Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Most Passive-Aggressive Gift They've Ever Received For Christmas

People Share The Most Passive-Aggressive Gift They've Ever Received For Christmas
Photo by Mel Poole on Unsplash

We've all heard the saying, "it's the thought that counts" when it comes to gifts.

But not all thoughts are kind.

While Christmas should be honored with well intended gift exchanges, some people take the opportunity to surprise unknowing receivers with something unpleasant.

Whether they're inspired by a grudge or petty argument, a passive aggressive gift can really spoil the holiday cheer.


Redditor e2hawkeye wanted to hear people's stories about purposefully bad gifts, and asked:

"What was the most passive aggressive gift you ever got for Christmas?"

Saving A Marriage

"My step-dad got my mom Poo-Pourri last year for Christmas. She was pissed lol"

- MrMet25134

"Poo-pourri saved my marriage. I was about to divorce his ass."

- [Reddit]

What's In The Box?

"My girlfriend's decapitated head in a box."

"My brother likes jokes, and homages, and movies; particularly thrillers from the mid 90s. And he adores David Fincher..."

"However he took that one a bit far with his 'homage' the the end of Seven. I've only just forgiven him."

"It was a long 2 weeks of semi-aggressive communication and slights."

- ProgressingSlowly

Not Missing Out On A Good Deal

"My dad said he got grave plots for my sister and I."

"It wasn't the only thing, but he said he got them cheap and didn't want to pass them up 😂"

- ThatFinnishGu

A Potato Legend

"When I was 9 and my brother was 7 we got potatoes for Xmas. (Coal was clearly too hard.)"

"We have that year on video and I’m clearly devastated."

"My little bro was a legend, tho. He states ‘I’m going to have it for breakfast.’ "

"We have a photo of him that year proudly eating his potato for Xmas. He made my mum cook it."

- Lozzif

Oh, Lord

"Lord of the rings films on DVD usually came out to buy around my birthday."

"I wasn't into it, but my Dad was."

"He got it for me several years in a row and then promptly put it on his shelf to watch whenever he wanted."

"When I moved out, I made a point to take them with me since they 'were mine' and he was furious. Yes, the petty revenge was delicious."

- JustJenR

A Gift For Himself

"When I was thirteen my dad told me got me a Christmas present."

"I was soooooo excited! I grew up in a traditional family where my mom did most of the cooking, cleaning, Christmas shopping etc."

"My dad did not normally purchase our Christmas gifts although he paid for them. My mom was always the one that did the majority of the shopping and preparing for Christmas and my dad worked as a full time electrical engineer."

"So I genuinely was excited to see what he picked out for me when Christmas Day came. It was a Sally Fields cookie cookbook."

"I didn’t love baking. My much awaited gift was actually just a nudge to make my dad some homemade cookies."

"I laugh at it now but it was a bit of a disappointment."

- Kylielou2

A Game For A Gamer

"I am 24 and a casual gamer. It's one of my favorite hobbies, though I have many hobbies."

"Anyway my Stepmother always hated it and my Dad who used to love gaming had given it up all together in some facade to appeal to her."

"Last Christmas I received a family game that resembled Kerplunk but with noodles... for Ages 3-7."

"I got her a £50 necklace because my Dad advised strongly for it."

- [Reddit]

Sabotage Chocolates

"My husbands foster mother was really vain, always talking about how small her waistline was— she claimed it was 21” and how at 45 years old she could still put on her wedding dress."

"Unfortunately for me, I had a lot of stress in my life, and at 18 years old I was 8 months pregnant and really hadn’t gained much weight. Looking back at pictures I realize I was really underweight."

"So she buys from the Walmart store this gigantic box of chocolate— the cheap stuff, it literally was 2’x3’."

"I don’t think she knew this but I have a chocolate allergy so the gift was useless. But I always thought this was a sabotage gift to protect her self-image."

- sandee4872

Getting Their Goat

"My parents split up when I was 10."

"My father was majorly depressive and abusive. My mum struggled after the separation and we were pinching pennies just to get by."

"He even refused to pay the $13/fortnight of child support for 3 kids - which didn’t even cover bus fares for 2 days."

"After the divorce had finally settled, a year or two later, my brothers and I received Christmas cards in the mail from his parents. They were those cards donating a goat to a third world country..."

- Shakierag

Dear Diary

"A diary 'to write down my thoughts so I dont talk so much' "

- realdappermuis

Ho ho ho

"My wife gave a very passive/aggressive gift to her brother's girlfriend one year for xmas. It wasn't actually the gift itself, it was the wrapping paper.

