a pack of dish sponges and my whole family laughed in my face.
The_Flurr
2. Surprise!
Not mine but my husband's and it was a good “seriously.” So my husband is a chef, and he follows this chef online who posts these videos of him cooking over a campfire and he uses this very specific knife that is very odd looking.
Well, I’ve been looking for that knife for like three years worth of birthdays and Christmases. One year I found a link to the actual knife the guy uses but it was like $400 and we were having a lean year so I thought oh well I’ll just keep looking for it, maybe I’ll find it one day for a little less.
This year, our son-in-law gave that knife to him, without even knowing how much he wanted it lol! We were both gobsmacked!
He used it for Christmas dinner on the pork loin and almost cut right through the plastic cutting board, it’s that sharp! He’s over the moon about it!
pintotakesthecake
3. Really, mom?
My Mother sent me probably $100 worth of crap including a children’s book. I’m 35 and childless. She’s a hoarder and can’t resist buying things everywhere she goes regardless of how useless the item is.
Everything she gives me just goes straight into the trash because I don't dare keep anything or donate it because I can’t know for sure she didn’t find it buried under a pile of mouse crap in her house.
The only time she contacts me is to complain about how she doesn’t have any money or to ask me for money, so for all I know, I could actually be throwing away my own money every time I throw away one of her gifts.
cassroxtorb
4. Wishing You Luck
One year, my grandparents, who had money, wrote generic notes and then put them in empty food boxes and then wrapped them up, and gave them to me for Christmas.
It had like Fortune Cookie notes. "Good things will happen this year" "You are loved" like 7 boxes like that. Christmas was me, my Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt. I was the only one who didn't get an actual present.
I never imagined such bullcrap presents existed. I watch lots of Two and a Half Men and Evelyn Harper reminds me so much of my Grandma.
Snoo_79693
5. Time To Level Up
Okay, mine was a good "seriously?" My boyfriend's grandma is getting me a diamond ring. NOT AN ENGAGEMENT RING.
She and I had gotten dinner while he was on a 3-week trip. She had a really unique diamond ring and I complimented the setting.
So we got lunch on the 23rd so she could give me my Christmas present. I opened the box and was really confused because it was full of little plastic rings.
I thought it was maybe something craft-related (I crochet). Turns out it was for sizing a ring. And a piece of paper under it showing me the ring that was being custom-made.
So yeah. She said it's a good "everyday diamond". So now I'm apparently a woman who has everyday diamonds. Imagine that!
notyourcoloringbook
6. Bigtime Enablers
Recovering gambling addict here, thankfully I managed to kick the habit before it totally ruined my life. This year I got a bunch of lottery scratch-off cards.
I had my wife do the honors with them, and the joke is on my family, they actually won a decent amount of money. Nothing life-changing but will definitely pay for some bills we knew were on the way.
Yes, they knew about my addiction. They still have gotten me Texas hold-em poker sets when those were en vogue, and other gambling-related stuff over the years.
Despite my continued insistence they did not, and pointing out that some of these would be like giving a recovering alcoholic a gift card to the liquor store.
Other_SQEX
7. New Kitchen Habits
I said "seriously?" But it was good... I had been bugging my husband to finally put up a range hood in our house and because he didn't know what to get me... he bought one and wrapped it. lol And its kinda fancy!
It will also require him to do some work in the kitchen so when I exclaimed "SERIOUSLY?!" It was because I was so happy I wont have to cook with the doors and windows open anymore.
Balding_Unit
8. Walnut Surprise
It wasn’t this year but at our first family Christmas as a married couple my wife’s grandmother gave me a walnut shell with a magnet hot glued to the back of it.
On the inside of the shell, she had written “2003” in marker (the year we got married). Since it was my first Christmas with her entire family I had to act like it was an incredible work of art, and to this day my performance is an annual topic at our gatherings.
In fact, an overreaction to a not-so-great gift is now called a “walnut shell reaction”. In reality, it could be the best gift I’ve ever gotten in terms of sheer entertainment over the years. And yes the walnut shell always resides on the fridge.
PavinsMustache
9. Jewels For A Princess
This one will surprise you maybe just as much as it did me. The first gift I opened on Christmas said it was from my mom. There was a small jewelry box which I opened to find FOUR MOLARS. Yes, you read that right!
Immediately, my sister starts cracking up. They’re her wisdom teeth LMAO. Her husband even found something with my mom’s handwriting on it to make the tag believable.
saebyuk
10. Gift Spam
This was an internal "seriously" that is now a running joke. I love whiskey and Star Wars. A few years ago, my wife got me a really cool Stormtrooper decanter and I absolutely love it!
