When we inevitably receive lots of s**t we don't need! So in a thoroughly ungrateful manner, having spent significant chunks of this year throwing out loads of stuff we'd been given over the years that was no use before we moved, I'm currently dreading the influx of stuff we're going to get this year. So, spill the beans if you're anywhere near as ungrateful as me and share the worst presents you've received...

Whenever I go on this rant I get these horrified looks as if I am the most spoiled brat in the world. So that may very well be your reaction as well.
I have some relatives in the south, but who nonetheless see me often enough to know what I am into and not. And yet, every year since I can remember I have received gifts that "girls typically like". It started with heavily perfumed deodorants and earrings (I've never had pierced ears, so my sister always got a double set), to buying me fairly expensive toiletry bags, jewellery storage and celebrity perfume sets. Shiny stuff with glitter and golden chains and whatnot.

It's not that I am upset for not getting what I want, but rather that they spend so much on stuff that is essentially crap to me. I'd rather they bought a goat to some poor farmers in Peru in my name or something.

Exactly my point. I honestly have pretty much everything I could want or need. I would much rather they spent the money on a worthy cause, or themselves.

This is honestly meant as a bit of fun - hopefully to pull out a few comedy examples from everyone

Some of my favourite examples of what we threw out this year:
- 2 pestles and mortars (when we already had 1) and a jamie oliver flavour shaker...all from my grandmother..2 of them received in the same Christmas
- a huge monstrosity of a tin can crusher...which took up more space than the cans ever would
- about 6 pairs of Christmas oven gloves (all from my mother or grandmother who tend to shop together)...it comes once a year, I have one pair of hands!

[swervedriver]

Somebody knitted me a scarf which is by approximation 3 meters long.

Oh crap. Not only have I probably given 8 pairs of oven mittens (or... 'pot holders' rather) as Christmas gifts by this year. But I've knitted them all as well.

...I think I may have deserved those glossy toiletry bags and Naomi Campbell's perfume after all.

Ah, but are all 8 pairs going to the same recipient?

I got a £10 H&M voucher from my very well-off sister for my 25th birthday (I don't live near an H&M) and A4 Picasso prints from my aunt for my 26th. The worst types of presents are usually Christmas themed though. "Ah this is lovely, I'll chuck it in the loft for a whole year."

Ah, but are all 8 pairs going to the same recipient?

Well.. no. Not if I can remember who received a pair last year.

Oh, and ever since just before I turned 18 until I left the country, my relatives kept giving me gifts like spatulas, soup bowls, pasta servers... when we obviously had all those things. Just to say "Get the hell out of your mother's house!" (my sister never received such gifts as she actually moved out at 18)

Oh, and they once tried making us collect silverware. At the age of 10-12... silverware was not really very interesting to me. To be honest, it still isn't, so I just have those 3 tiny silver forks. "You'll be glad later that you received silverware rather than toys and CDs!" Uh, no, actually.

[JuZ]

When I worked at a large hardware store (in my 20s), our team had a Christmas dinner and a secret Santa arrangement. Which for some reason didn't stay secret.

My middle aged, male, Chinese colleague bought me a small plastic wind up toy piano covered in love hearts. Nowadays I would appreciate the irony and probably try to record it or something, or of course give to my kids.

But at the time my life revolved around drinking Scotch, impressing my girlfriend and listening to great swathes of metal.

I wish I still had that piano.

Once for the holidays our team was given a mystery bag to randomly choose one item out of it. Everything was wrapped so we wouldn't know the contents. Everyone seemed to be getting chocolate or jelly beans packets, so I figured "Cool, I'll grab that big one". It was a bag of marbles.
No exchange, no refund - instead of something sweet, I got a bag of fucking marbles I have no use for. They are presently stored away somewhere I don't care to remember.

^I'm laughing reading your post, just imagining the disdain in your voice when you unwrapped your bag of marbles. Hahahaha

I can't really recall anything like what you all have mentioned. At Christmas time I really just focus on the intent of a person's gift. Even if the gift is strange or unnecessary, if they put thought and heart into it, I end up truly appreciating it, whatever it may be, whether it's useless to me or helpful. I'm just that sort of person. My grandmother would always give me presents that others may have cast aside or thought were useless. A bag of peanuts isn't really exciting as a kid, but looking back I cherished everything from her because she thought about me as a favorite grandson with every gift she gave. That's what Christmas is to me, and it's sad to see it commercialized to distract from all of that. (If you haven't read the Gift of the Magi story, that's what Christmas is to me.)

However, this all being said now, I realized what I don't like getting. Gift cards. Yeah sure, I can buy whatever I want with them, but as far as the intent and purpose of giving meaningful gifts? A gift card requires no effort and no thoughtfulness at all. Easy way out. I'd much prefer getting 8 pairs of mittens that someone made for me and genuinely thought I would enjoy (even if I'd have no use for them) instead of a piece of plastic they probably only remembered to buy when they stopped into a store for an emergency poo.

[Octillus]

more improv classes and some sketchwriting classes. s'all i care about, I can handle the rest myself

However, this all being said now, I realized what I don't like getting. Gift cards. Yeah sure, I can buy whatever I want with them, but as far as the intent and purpose of giving meaningful gifts? A gift card requires no effort and no thoughtfulness at all. Easy way out. I'd much prefer getting 8 pairs of mittens that someone made for me and genuinely thought I would enjoy (even if I'd have no use for them) instead of a piece of plastic they probably only remembered to buy when they stopped into a store for an emergency poo.

There was an interesting conversation on the radio this morning about gift cards and shallow they were compared to just cash. Plus that gift cards that expire from non-use are also a pointless pain.
If it's for a store I know I'll frequent then I don't mind, but for groceries or random places I don't care about I agree are a silly choice.

I won't have the problem. Most of my family is dead. Friends are poor.