'A used sweater with spaghetti stains': 25+ Bad gifts that were unforgettably weird

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
May 10, 2024 3:00 PM EDT

Getting a really bad present can throw you for a loop. On your birthday, you probably expect the usual gifts: books, some candles, or maybe a nice tee shirt. The people in your life who know you best will sometimes get you some excellent gifts, like tickets to see your favorite band live in concert, or an expensive video game that you've been wanting for ages. 

After receiving all of these good and amazing presents, it takes you by surprise when you get a really awful gift. The people below told r/AskReddit all about it in response to u/flashholdergirl's question. Some are just completely inexcusable. Like it's one thing to panic-buy someone a random candle if you forgot their birthday. It's a whole other story when you're buying them a mascara that's already been used! One person shared that that happened to them… Not only was the mascara pre-used, but as a ginger, they couldn't even use that color of mascara because it looked bad on them. What a disaster of a gift!

Other people had family members who weren't exactly thoughtful about their gift-giving. One person shared that they received the same broken candle on two separate occasions, because the gift-giver had clearly bought them as a set. The array of "what were they thinking?" types of gifts here is just wild. Check out all of these great anecdotes below. 

Up next, check out these cool things that will look great until spiders start making webs on them, because they're basically impossible to clean. 

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 9920441600
    via Tamanna Rumee on Unsplash
  • 02
    What's the most hilariously disappointing gift you've ever received (or given and it was painfully obvious that it was disappointing)?
    via u/flashholdergirl
  • 03
    [deleted] Somehow there was a miscommunication for Christmas, I was given 8 hoodies total from my family. Nothing else. Just 8 hoodies
    via u/[deleted]
  • 04
    [deleted] My grandma once gave me a jogging suit, body wash, and cologne for Christmas. This wasn't a disappointing gift until she explained, "If you use this stuff, then maybe you could finally get a date."
    via u/[deleted]
  • 05
    Engvar My 18th birthday I got a cheap golf ball pocket watch from my grandfather. I worked at a golf course at the time, so I just pretended I loved it, and wore it every day to work until it broke. Only took a month or so, was a dollar store thing. I was hoping for something more, figured 18 was a big deal, but it's my grandpa. it
    via u/Engvar
  • 06
    2 years later I found the box in a drawer at my parents. house. Went to flatten it to throw it away, $50 fell out. Turns out it was a joke. I went to see me grandpa and give him a long overdue thank you. He teared up, he thought I got it that day and that's why I liked it, and it made him happy I would wear that thing just because he gave it to me. I love my grandpa.
    via u/Engvar
  • 07
    jayymeemichelle We used to have those secret Santa parties in my choir. On the day of the exchange, everyone got their present.. Except me. So the teacher went to find out who drew my name and reported back to me saying, "Charlie didn't buy you anything but he said he'd bring you something when Christmas break is over." 4
    via u/jayymeemichelle
  • 08
    months later, the kid brings in a bar of soap for me. It was men's soap and he gave it to me in April. Merry Christmas.
    via u/jayymeemichelle
  • 09
    [deleted] My mom accidentally misswrote a label and my 5 year old sister recieved 100 AA batteries. She was very confused but smiled and said thank you anyway.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 10
    phronistery My aunt gave me a plastic container of dried seaweed for my 19th birthday. I wouldn't say I was disappointed, because I don't really expect presents at this age anyway, but I was definitely at a loss.
    via u/phronistery
  • 11
    [deleted] My coworker was having a baby shower and made a point to invite me. I didn't really consider us friends, (we were just on different wavelengths; nothing really clicked in our conversations) but I told her I would go, and I ended up knitting her a baby blanket. I've been knitting since I was nine, so it was a fairly badass blanket made out of this really good,
    via u/[deleted]
  • 12
    expensive fluffy yarn that was an absolute joy to knit with. Basically like rubbing my hands all over a cloud. The finished product really looked like something you'd buy in a store, but when she unwrapped it at the shower. she just sort of shrugged and set it aside. Her grandmother immediately snatched it up and was obviously delighted with it; asking about the