Then a few months later I got a promotion and my old branch gave me the same decanter as a going-away gift. Then I got one from Secret Santa last year. Now my Brother in Law is 21 and he is excited. He got me the same decanter.
The great part is I love Star Wars and always have room for duplicates. Now I have a stormtrooper army to hold my whiskey. Fantastic!
Plus somehow the original my wife got me is a higher quality so I will never mix it up with the others. I love them all but have to laugh at it lol.
ColoradoCowboy
11. Learn my size, Dad
I doubt anyone’s surprise gift beats this annoying recurring occurrence. Last year, I got pants that are like eight sizes too big from my dad, AGAIN. This same thing 4 years in a row.
This is all despite the fact that we have the size discussion every year and I buy the majority of my pants from their stores for like $4.00 because I destroy them at work anyway. It sucks.
Ok_Nothing7351
12. You Need To STOP!
My MIL is very much a theme giver. My husband gets all things WVU because we’re alumni. My son gets everything saxophone-related because that is what he plays. My daughter gets gifts with cats because she likes cats.
I have been dealing with an illness for the past year. My birthday and Mother’s Day gifts were related to that illness. I told her to please not do that for Christmas. Well, she didn’t listen.
She got me an illness awareness shirt, a Christmas ornament (because nothing screams Christmas like sickness), and a tabletop snowman decorating a Christmas tree with ribbons labeled with the name of my disease.
I was polite and said thank you but inside I wanted to scream ‘Are you kidding me!’. I’m not sure if it is all going to Goodwill or the trash.
Tinkerfan57912
13. Why Stop Now?
Every single year, my in-laws usually give us a gift card to my favorite restaurants (a group with a seafood place, an Italian place, a BBQ place, etc) and a note that they'll babysit the kids so we can have a date night.
I look forward to it every year because it’s wonderful. This year, they gave us a certificate to go to a religious couples retreat. We are not at all religious.
RagingAardvark
14. Writing Error
This wasn't a gift I got, but a gift that my aunt got. She unwrapped a knife set from my grandma. I was confused at first because I had put a knife set on my Christmas list, but I assumed that she also wanted one.
Plus, I already got some smaller gifts from my grandma, so while I was confused, I wasn't upset. After the aunt left, she confided in me that she wrote the wrong name on the box but was too embarrassed to take the setback.
WowpowKerchoo
15. I Love Him
I got a positive one that made me say "Seriously???" in an excited way. My husband got me a ring with our kid's birthstones and it was so unexpected and touching.
I also made a comment about the stocking thing going around about moms having empty stockings. He tries and puts a couple of small things in.
I mentioned it was such a fond memory of having an over-stuffed stocking with a couple of small gifts and loads of candy. My stocking was comically stuffed this year with some items even having to sit beside it. Bless this man.
crzdsnowfire
16. You Deserve It
My husband and I only do stockings for each other. It’s adorable. Last year we were the only kids at my folk's place at Christmas.
We were staying the night. (we have a large Christmas in July every year as there are 30+ of us with siblings/spouses/grandkids/their SO and children)
My parents both grew up very poor. Like a candy cane and an orange for Christmas poor. So, me and my husband bought all kinds of stocking stuffers and at 3 AM snuck downstairs and filled their decorative stockings.
We filled each other’s too. Even their cat! Woke at 7 AM to hear my 74-year-old father hysterically laughing and my mom singing “Santa Claus came!”
They were already digging in by the time we got to the living room. It was the best thing I’ve ever seen and I was so ridiculously happy.
Remarkable_Story9843
17. Messy Sauces
My MIL gave us homemade applesauce and strawberry jam. She lives in Seattle, and we live in Boston. The applesauce was in a tupperware and the jam was in jars with wax seals topped with aluminum foil.
There was a packet of “blue ice” included, but everything was room temperature by the time we got it. Based on the postage label, it was in transit for a week. Despite all this, my husband insists it’s fine to eat.
loquacious_avenger
18. Same Old
Three birthdays and now three Christmases with no gifts from my kids, wife, mother, or in-laws. This year my whole family even forgot to put out a stocking for me.
On the other hand, 16 people of all ages (including my wife) got stockings full of candy and trinkets but mine never made it from the box. Nothing is quite as lonely as being forgotten in a house full of loved ones.
slingshotstoryteller
19. Pizza Anyone?
My parents got me a pizza stone. For context, I have a propane grill with a pizza stone insert. It's specifically designed for this grill. I used it a TON over the summer, but the stone broke in September.
