The worst ever Christmas presents!

Robert Powell takes a look at the Christmas presents you really don't want to receive!

Personalised socks... scented candles... picture frames; yes, there are some Christmas gifts that turn up in stockings across the country every year.

Of course there’s no universal rule for good and bad Christmas prezzies - I know plenty of people who would be thrilled with five pairs of personalised comedy socks or a candle that smells of gooseberries! And anyway, Christmas isn’t about getting the best presents – it’s about families, friends, goodwill and vast quantities of food and drink!

But let’s be honest, there are still some Christmas gifts that a lot of us would be a little gutted to receive...

No sex toys please – we’re British!

Twenga recently set about trying to find out exactly what presents we would be most disappointed with by surveying over 3,000 internet users across Europe.

Bottom of the pile for us Brits – sex toys!

Here’s a table showing different types of Christmas gifts and the percentage of people surveyed from various European countries that wouldn’t enjoy receiving it:

Source: Twenga (the highest percentage is in bold)

So we Brits would much rather a voucher, tie, scarf or scented candle over a sex toy! The most disappointing gift in Germany is a tie or a scarf with 42% of the Germans surveyed saying that they wouldn’t like to receive one.

Spain has the lowest percentage of people (28%) who would be disappointed if they found a sex toy in their stocking this Christmas Day. Like the Germans, the tie and scarf present does not go down well with Spaniards either – with 53% of people saying they wouldn’t enjoy receiving either of them this Christmas.

Classic presents such as gift vouchers, chocolates and books go down fairly well across the board with under 25% of people in most countries saying they wouldn’t enjoy receiving them.

The survey also places the Germans as the pickiest population to buy for, with over 20% of the survey sample saying they would be disappointed with every gift on the list!

It’s the Italians and the Dutch who are the easiest to buy for – as long as you’re not planning on buying them a tie, scarf or sex toy that is!

For some top tips on Christmas prezzies if you’re still stuck for ideas head to The best last minute Christmas presents! or if you’re hitting the high street today read our Frugal Christmas blogs for some inspiration!

What to do with unwanted presents!

Now I know that I may get accused of sounding ungrateful for saying this, but if you do find that dud gift under the tree this Christmas, you can still turn it into something you want!

In fact, if recent figures are to be believed, one fifth of last minute Christmas shoppers who are stuck for gift ideas will actually buy someone a present they know they won’t like so they will take it back to the shop and exchange it for something they do want! Cunning, ey!?

Of course, if you know where the present has come from, it may be possible to do just this and exchange it. You won’t get any cash back if you don’t have the receipt, but you should be able to either get a credit note or change the item. That said, retailers aren't obliged to do this unless the item is faulty - most simply do it out of goodwill. (Online shopping rights are slightly different.)

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eBay is another good option for selling on unwanted or duplicate gifts – the auction site estimates that over two million unwanted presents are sold on it every January.

Online swap sites also let you trade in dud gifts for something you really want. Perfect if you end up with two Jamie Oliver recipe books when all you really wanted was the Nigella one!

Swapz.co.uk is one of the oldest swap sites around whilst readitswapit.co.uk allows you to trade second hand books. Recycleagift.com is also a great way to turn any unwanted CDs, DVDs, books or games into cold hard cash!

If you don’t fancy selling or trading unwanted or duplicate gifts, there are some charitable options that are more in keeping with the Christmas spirit. JumbleAID allows buyers to pledge donations for your unwanted present. You decide who gets the gift and the money goes straight to a charity of your choice.

And if Santa’s brought you a laptop for Christmas, you can donate your old one to Computer Aid International who will re-use it in one of over 100 countries across Africa and Latin America. You can even track where your old computer ends up!

The worst gifts you’ve ever received!

What’s the worst, funniest or most embarrassing gift you’ve ever received?

Let us know in the comment boxes below.

Of course, you can also include any gifts you’ve spotted that are so bad they’re good! My personal favourites this year include the Margaret Thatcher Nut Cracker, the Racing Royals Wind Up Game and for the person who has everything... the Gift of Nothing.

Merry Christmas!

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