I got to the end of the tread thinking he had bought you a trowel. And someone said he was having a dig, I thought they were making a hilarious joke.
SOrry.
A towel is a shit present. And when given to you because you had used his, it's also definitely having a go at you.
My dh got into the habit of buying me jewellery every single birthday. I hated feeling ungrateful, but I rarely wear jewellery, and it really came across as thoughtless, even if it was expensive iyswim. I had to sit him down and tell him to stop buying me jewellery, and we had a massive row about it I remember. But I was really offended tbh, because it was so lazy and thoughtless.
I would prefer something that cost one pound that I wold like.
Now I actually prefer not to get anything. I can see your dh, as well as many other people who find it difficult to think of presents, then it ends up being really stressful to desperately try and produce something.
My solution, is agree on no presents or a token consumable, or you give him a specific list to choose from. Now dh and I don't do presents specifically, but if we see something we will buy it, so it's actually more of a surprise to get a random present, and more fun, because we buy something we think the other will like when we see it, without the stress of time pressure. eg my dh last week presented me with a pair of socks, but he had had them personalised with my favourite picture of my dog 
They are so cool, and make me smile, much better than and necklace or bunch of flowers, and it was a total surprise at the end of a long day in rainy October, so I really treasure that.
I am not, however, expecting anything for Christmas.
Sorry for waffling. but your towel was shit, I can see either he panicked, he's a git or he's just crap at presents. Try to talk and work out a solution you can both live with. And he can and should find other ways to make you feel loved and appreciated.