I told my parents I wanted a replacement for it. The stone they gave me was not the one manufactured for the grill. It's not the same size, not even close.
In fact, it's not big enough to fit a full-sized pizza on it. It's not even a regular shape. I'm pretty sure it's just a piece of granite my dad had lying around that he sanded smooth and called a pizza stone. So now I just have a useless, flat rock.
MontCoDubV
20. Unfair Trade
MIL got me an ugly boxed-up purse with the TJMaxx clearance sticker still attached. The box it came in was dusty and damaged.
She got our family of five an expired popcorn assortment and a container of Jolly Rancher lollipops. Imagine the thoughtlessness!
Meanwhile, I gave her an engraved bracelet with her late husband's handwriting on it. Please don't gift just to gift. Put a little thought into it or don't give anything.
Bottle_Sweaty
21. Not Again
Well, it was more of the same. I didn’t get a Christmas gift…again. Nothing at all. Seriously? My husband promised ski lessons last year that never materialized.
This year he claimed (on Christmas Day morning) that the new coat I bought on sale two months ago was my gift. Sigh. I’m drained.
anythingaustin
22. No, Mum
Recently, I was talking with my mom about how I've cut back pretty significantly on scented products of any kind for my health.
This is because I have allergies and asthma that have gotten worse. She got me scented shower steamers because she felt I must miss the fun scented stuff.
Also, for some reason, there was an orange-scented and mint-scented steamer in the same box, right next to each other, so when I opened the box it smelled AWFUL. (Individually they smell fine)
StoryAlternative6476
23. Give Them To Someone Us
My mom still gives me extremely religious books (think straight-up scripture digests) that are “just so good and inspiring” despite the fact that I have been clear for years on the fact that I am simply no longer religious.
Even more frustrating is that she gave my partner (he’s Jewish) and me each an identical copy of these scripture books. She handed us what we would consider inert clutter objects, and she sent two to the same household.
Off they go to a Little Free Library box, where I genuinely hope they are found by someone who will connect with it, and actually use it…
WankSpanksoff
24. 2000 Reasons
I got $2k. I’m going into the 3rd month of my maternity leave and have exhausted my gov’t aid, PTO, and paid maternity leave hours.
We’re moving in two days to give my little one a new room. Money has been tight. My mom is retired, doesn’t have much, and lives in another state.
She gifted me $2000 in cash and I’m still in disbelief. It’s going to help cover so many bills that I have. Parents are amazing!
CriZzZelda
25. Useless
I was gifted a small caddy, made to carry 6 bottles of beer and has an opener on the side. The whole thing feels too flimsy to support using the bottle opener.
Tell me, why would I take beers out of a crate to put into the caddy, why would I only take 6, and there's no way to keep them cold?
Even if it was used for bringing guests drinks after getting them out of a fridge, I'd open them in the kitchen and I can carry 6 in my hands.
It's from one of my stepsisters, this whole reason is why my brother and I stopped getting each other anything. We're adults and can buy whatever we need, and have no use for useless tat like this.
ninpendle64
26. Renewed Reality
I received the great gift of indifference when my closest immediate family didn’t give me a gift. Not a single one from any of them.
Here’s the kicker. Despite the fact that I’m also recovering from surgery, I still got and gave gifts all around to everyone.
Now, I have the gift of seeing the reality that I don’t matter. Now I can adjust my boundaries to save myself from future pain.
PleasantInterest4513
27. I Miss Him
I didn't get any gifts like that this year. Well, my Grandpa died. I never thought I'd miss the inexplicable calendar (what ... what made you think I was into lighthouses???)
I even miss the "whatever was at the register" gift card (an iTunes gift card? ... thanks. You do know I have and have always had, an Android, right?), but ... I don't know, I kinda miss the calendars.
Accomplished_Mix7827
28. Really Dad?!
There is no good way to present this, but...My father just recently decided not to pay off a debt (that is technically his but unfortunately in my name - long story).
This has saddled me with a large monthly payment and a five-figure debt which will obviously affect me for a very long time.
Obviously, this has put stress on our relationship, which wasn't all that great to begin with. Okay, hear this next part.
A week before Christmas, a gift from him showed up. It was a robot mop. I had mentioned to him our old one had broken at some point in the last month.
I looked up the one he had gotten us bc I had never heard of the brand. It was $1200...The one that broke we had bought years ago for like $200 max. So yeah... not sure how to react to that.
Main-Yogurtcloset-82
29. He’s A Keeper
Here's a positive one! My boyfriend got me an iPad! I still live at home and had told my parents I wanted one but they told me it was out of their price range so I thought it wasn't happening.