You see, this girlfriend was the woman who cheated with him on his wife, causing the marriage to fail and the the family to be split up. As you might imagine, my wife didn't care much for this woman. So, a gift was purchased and wrapped in Xmas paper. The paper had 'Ho Ho Ho' written all over it. Basically, just white paper with Ho Ho Ho.

Everyone got it. New Years was not fun."

Never_Been_Missed

You can't fall off of a video game, just sayin'

"When I was a kid I played a lot of video games and my dad gave me a skateboard in hopes I would go out more often.

Eventually that worked, but with a mountain bike"

zuugzwang

Backpacks are just more practical

"For whatever reason, it drives my boyfriend's mother and aunts bonkers that I use a backpack instead of carrying around a purse a lot of the time (like for going to/from work or just general travels). Every year, someone from that little family group always thinks they're doing me a favor by getting me a purse. They're also not even that great of quality (like it's that cheap pleather that scuffs and looks like crap after a week of use)."

jets3tter094

I would boycott Christmas too

"Half a bar of chocolate , I got my sister the $100 in cash that she insisted on and she got me absolutely nothing at first , but she was shamed by everyone else at the party so she threw a half eaten bar of chocolate at me that she was eating and told me that this was my present.

This year I am not celebrating Christmas. Nobody gets any presents. It will be just an ordinary day for me."

Erisian_Neko

What are you trying to say, mom?

"My mom's bought me a stationary bike and two scales. I feel like she's trying to tell me something"

PenguinSparkles007

This is why they don't visit

"I once had an entire sarcastic christmas where all my family members unanimously decided to get me gag gifts without telling each other. It wasn't a planned thing they just all got me insulting presents without realizing it. I ended up with EU de toilet cologne, a poo emoji stuffed animal (im 23) a shirt with a far right political cartoon insulting Bernie Sanders and a maga hat (im the only family liberal) and a candy cellphone in an iPhone box

Grandma: why don't you come visit?"

victorbarst

A gift only a mother in law would give

"My grandmother (dad's mother) once got my mom tablecloths for Christmas. My mom was not impressed"

fairyfinn

At least you can make a ton of mashed potatoes...?

"My mom got my wife a 10 pound bag of potatoes.

When my wife asked literally 'what the heck', my mom said 'I worked the church food bank last weekend and I knew you were poor so I got you something to help out.'

Yeah.

Mom was something else."

SquidPoCrow

Giphy

Speaks for itself

"a t-shirt saying 'I'm not arguing with you, I'm just explaining why I'm right'"

MarcusofMenace

That backfired

"Cousin gave me a Spice Girls album hoping I wouldn't like it and would give it to her. 'You're a boy, you probably don't even know what Spice Girls is. If you don't like it, you should just give it to me.'

I listened to it so many times in spite if her that eventually all I really really really wanted was a zig-a zig-ahhhh."

thefartographer

That wasn't very subtle...

"My aunt gave me a box of 'Thank You' note cards.

On the gift tag, she wrote: 'You should try using these sometime.'"

Back2Bach

'Santa' should mind his business!

"When I was in middle school, going through my tomboy phase, 'santa' gave me a book called How to Raise a Lady, and when I opened it my mom just looked at me and said 'Maybe Santa is trying to give a hint.'"

azelakoort

Giphy

So who got the iPod?

"When I was younger I managed to somehow lose my retainer at a Denny's. We searched everywhere, including the dumpster for over 30 minutes... my parents were furious. Fast forward a month, and the new iPod is released, and I really want it. I tell my parents that is the only thing I want for Christmas.

Come Christmas time, we are opening gifts and I see one that matches the shape of the iPod box... and sure enough, after unwrapping it - it's the new iPod! I hop up and immediately hug both my parents and I'm jumping around in joy! I sit back down and begin to open the box, and inside this iPod box is a new retainer. No iPod"

Cheesegratersuicide

Don't take your anger out on children

"All growing up my aunt always got me really nice clothing. I always got sweaters or sweatpants from American Eagle or Hollister which were very popular in my tween years. Then, she got mad at my mom for something and I started getting very juvenile presents including a children's robe with Hello Kitty on it that didn't fit, a plastic bracelet loom when I was 17, and a cork board in the shape of a flower."

Erimax24

At least you could donate them

"Pack of underwear from my mother in law 4 sizes too big. Smiled, thanked her, though that was the end. Told my husband I was going to donate them as they were too big. He told his mother and her reaction was, well she will eventually grow into them."

