What are your ‘pet hate’ Christmas presents?

[YellowsunriseClara]

Lighthearted thread, as I’m sure everyone is grateful for any gift they receive.

Just with Christmas coming up I’m wondering which gifts you are dreading getting (but know you’ll probably get)

Mine are the Lynx women gifts sets (hate it but seem to get it every year!)
Any Poundland creams as they seem to make my skin itchy and red
Anything Bayliss & Harding (I know there is another thread about that)
Cheap perfume that smells like paint stripper
Obvious second had gifts that the giver didn’t want for themselves (it’s usually something totally unrelated to the things you’re interested in)

One year my friend got me some unwrapped Poundland glitter body spray, not sure why as I’ve never worn the stuff and it was clear that it was in the back of her wardrobe from a while ago

When anyone asks "what should I get for a teacher or TA from my child?" I reply "get all your child's uniform and school stuff out and clearly lable it." 😂 I'm not a teacher or TA but I know a few.

Oh god yes! Along with not complaining when unlabelled things get lost (no, I won't know your child's jumper by sniffing it). The greatest present of all

I agree about the Lynx women gift sets. I don't see why anyone would want this over the age of about 14.

Also, anything from the 'secret Santa' section that is completely useless.

Mugs
Candle holders
Body shop grapefruit scented anything (smells like BO)
Photo frames
Books full of inspiring sayings

Christmas themed things as unusable at other times
Hand creams - I just dont use them enough, like other toiletries gifts

We only exchange gifts with two other sets of adults, close family, so don’t really encounter a lot of the ‘need to spend £5 on x’ type stuff, but my pet hate is ‘personalised’ tat. One of our present-giving sets genuinely have no insight at all and have seized on giving us mugs with awful photos of ourselves on (think grey faced grimaces with red eyes) or cheap glasses with a Purple Ronnie transfer and our names on. It’s all awful. My MiL gives me the same box of chocolate every year - they are expensive but just too sweet for me, so others benefit from them. All other gifts are bought on advice, bad gift giving being an admittedly familial issue with my in-laws.

Like most people on here, I am really uncomfortable with ‘stuff’ for the sake of it, for various reasons,so will save up things I need to become Christmas presents and am lucky the list system enables that to happen! I’m also grateful to the 2019 PP who posted the link to Kiva loans.

When anyone asks "what should I get for a teacher or TA from my child?" I reply "get all your child's uniform and school stuff out and clearly lable it." 😂 I'm not a teacher or TA but I know a few.
Also teach your child to tie their own shoes, refrain from eating bogeys and wiping their nose on sleeves.

DP's grandma always buys us a book to choose a hotel from. Apparently you're meant to choose one and make a booking for free. Except every time we've tried to use it the hotel has either a) never heard of the deal or b) say you can only go midweek and if you book and pay for two other nights. So what turns into a free night away is actually an expensive mini break somewhere you're not that fussed about going in somewhere like Nottingham.

Thornton's chocolates
Anything obviously regifted
Any novelty tat
Gift vouchers are boring - would rather just some cash tbh

Chemical ridden awful scented candles.

A massive picture of a crying clown in a nasty 50s frame. One for the new years eve bonfire.

Body scrub and body lotion specifically. My body doesn't need scrubbing and body lotion is too watery for my rhino hide.

‘Experience’ days, we’ve had these a couple of times but I work shifts, including weekends and it usually means having to use an annual leave day to go somewhere I’m not that bothered about. Especially as the times/days you can book are usually very restricted.

Cheap makeup sets. Some friends of the family were terrible for this when I was younger. There were 4 people who bought for me and I’d much rather have had a £20 voucher collectively to spend on brands that I liked, even if I had to add some money to it myself. Instead I got 4/5 of those 100 eyeshadows/lipsticks/nail varnishes sets from the market. They were terrible; no pigment, strange colours and streaky.

Lindt chocolate, I find it really sickly and would never choose it. Genuinely don’t get the love for it. If high end I like Fortnum & Mason, if not then I prefer Lidl chocolate.

I know this will sound awful but I do hate lovely parents wasting their money on 'best teacher' gifts. I really don't want all those teddies, mugs, plaques etc in my house and I feel bad for people wasting their money! I do appreciate every present bit if they do want to buy me something I'd much rather have a bar of chocolate!
Aldo hate obvious regifted presents and mugs! We are drowning in mugs and no one drinks hot chocolate so those hot chocolate mug sets are wasted here!

Just imagine all the bosses at Boots, sitting at their round table in the spring time, hellfire blazing around them as they cackle and plot this years Baylis & Bullshit offering in the Christmas 3 for 2...

My mil once gave me a gift set i had given her the year before, def the same set
Alcohol, everyone knows i dont drink so why give me flipping wine?!
Bayliss and harding anything, absolute pish
Clothes when they clearly dont know my size
Huge gift packs from savers or bodycare thats only a tenner for showergel, soap, bath petals, hand wash, hand cream, body cream and like 5 other things, this is the usual from mil even though she knows i have expensive tases for shower gel etc so just give me a tenner. Ends up straight in the bin.
Towie or similar perfume sets, no thanks