I really wanted to get back into drawing/animating because I was originally supposed to go to art school but I couldn't afford any of the schools I got in.
I couldn't believe he got me that and he told me he did because he wanted me to follow my passions. Imagine how sweet that is.
lilymarbles
30. Awww Baby
It was a good "....seriously?" I had told my boyfriend about a childhood toy I hadn't seen in so long, and how I'd be happy to have it again.
Christmas morning we are sorting presents and I get to a perfectly shaped box. Open it up and there's just that little filling paper.
Took that out and there was a little pet shop Tamagochi toy. The original one. I cried. I'm still crying. I love it so much.
chiplay99
31. Same Thing, Same Exact Thing
My ...seriously? Gift is when my wife of 12 years got me nothing. We've had a tradition that the 24th is a new PJ night for each other (and now our kids).
I gave her hers and she responded with "I forgot". Next day... the same thing. Gave her her gifts and the kids all tore in theirs as well "I forgot" again.
Regardless, the kids had a great day and that's all that matters to me. Just didn't expect it. Merry Christmas, everybody!
GobiWobi
32. Make Room For More
I have a new baby and have received an actual obscene amount of clothes for him from various people these last few months.
I have enough clothes to last him until summer easily. So I told my entire family for the love of God no more clothes. Made it very clear we want zero clothes for him.
We physically have no more room for more clothes. We have so many he is growing out of before he can actually wear them. Open gift from my mother, it's clothes for him.
sinister_goat
33. Best Brother Ever
I got a “seriously?!” gift in a good way. My little brother and his girlfriend love indulging in those pricey cool huge LEGO sets.
When the Lord of the Rings sets started coming out I was like, have you seen these things?!?! If money was no object blah blah blah. He knows I’m a Tolkien legendarium nerd.
We have the money for stuff like that technically but I can’t justify spending so much for a toy that. Just something to put together and admire while it gets dusty.
Something that only I would use and enjoy. I spend all our money on fixing our house and improving our lives etc. and we save every spare penny for future home and life improvements. Little bro knows this about me.
Well, on Christmas Eve morning I get up and go into the kitchen for coffee, my MIL says, good morning! Did you order something? Fed Ex just dropped a package.
No… we didn’t do gifts this year except the cute vintage dishes I sent my little bro. Because they let us stay at their house for a full week and I love him and would do anything for him. (We got her something but that was a secret at that moment).
I grabbed this huge box from the porch. No idea what it could be or where from.
Well, that little guy sent me the LOTR Rivendell Lego set. I’m still tearing up thinking about it.
I can’t believe they spent that much on me. I can’t believe they were so thoughtful and remembered over a year ago when I was oooh-ing and awww-ing over that set.
He’s such a mensch.
Sarah_withanH
34. Nothing At All
It wasn't any one gift, it was that, in response to the question "What do you want..." I repeatedly said 'Nothing, I don't want, need, deserve anything.'
I've been downsizing, and adopting a minimal mindset and life, for the last few years. Anyone who knows me knows this fact.
And yet, stuff still showed up, things I'll never use, things I don't need. So, if it gets donated, let someone who needs this, get this.
TripzNFalls
35. Don’t Force It
My wife forced me into my family's Yankee swap again this year. She bought a gift "from me" and said, "You're participating."
Personally, I despise Yankee swaps and would rather sit out and get nothing than get a present that means nothing and had zero thought put into it.
Then the kicker is, if you actually do like something, someone else can take it from you. I ended up with a Bluetooth beanie that was already in the donation bin.
bflannery10
36. Oh Gosh, The Embarrassment
For Christmas, I got a freaking food scale. Unbeknownst to my loved ones, I spent a big chunk of 2023 kicking a raging eating disorder. I am at a healthy weight and am in a decent place mentally at this point, but it was such a battle to get to this place.
So pulling out a food scale that I did not ask for and do not want in front of my husband's entire extended family was....not fun.
Gardengoddess83
37. Bundle Of Sweetness
My 9-year-old daughter gave me a box of change. Not like a significant amount; like thirty cents. Which she had taken from the cup holder in my car. She loves to give gifts.
It’s the wrapping and giving that does it for her, not the substance of the gift. So it was well-intentioned and cute. She gives decent gifts when coached and provided with proper money to pay for them.
Twcsata
38. My MIL, My Sweetheart
My MIL is absolutely wonderful but buys gifts for everyone and I think gets tired, so I get it. She got me a reusable water bottle with big 60s-style smiley faces and daisies on it and a "Pawfect Mom" baseball cap.
