Stop! Christmas Gift Ideas To Take Off Your To-Buy List
Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but getting a terrible gift for someone can ruin that sentiment.
Of the many awful examples available, these are some of the worst ideas for Christmas gifts that prove it is not always the thought that counts.
Used Gift Card
Gift cards are a great idea, especially when you do not know what to buy for someone, but it has to be filled.
Christmas can be a hectic time of the year. While it is easy to lose track, there is no excuse for giving a used gift card.
Exercise equipment
Unless they request it or if you know it will be used, exercise equipment is not a good Christmas gift.
Intentional or not, the optics suggests to the person receiving it that there is a need to work out. Avoid gifting a significant other exercise gear at all costs.
Pets (Exotic)
Getting an animal as a Christmas gift for someone can be a challenge that is not worth all of the trouble that follows.
The proper care of pets, including feeding the animal, and medical expenses, can be overwhelming. Plus, it is hard to know what people are allergic to.
Romance novels
While you may spend your alone time curled up in front of the fireplace reading a steamy romance novel, it may not be how others enjoy themselves.
Imagine the mortified looks on people's faces as they watch your gift, an explicit book with intimate details and a graphic cover, being opened.
Anything you plan to re-gift
One of the biggest reasons for not re-gifting, particularly at Christmas time, is that the receiver might find out.
The implication of giving someone else a gift that was given to you is that it is too time-consuming and a waste of your effort to buy something from the heart.
Outfits for work
Although this message is intended for men buying clothes for women, it is not only exclusive to them.
Before any guy should get a woman any garments for a Christmas gift, no matter if it is their mother, sister, girlfriend, or wife, it is mandatory to know their exact size.
Animal paws socks (animal print in general)
Yes, you read that correctly! Animal paw socks do exist and have been given proudly as Christmas gifts.
It makes no difference whether it is intended to be a joke or something they have specially requested; the answer to the thought should always be an emphatic denial of it.
DVDs
Does anyone still have a DVD player? With the onslaught of streaming services and apps like Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, and more, the DVD will become obsolete, like cassette and VHS tapes are today.
Instead, buying gift cards for streaming services works for both the giver and the receiver.
Plane Tickets
Two ways buying someone plane tickets is a good idea for a Christmas gift.
It is too personal of a gift to give another person unless you are traveling with them or it is part of a cruise vacation package, and they are not the type to get sea sickness.
Cash
One surefire way to make someone feel like you didn't really think too hard about a gift is to have them open an envelope only to find cash inside.
While it is understandable that everyone can use a little extra pocket money, there are hundreds of other options that are much more acceptable such as pre-loaded cards.
Anti-aging creams
Wrinkles are one sign of aging, but it does not necessarily mean someone is old because they have them.
Wrinkles can form from excessive sun exposure and other reasons, which is something people expect and live with. The implication that they are old may hide the idea's original sentiments.
Cleaning supplies
Not all cleaning supplies are bad ideas as Christmas gifts. Someone who owns a car, for example, might appreciate getting special products to make their new toy shiny and nice.
It is the decision to buy things for tidying up households as a present that can be slightly offensive.
Kitchen Appliances
Anytime a man buys something meant for use in the kitchen for a woman, the chauvinistic implications cannot be denied.
Blenders, coffee, and espresso machines are harmless ideas for gifts. When the purpose of an appliance is more for cleaning than for enjoyment or luxury, that is the problem.
Sweaters similar to "ugly" Christmas sweaters
The concept of wearing ugly sweaters at Christmas has become an annual tradition for many people. Buying or making them for gifts, however, should not be included.
Over the years, it has become cool to wear Christmas-themed sweaters, and they have even become more fashionable to wear in public.
Fruitcake
It makes no difference if it is store-bought or homemade fruitcake is not a suitable gift at any time of the year, let alone Christmas.
There may be people who love to eat it or those that like baking it, which is fine, but fruitcakes should be served, not gifted.
Lingerie
Lingerie is a popular gift for Christmas, but should it be? The anxiety of going into a store dedicated to undergarments and finding something appropriate in the person's size can be an intimidating experience.
The best advice for people buying lingerie for a gift is to do your research.
Skis
Anyone buying skis as a Christmas present for someone else had better be confident with themselves.
Skis are expensive, and unless you know they can ski, they will also need lessons, which are not cheap either. Another factor to consider is whether the giftee has anyone to go skiing with.
Souvenirs
A souvenir is supposed to be a reminder, usually a fond one, of where someone visited when they went on vacation. So then, why would that be an appropriate Christmas present?
Other than tacky fridge magnets, souvenirs have stories and memories that only can be told by the traveler.
T-shirts and sweaters with "humorous" sayings on them
The first thing that should be mentioned is that buying a T-shirt as a Christmas gift is a slippery slope.
If the giftee is a fan of a team, movie, show, celebrity, or athlete, then they will enjoy wearing your present. If not, they probably will never wear it.
Tchotchkes
You do not have to know Yiddish or have a Slavic background to know that Tchotchkes should never be given as Christmas gifts unless they are stocking stuffers and a preview of a better gift.
Tchotchkes are trinkets, usually decorative figurines with no particular monetary or sentimental value to anyone.
Air Freshners
A set of scented candles or a gift pack of incense are excellent Christmas presents to give to someone else.
To a certain extent, air fresheners and even scented candles might be slightly offensive to the receiver. Intended or not, it suggests that their home may need freshening up.
Shapewear
This one almost needs no research, results from opinion polls, or any personal testimonials. Never give shapewear as a gift to someone you know and like if you want the relationship to continue.
The one purpose is to hide unsightly areas. Lululemon has made shapewear fashionable and profitable.
Hoverboard
Hoverboards are so yesterday as a Christmas gift to start with. Once they exploded onto the scene, they became an overnight sensation among kids and adults.
Their novelty eventually wore off due to the number of hospitals that were filling up with patients who tried unsuccessfully to use them.
Toilet Paper
What else needs to be said about gifting someone toilet paper as a gift at Christmas or any other time of the year?
While everyone needs toilet paper, and buying it has become expensive for families, it's generally an item that is too personal of a gift to get someone.
Hair Dye
It may be more acceptable to tell someone that their roots need touching up or that they have too much grey hair showing than to buy them hair dye for Christmas.
People change their hair color because they want to, but dye as a gift suggests a need for it.
A Gift certificate for a Wax
Waxing any part of the body is not a pleasant process. Ripping the hair from its follicle, understandably, no matter in which area, causes pain and irritation.
It is impossible to give something like a waxing gift certificate without the implication to the giftee that they are too hairy.
Fly Swatter
A fly swatter for a Christmas gift needs no explanation. Not only is it weird, but it tells them that they might have a problem with annoying and unwanted insects.
If you feel someone needs one, then there is an infestation needing professional help that a swatter cannot handle.
Voodoo Doll
Voodoo dolls are typically given as a gag item for a gift. People who believe in the value are most likely to get or make their own.
The dolls usually resemble the receiver or their enemy and are used to cast spells against them by sticking pins into them.
Fertility Charms
A charm that is supposed to influence fertility chances may seem like a good Christmas gift idea, but what it suggests is something different.
Couples who are trying to conceive a child go through a range of both high and low emotional periods that a lucky trinket cannot help solve. The intention is good, but the delivery can be withheld during the holidays.
Scales
Add a scale to the list of personal items that are not appropriate to buy for someone else. People buy scales to keep track of their weight, either because they want to lose it or to monitor their progress.
Scales for Christmas gifts non-discreetly tell people to drop pounds.