    via u/[deleted]
  • 13
    construction, how long it had taken me, how they should wash it. But you could tell my coworker didn't care.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 14
    The skin on my thumb and forefinger actually peeled a few days later from how quickly I'd whipped the thing up. I'd given myself something similar to rope burns from how fast I'd knitted it. It was disappointing how little. she'd seemed to care.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 15
    A used sweater with spaghetti stains from a coworker.. Who seemed serious about the gift.
    via r/AskReddit
  • 16
    AllrightsunnyD I got Gamestop gift cards for Christmas. They didn't even have money on them.
    via u/AllrightsunnyD
  • 17
    robnsparkles An almost-boyfriend in high school said on Valentine's Day, "I got some candy for you... But then I ate it." He proceeded to take candy wrappers out of his pocket.
    via u/robnsparkles
  • 18
    Loqol Oh man. One Christmas, my mother decided to take me along with her to the mall to finish up her shopping. We head to a display of sweaters and she specifies that she is shopping for her brother. These were on a different level than Cosby or even Mr. Rodgers sweaters.
    via u/Loqol
  • 19
    She keeps asking me if my uncle will like them (like I would know her brother better than her?!). I am very baffled and just make the best judgment calls I can make. Fast forward to opening gifts...I got the sweaters. wut.
    via u/Loqol
  • 20
    I responded immediately that these were meant for her brother, so why would I get them? She told me that since I thought that my uncle would like them that I would like them too.
    via u/Loqol
  • 21
    They weren't even exchanged. She took them back and gave them to her brother like she should have in the first place. He liked them.
    via u/Loqol
  • 22
    pharmersmarket We were 7, and for my birthday my cousin gave me a broken pencil and slightly used underwear in a shoe box. Even for a kid that's a pretty bad gift
    via u/pharmersmarket
  • 23
    JohnFinnsWife A few years back there was a GIANT box for me under the tree. I had been hinting that I wanted a new tower PC and my parents were hinting that they thought I'd be super thrilled with its contents. Come Christmas Eve, I unwrapped... a microwave.
    via u/pharmersmarket
  • 24
    I am at a point in my life where I have literally no clue when I will live somewhere that doesn't already have a microwave. I've only ever lived in crappy apartments and will go back. to grad school sometime in the next year and a half so I'll probably be back in dorms... this means that I will not conceivably live in an unfurnished apartment/my own house
    via u/pharmersmarket
  • 25
    until AT LEAST 2017. I got this thing in like 2010. It is still in the box, in the crawlspace of my friend's house.
    via u/pharmersmarket
  • 26
    The funny thing was, they asked if I needed a microwave; since they were in the process of remodeling the kitchen I thought they meant they were going to give me their old one so I said "yeah, sure." So I partially have myself to blame.
    via u/pharmersmarket
  • 27
    tivoro Not so much disappointing as funny, but my father has given me many, many things I already own over the years because I mentioned that I liked them, he found them in a store later, and thought 'Hey! I bet Tivoro would like this!'
    via u/tivoro
  • 28
    Once he handed me my birthday present while I was reading a book. It was another copy of the same book.
    via u/tivoro
  • 29
    teenagealex My ex once mentioned in passing he'd love to have a coat rack for the front door for when winter came. I got him a super awesome beautiful one and the box was huge so he was excited and had no idea what it was. When he opened it, in front of his entire family, his face dropped. Hooks. He meant coat hooks.
    via u/teenagealex
  • 30
    AbelFive My mom got myself and my two siblings each a pair of M&M pajama pants for Christmas. It was just like this "...oh. O...kay?" moment. I remember feeling. so bad because my mom's face just kind of fell and she said that she thought they were cute.
    via u/AbelFive
  • 31
    Plot twist: Sill have them, and I love them. I wear them pretty regularly around my apartment, and when I have to fly? M&M pants. Everyone in the airport is jealous of me. Fact.
    via u/AbelFive
  • 32
    j... Every year of my life, my great Aunt and Uncle send me a package, and every year I get the same god green John Deere tractor. The worst part is that I know when I open the box, there is going to be a tractor inside, but each year
    via u/juke2523
  • 33
    there is a little glimpse of hope inside me hoping for something different. I'm 18 and have 18 green John Deere tractors in my closet.
    via u/juke2523
  • 34