It was sweet, but not me at all. But it's alright. She also got my husband and me matching heavy Terry bathrobes with our initials on them, so I can't complain.
I just smile and give her a big hug, I'm grateful to have her and her mixed bag of gifts. She’s a sweetheart at heart and that will never change.
eyebrowshampoo
39. Awww Ma
I got a computer. I've been having a really hard month, and between my poor mental health and the loss of my job, I'm probably going to lose my apartment--so this was not the best holiday for me, lol.
So when Ma kept hounding me to come over, for dinner, for presents, for family--I just wasn't up for it. Today, I absolutely needed to do my laundry because I needed some clean clothes for a job interview tomorrow.
I also had some gifts for Ma and her s/o that I'd gotten before this whole bad month began, so I figured I should get it over with.
They immediately sit me down on the couch after I give them their presents, and start handing me stuff: A pair of socks first, knee high with Nightmare Before Christmas on them, and I love them (so will my own s/o, lol).
They also gave me a new mouse that looks absolutely adorable; and the last one they're so nonchalant about, but like, /noticeably/ so. That's the computer.
They got me a whole computer just because my old one broke, and they thought it would make me happy. I'm still trying not to cry about it--I'm just really happy. I really love these people.
tentacles_in_space
40. You Should Have Listened
I told my sister not to get me anything because I really didn’t need anything. The things I’d truly need are far more expensive than the budget for your average Christmas gift.
I’ve also made it blatantly known to my family that I have an obscene amount of sweaters and not to get me any. Not only did she get me something, but she got me a sweater. Imagine that!
2shack
41. Originals Only
Off-brand pink/purple/blue gradient fade Crocs. He and the kids know I loathe Crocs but also know I don’t sacrifice when it comes to fashion. In other words, if I was going to wear them it would be Crocs and not off-brand.
It sucks when you do so much for your family and they’re like “Here - we made a conscientious decision to buy this thing we know you definitely will not like”.
alottacolada
42. Secret Santa Scandals
I do Secret Santa every year with my family. This year we did it through a website where you can put exactly what you want and it links to a website.
The gift was supposed to be $35 max. I put a few items on there and one I really wanted, which was less than max price. I got a pack of stickers, like the ones you get for free at a store or in a box of something you ordered online as a “gift”.
I was pretty upset as everything was listed on the website. Everyone else got everything they wanted. I feel selfish but for real? Lol
Pbj0308
43. She Chased It Down
I had a positive one! Years ago in college, I got an autographed copy of a Neil Gaiman book at a reading he did at my school.
That same night my roommate went out for his 21st and got way too drunk and peed all over my desk, including the book. Well, I was shocked yesterday when I opened a new autographed copy of the book!
My girlfriend tracked one down for me to replace it! She colluded with my mom to find out the exact book it was. I was blown away.
bendrigar
44. Well, that was NUTS
I'm prefacing this by saying that I adore my in-laws. I ADORE them. My FIL is the dad, I never had, and my MIL is - well if I didn't adore my late mother, she'd also be the mother I wished I had.
They've been phoning at Christmas, for now, three years, after their son (my husband) died. So it's frankly a miracle that they even still acknowledge the holiday, much less keep my son and me on their Christmas list.
However, I'll admit that I'm still a little baffled that the primary focus of the gift they gave me yesterday was... nuts. I'm not sure why. because they know I'm feeding the squirrels? Because I mentioned I like nuts randomly one day a month ago?
I received walnuts, peanuts, pecans, etc; the box weighed at least seven pounds. of nuts. I also got maple syrup. I've never in 28 years mentioned syrup, but I got a handcrafted organic bottle of syrup.
Oh, there were also pajamas, featuring cats. Yes, I love cats, but not to the point that I want to adorn myself in rando cats. I love MY cats, not everyone else's.
I love them so much and they clearly took time to give me the most personalized gift they gave anyone this year, but nuts and syrup? I'm baffled.
Though you better believe the chocolate-covered peanuts were gone by 7 pm last night. (I should've mentioned I like chocolate-covered almonds, though.)
ofthrees
45. Cat Lady
Everyone got blankets with inspirational messages about how much my Mother-In-Law loves them….my blanket says how much I love cats.
I was genuinely confused because I knew she meant well, but they also sell I love you daughter-in-law blankets so idk.
The best part is, that she read everyone’s nice blanket poems out loud to them, so when my turn came….she had to read a blanket covered in quotes like “my kids have paws” and “love is a four-legged word”.
My mother-in-law did not think she had to read it out loud, I’m sure lol. Also, we only have ONE cat. Come on mother-in-law!
etsprout