CylonsInAPoliceBox

I bet they never forgot their anniversary again

"One year everyone forgot my grandparents' anniversary (it's sometime in October). That Christmas every family got a professional picture of my grandparents with their anniversary on a plaque on the frame."

nikcoal

Those are the worst gifts under any circumstances

"A bible and a pretty hair band.

I'm a lesbian. At the time I was very butch."

shinyhappycat

Thanks a bunch, dad.

"They've definitely come from my father, both times.
1st time, I had a bad looking beard, so he gave me a pack of razors and some shaving cream.
2nd time, I asked for a pretty large gift -- a laptop. Apparently he didn't like that. He gave me a watch. A watch that he was previously given as a gift but didn't want. A watch that didn't work."

alexdiogenes

I think you can sue your boss for this...

"I had a real bully of a boss that delighted in making me miserable, but I was broke and desperate for a job so I didn't have a lot of options. The bullying kept escalating so I stupidly went to HR (because this was before I realized HR is there to protect the company not the employee). I told them what she'd been doing and gave them as much evidence as I had and told them that she was creating a hostile environment and I was genuinely concerned for my mental health.

Nothing came of the HR meeting and apparently that comment got back to my boss. Christmas rolls around and at the company party the bosses would always give their employees some little something. My co-workers got gift certificates to get a massage. I got a little tin bank that says 'I'm saving up for some therapy.'"

AbortRetryImplode

I'm guessing this is why they're an ex now

"My ex bought a plush raccoon, and then drew tire marks on it to commemorate the time I hit a raccoon while driving. I felt bad about hitting it and cried. Ended up crying again Christmas morning."

Sheldwyn

Giphy

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Barack Obama
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Obama Clarifies His Claim On Podcast That Aliens Are 'Real' After Accidentally Sparking Conspiracy Theories

Former President Barack Obama was forced to clarify his claim on liberal influencer Brian Tyler Cohen's YouTube channel that aliens are "real" after unwittingly sparking conspiracy theories online.

Since the 1980s, conspiracy theorists have claimed Area 51 in Nevada hides aliens. The idea exploded in 2019, when millions online jokingly pledged to storm the base to “see them aliens.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Randy Fine
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

MAGA Rep. Hit With Instant Backlash After Tweeting Truly Vile Post About Muslims And Dogs

Florida Republican Representative Randy Fine is facing harsh criticism after publishing a bigoted tweet that draws a comparison between Muslim people and dogs.

Fine said he was reacting to an online post from Palestinian American activist Nerdeen Kiswani, who wrote that dogs belonged in society but not inside homes, calling them unclean. Kiswani later told NBC News the remark was satirical and part of a local New York debate about dog waste following a recent snowstorm.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hillary Clinton; Donald Trump
Alex Wong/Getty Images; Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Hillary Clinton Epically Calls Out 'Disgraceful' Trump For Working With Putin Against Ukraine: 'He Has Betrayed The West'

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized President Donald Trump and his administration during an exchange at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, saying Trump has "betrayed the West" with his "disgraceful" handling of Ukraine.

In particular, Clinton called out Trump's often deferential attitude toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, who invaded Ukraine in a "special military operation" in 2022. Clinton said that not only are Putin and Trump "profiting" off Ukrainian "misery," Trump is also looking to Putin as a "model" of what a leader can be, effectively betraying Western values.

Keep ReadingShow less
Miss J. Alexander; Tyra Banks
Netflix; Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

Fans Upset After 'America's Next Top Model' Favorite J. Alexander Reveals Tyra Banks Didn't Visit Him After His Stroke In 2022

Tyra Banks wanted to share her side of the story and do some big reveals in the Netflix docuseries Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, but if she was hoping the docuseries would improve her image to the public, she was sadly mistaken.

Past model contestants have already gone public about their time on the show, but now, people from behind the scenes, like one of the show's photographers and judges, Nigel Barker, the creative director, Jay Manuel, and judge and runway coach Miss J. Alexander, have all come forward with their experiences, and the history might be darker than we ever expected.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sarah Spain; JD Vance
@spain2323/Instagram; Kevin Lamarque/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

ESPN Commentator Claps Back After Her Comments About 'Demon' Vance Spark Hate From MAGA Trolls

Emmy-winning sports reporter Sarah Spain drew the ire of the MAGA minions after commenting on having to sit near MAGA Republican Vice President JD Vance at a Team USA women's hockey game. Spain is covering the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.

In addition to her 15 year career at ESPN, Spain also hosts the award-winning daily iHeart women's sports Good Game with Sarah Spain podcast and serves as Content Director for the iHeart Women's Sports Network for iHeartMedia.

Keep ReadingShow less