    ashleythelma One Christmas I got my ex a kick pocket watch with his name engraved on it, something I knew would be right up his alley. It was stunning.
    via u/ashleythelma
  • 35
    What did he get me? A box. An empty photo box, you know, the ones with a frame on top and slots for pictures inside. It would be one thing if he put even one photo of us in that stupid box, but nope - just a stock photo of some guy and a dog. It took everything in me not to fill that box with tears and sink that beautiful pocket watch in it like the heart of the ocean.
    via u/ashleythelma
  • 36
    Edit: Okay so maybe this comes off as a little ungrateful..... Thanks a lot for the box, Dan.
    via u/ashleythelma
  • 37
    Holly_the_Adven... Right before my brother went to Korea, he and I were browsing the local Salvation Army. They had this nifty candle holder for sale, it had this cool looking sun on it. I didn't buy it that day, because my brother was with me, but I made a mental note to go back and pick it up as a Christmas gift, because my brother loves. things with the sun on them.
    via u/Holly_the_Adventurer
  • 38
    Anyway, when I go back, the sun candle holder is gone. So, I just bought a different candle holder. The one I bought looked like something straight form a Catholic church. So we ship all these things to Korea, and my brother is skying me sometime afterward, and he's just like "Why did you buy me this candle holder?"
    via u/Holly_the_Adventurer
  • 39
    And I said "Well, I wanted to get you that one with the sun on it, but it was gone, so I got you this one. I mean, it's a candle holder, and it's kind of like that other one."
    via u/Holly_the_Adventurer
  • 40
    And he replied "Hollis, that would be like if I bought you an empty jar, because I know you like jars of olives, and an empty jar is kind of like a jar of olives." TL:DR: Don't buy people empty jars.
    via u/Holly_the_Adventurer
  • 41
    Coat hangers. The ones that cost $2.50 and are crappy plastic ones. My brothers. however got the new PlayStation One each with games. This was an reoccurring trend - one year I got a white fitted sheet. Let's just say my parents did not want a girl and kicked me out as soon as they were legally able!
    via r/AskReddit
  • 42
    At my (girl) cousins 16th birthday party, my uncle wrapped up car keys and gave it to her. The only car he had for her was a toy collectible car and gave it to her after she opened it and got excited about getting a car. We all felt bad when she started crying in front of everyone because we couldn't talk my uncle out of doing it
    via r/AskReddit
  • 43
    Legend OfZerg Ah this one kinda hurts. I have a friend that is a HUGE Zelda fan. I was on Amazon looking for some nerd gifts for her and I came across a necklace that had the Hylian shield with the Master Sword sheathed behind it (in it's own sheath!). You could remove the sword and everything. So cool guys, so cool. nergasm
    via u/Legend OfZerg
  • 44
    Anyways, I thought it was the coolest thing ever and so I bought it for her and gave it to her for her birthday. She definitely did not share the same excitement that I had for it. TL;DR I at giving gifts and I wish I had that necklace...
    via u/Legend OfZerg
  • 45
    Susan_Werner My ex-husbands mother hated me and my daughter. For Christmas, two years in a row she bought me a broken candle. She obviously bought a pair of candles then just gave me one at a time. Both broken in half. My daughter received the dirty dusty metal phone number book (The kind where you move the metal thing to the letter of the last
    via u/Susan_Werner
  • 46
    name and it pops open) that had been sitting on her fridge for years. My ex was just as bad. For three years in a row, he gave me the gift basket that the bank gave him for Christmas because he was on the board of directors. It always contained coffee mugs with the banks logo on it so he knew that I knew where it came from. I divorced him shortly after that.
    via u/Susan_Werner
  • 47
    Oh god. When I was in 2nd grade or something we made Mother's Day dinner table place mats for our Mothers. My younger brother blurted out that's what she was getting from me. I was so 1. She pretended she didn't hear when she unwrapped it and acted surprised. The place
    via r/AskReddit
  • 48
    mat was terrible, like all 2nd grade projects. I never saw it again after that day, and I can't blame her for disposing of it.
    via r/AskReddit
  • 49
    ti... Christmas 2012 - Bought my mother in law a Michael Kors bag. Got a pair of socks and a candle. Christmas 2013 - Bought my mother in law a beautiful diamond pendant necklace. Got a pair of socks and a candle.
    via u/tintedrosie
  • 50
