Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Propose A Modern Alternative To Coal For Santa Claus To Give Naughty Children

Christmas is upon us. It's time to get those Christmas present lists together.

So... who has been naughty and who has been nice?

Who is getting diamonds and who is getting coal? Yuck, coal. Is that even a thing anymore? Who even started that idea?

There has to be some funnier or more "for the times" type of "you've been naughty" stocking stuffer.

I feel like the statement coal used to make is kind of last century at this point.

Apparently I'm not alone in this thinking.


Case in point...

Redditor rallfreedom wanted us to update Santa's deliveries for the children on the naughty list, they asked:

"Since Santa is old, and coal was considered worthless back in the day, what new worthless item could Santa give to naughty children in 2021?"

If you really wanted to set me off on Christmas morning, then you should leave me something personalized. Something you how I'd hate. Like a cassette tape of 80's Christian soft rock. That would make a statement of just how naughty I've been.

What a Difference

Blockbuster GIF by Big Potato GamesGiphy

"Blockbuster gift cards." ~ GamerOfGods33

"And still no one will shop at the one franchise location still open." ~ pesto_trap_god

Discs

"AOL Internet discs... (actually getting rare these days)." ~ whorton59

"After collecting enough of those AOL discs, I just open a bottle of Tennessee whiskey and make AOL disc fish wall art." ~ ExRockstar

"I wish I still had the picture, but my friend passed onto me a photo of a chair (more like a throne, if I recall) made entirely of AOL discs." ~ PM_MeYourSmilingFace

Discharge

"Outdated phone chargers." ~ TheBrotherhoods

"A correct phone charger for the device, but it only works in one very specific angle and charges the phone super slow." ~ Karl_the_stingray

"People rave about how good old Nokias were but they forget that if you went up a version like you got upgraded to a 3310 from a 3210 then all your chargers were now something like 0.25mm too small and you had to buy all new ones." ~ erroneousbosh

Interpretations...

"We currently misinterpreted what 'naughty kids get coal' originally meant. For a poor family in December, coal was the difference between warmth and freezing, hot food and not. 'Coal' was not something mean. It was like socks, now." ~ adaza

"Exactly. If the child was selfless, they would get a personal gift as a reward. If the child was selfish, they instead would get a gift to be shared with the family, forcing them to be more altruistic." ~ MoobyTheGoldenSock

Necessities...

toilet paper help GIFGiphy

"Toilet paper. Just like coal, it's something the whole house needs and will use but is going to be bought anyway. It's also consumable and practical just like coal." ~ NeverGetaSpaceship

I could still use toilet paper. You never know when society is gonna go off into the deep end again and buy it all up. Remember the beginning of Covid?

Spin

fidget GIF by Future GenerationsGiphy

"Idk why but I feel like fidget spinners would be pretty infuriating to the masses of children as something that still counts as a gift but is for sure a let down & past trend." ~ mmaster42

Way back when...

"An "Introduction to Windows 95" book." ~ Actual_grass

"There's one of those package shipping stores near me that sells all kinds of miscellaneous stuff. Anything to make a buck. They have a carousel stand with laminated sheets containing tips on how to use various computer programs. Still for sale as of last week: 'Shortcut keys for Windows XP' and 'Tips for using Microsoft Word 2010.'" ~ dartdoug

All Yours...

"He could give kids one of the old cables that was collected over the years but wasn't thrown away because it could need it at some point." ~ CaptWeirdBeard

"I have a tupperware tote full of those things. I'll sell it to Santa for scap value of the copper. You hear that Santa? $5 and it's all yours." ~ GreatJanitor

Dial Up

"A rotary phone." ~ cannotbefaded

"My Grandma had a rotary phone she kept(still worked so why not) as well as having a cordless phone. Had a relative that wanted to use the rotary phone the one time just to use it instead, decided they didn't want to do that again." ~ golden_fli

"Okay, I actually like rotary phones. I was young enough to remember using rotary phones and preferred using them to touch tone phones. Only because it was fun to spin the dial and watch it spin back into place." ~ GreatJanitor

So close...

ronald mcdonald mcdonalds GIFGiphy

" McDonald's toys from 2 years ago. Old enough to not be popular trends, but new enough to not be collector's items." ~ GavinSnowe

McDonald's still has toys? Who knew? And those fidget spinners, how did anyone ever enjoy those? That would set me off as well.


Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.


More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Donald Trump
Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images

MAGA Voter Calls Out Trump For Ruining Their Retirement—And Gets Little Sympathy Online

Yet another MAGA minion expressed voter's remorse online after the Trump administration's ineptitude tanked their retirement plans, but sympathy was hard to find for someone who got what they voted for.

The "Leopards Ate My Face" subReddit (r/LeopardsAteMyFace) curates such posts.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dolly Parton
Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

MAGA Fan Tries To Go After 'Creepy Creature' Dolly Parton—And People Are Not Having Any Of It

A MAGA X user that goes by the name "JULIE DONUTS" found herself on the wrong side of fans of beloved music icon Dolly Parton—yes, Dolly "Imagination Library" Parton, the celebrated humanitarian and activist—after calling her a "creepy creature" for promoting her new book at Costco.

Parton's book Star of the Show: My Life on Stage was released last month. It is a compendium that chronicles a career going stronger than ever after seven decades on stage and includes many photographs and behind-the-scenes moments that any fan of hers will love.

Keep ReadingShow less
Brett Smiley; Donald Trump
Libby O'Neill/Getty Images; Alex Wong/Getty Images

Mayor Urges People To Only Trust Official Sources After Trump Spreads Misinformation About Brown University Shooting

Brett Smiley, the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, urged residents to trust only official sources after President Donald Trump shared misinformation on social media about the mass shooting at Brown University that occured over the weekend.

On Saturday, a shooter opened fire on campus, killing two students and wounding nine others. Authorities identified the deceased as Ella Cook, a second-year student from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an Uzbek national in his first year of studies.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Share The Most Polite Ways To Say 'I Want You To Go Home Now'

Whether we're introverts, people pleasers, or highly sociable, we still all understand that feeling of being tired and wanting to say, 'That's a wrap!" at the end of the day.

But sometimes, we get that feeling while we still have guests in our home, and we have to figure out what to say to get them out of our house, just so we can get some sleep.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mehmet Oz
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images

Dr. Oz Ripped After Telling Federal Workers To Lay Off The Christmas Cookies

Dr. Mehmet Oz—Donald Trump's administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)—sparked backlash after he told federal workers to stop eating so many Christmas cookies, urging them to cut back on how much they eat, emphasizing portion control, and other familiar advice.

In his weekly bulletin titled “From the Administrator’s Desk,” according to emails viewed by WIRED, Oz dedicated an entire section to "Cutting Cubicle Cravings."

Keep ReadingShow less