Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Most Useless Gifts People Have Ever Received

The Most Useless Gifts People Have Ever Received
Kateryna Hliznitsova/Unsplash

Reddit user magdalene_kk asked: 'what's the most useless gift you've ever gotten?'

Let's be honest. We all enjoy the kind gesture of gift-giving–especially when you're on the receiving end.

Sometimes the gift you receive symbolizes friendships, or something simple that acknowledges how special you are from a work colleague.

Even gag gifts are fun. After all, the gift-giver has taken the time to look for an item that will trigger a hilarious response, knowing you might get a kick out of it, perhaps due to an inside joke.

After all, it's the thought that counts, right?

Occasionally, however, you might receive a gift that will make you want to hide an ungrateful expression on your face as people are watching.

What could those be?


Strangers online had a few ideas after Redditor magdalene_kk asked:

"What's the most useless gift you've ever gotten?"

Intentions behind these gifts were questioned.

Wrong Size

" Clothes that were too small. Intentionally small."

"I’m a size 4 (I’m short). My aunt got me some really nice tops in a size 0 because 'you looked so good last summer when you got all svelte.'”

"I had bronchitis and lost 10lbs."

– Dramiotic

Reading Material

"My former MIL used to 'gift' me all the owners manuals from her small appliances purchased in last year as an actual Christmas gift. The first year this happened I was very perplexed. She of course explained 'I read of these things'. For stuff I actually owned but for her electric knife sharpener or (my favorite) the garbage disposal they had installed lol"

– Mundane-Cabinet9883

Not A Win-Win

"I was in college across the country but went to visit my mother. For Christmas she gave me a stack of board games (trivial pursuit, Life...) but when I want to leave she said they had to stay there. We never played [board] games but she wanted an excuse to buy them for herself. Thanks.... merry Christmas I guess."

– azorianmilk

Sometimes, the gift-giver is a little presumptuous thinking the recipient would actually use and appreciate the gift.

Niche Appliance

"A quesadilla maker. I know their heart was in the right place, but it was HUGE, impossible to clean, and doesn't do anything that I can't already do with a normal non-stick frying pan. One of quickest gifts I've ever gotten rid of after taking it home. It was literally too big for any of our cupboards."

– DevinBelow

The Dullest Cut

"That's such a mood. Got a set of knives from my parents a couple years back. I do a lot of cooking, they thought it would be a nice gift. The knives themselves were trash, I can stand the chefs knife point first on the back of my hand and it won't break the skin. And the block they came in couldn't be cleaned, so that's not much use either. I don't want to be ungrateful, but holy hell."

– CheesusAlmighty

Not For Every Occasion

"My wife got me a travel lint roller for Christmas. Granted I was on my way to Iraq...so technically I was about to travel, but lint was the least of my worries."

– GOAT0352

Out Of Tune

"A Harmonica from my mother one Christmas."

"She said it was something musical and cost her €30, I was convinced it was the Red Hot Chili Pepper DVD I kept mentioning and really wanted."

"I was really into playing guitar at the time, but had zero interest in a harmonica in some random off key."

– PatTheLogicalLiar

And these just might be the absolute worst, "Are you kidding me?" type gifts.

Ye Olde Log

"My MIL regifted me a Christmas gift she never even opened. It was a loaf of homemade sourdough bread that had undergone a year of anaerobic decomposition."

– zenos_dog

No Value

"An expired gift card…"

– Chaitoshi

"I've gotten those too. They're usually just gift cards someone else has gotten, but never got around to using."

– JackFisherBooks

Sugar Rush

"Cheap sweets from my in laws. Like off brand cookies, donuts, etc. After the conversation about being diabetic. Also after a conversation about my parents being pastry chefs. I didn't take them with me when I left their house."

– cardinal1977

Imposter

"A cheap knock-off Barbie doll. It was a secret Santa gift the girl who gave it to me said it could be my girlfriend. I just gave it to my niece who wasn't so thrilled about it either."

– Beneficial-Jelly5746

You don't have to spend a lot of money to delight someone with a gift.

But if you're going to spend a few bucks on the cheapest knock-off brand treats from the dollar store, make sure you remember the person for whom it's intended isn't a diabetic.

Also, don't dump your unwanted Christmas presents from last year under the guise of a goodwill gesture.

That's just unacceptable.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Stefan Molyneux; Charlie Kirk
@StefanMolyneux/X; Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

Far-Right Podcaster Gets Epic Fact-Check After Claiming Charlie Kirk Never Called Anyone A 'Fascist'

Stefan Molyneux, an Irish-born Canadian White nationalist podcaster who promotes conspiracy theories, White supremacy, scientific racism, and the men's rights movement, jumped to MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's and his fellow hatemonger Charlie Kirk's defense on X.

Writer Peter Rothpletz (Peter Twinklage) shared Trump's widely criticized Truth Social post about Rob Reiner after the actor, writer, director, philanthropist, and activist and his wife were murdered.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tucker Carlson; Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Doug Mills - Pool/Getty Images

Tucker Carlson Dragged After His Conspiracy Theory Prediction About Trump's Speech Is Way Off

Former Fox News personality turned far-right podcaster Tucker Carlson was widely mocked after he made a bold prediction about what President Donald Trump would announce during his primetime address to the nation on Wednesday—namely that the U.S. would go to war with Venezuela.

But it turns out Carlson was very, very wrong. The speech was nowhere near that consequential and Trump spent the majority of it complaining about former President Joe Biden.

Keep ReadingShow less
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; JD Vance
Andres Kudacki/Getty Images; Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Getty Images

AOC Has Iconic Reaction After She's Asked If She Could Beat JD Vance In 2028 Presidential Election

New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had quite the response to recent polling that suggested she could beat Vice President JD Vance in a hypothetical 2028 presidential election.

A new poll from The Argument/Verasight shows Ocasio-Cortez narrowly edging out Vance in a hypothetical 2028 presidential matchup, with 51 percent of respondents backing her and 49 percent supporting him.

Keep ReadingShow less
marathon runner on starting block
Braden Collum on Unsplash

People Break Down The Greatest Comeback Stories They've Ever Heard

At the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, runner Billy Mills won the 10k meter race—the first and still only runner from the United States to win Olympic gold in the 10k.

Mills is a member of the Oglala Lakȟóta tribe of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Sioux Nation) from Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Mills' Mother Grace died when he was 8 years old and his Father Sidney died when he was 12.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Who Work In Someone Else's Home Share The Most Revealing Things They've Noticed

Going into strangers' homes isn't the most fun thing to do.

I always get nervous.

Keep ReadingShow less