    Christmas this year - Buying. mother in law socks and a candle. Buying SO's step mother a Coach bag. Her gifts are always amazingly thoughtful. Edit: Since this got more attention than I thought it would, let me clarify that my mother in law isn't struggling by any means. I'm not expecting any crazy
    via u/tintedrosie
  • 51
    expensive gift item from her, but I put a lot of thought into getting her gifts she had mentioned she always wanted but would never buy for herself. I spent a lot of time picking out the perfect items. Her favorite color bag, the perfect length chain and type of precious. metal for her necklace. I couldn't care less if she got me something cheap, I just
    via u/tintedrosie
  • 52
    wish she put a more personalized touch into my gifts. While I appreciate the gesture, it seems forced just to go along with the holiday. It's a bummer because | want to connect with her, and she has O interest. So I'll connect with SO's step mom instead. She's shown much more interest in being a part of our lives.
    via u/tintedrosie
  • 53
    Edit 2: 12/28 - update Bought her a pair of fuzzy socks at Big Lots. Left half the Orange tag on it so she knew it was from that store, just without the price part. Also got her a cheap. candle from there. One of those half jar candles. Like the small version of a Yankee candle but a cheap brand that had like an obnoxious old spice like
    via u/tintedrosie
  • 54
    musk scent. Also, she hates scented anything. She opened it and refused to open the candle and told me she probably wouldn't use it. Said she had a ton of socks like the ones I gave her. Yah, me too Didn't that woman switch it up on me this year? She got me cheap lotion that smells like coconut (it's like light blue/white water in a tube and I absolutely hate the
    via u/tintedrosie
  • 55
    smell of coconut) as well as a loofah that smells like recycled tires. No body soap. Just a loofah and watery lotion. I still think I spent more on half priced socks and a cheap candle than she did. She gave everyone else vanilla gift cards with money on them. So yeah. I still lost. Next year I should just wrap her lotion and give it back.
    via u/tintedrosie
  • 56
    My SO probably wouldn't be too thrilled if I did that though. Haven't seen my step mother in law yet. Wanted to buy her the really nice necklace, but our dog had unexpected surgery and we couldn't afford it without dipping into our emergency fund. Mother's Day hopefully! Bought her a bunch of little cute
    via u/tintedrosie
  • 57
    necklaces and bracelets instead, along with a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble (she loves to read). I'm certain she will love it. So there it is. I still got screwed. Hahaha.
    via u/tintedrosie
  • 58
    lexlockdown My ex bought me a ring and had it engraved "your my everything" This was especially painful because I'm one of those annoying grammar/spelling snobs... And he knew that about me. And he knows he's a horrible speller! I will never understand why he didn't make sure it was correct. -
    via u/lexlockdown
  • 59
    PopsicleJane14 My husband's family gives notoriously bad gifts. One year his grandma made me a purse out of dollar tree table placemats. She used decorative rope as the handles, and placed a long strip of glued on Velcro inside to keep it closed.
    via u/PopsicleJane14
  • 60
    universitygirlsays I spent about $80 on a home spa set for my sister one year, spending a lot of time putting together a thoughtful package. Come Christmas day, we exchanged presents.
    via u/universitygirlsays
  • 61
    She got me a tube of 'blackest black' mascara. I am very ginger. This was disastrous (females of reddit, you know what I mean). To top it all off, when I opened it, she started to gush about how wonderful it was, it was her favourite mascara, etc. Then she mentioned how she knew it was good, because she had already used it.
    via u/universitygirlsays
  • 62
    So I got a tube of used mascara for Christmas. And it wasn't even my colour. The disappointment was palpable.
    via u/universitygirlsays
  • 63
    reapir A few years back, I participated in a Secret Santa thing for my class. We put our names on slips of paper as usual but also included suggestions (since it was still technically early in the year and we weren't all too familiar with each other) on the back. The max we could spend was about 20-25 bucks.
    via u/reapir
  • 64
    I only wrote down that I wanted an iTunes gift card and nothing else. Was pretty hopeful because gift cards are easy to get. Day of the gift-giving, I'm giving out my present to this kid and chatting with him when my Secret Santa comes over. She hands me two pens. Two used pens.
    via u/reapir
  • 65
    All I can say in her defense is that she at least made the effort to give me red and green ones.
    via u/reapir

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