People have different ideas about what gift-giving should look like, with some believing it’s about giving personalized presents. In contrast, others use it to gift themselves what they want. The following stories show how people have turned the tradition into something terrible.
Gift-giving is a fun way for people to show each other how much they appreciate one another, but sometimes, the presents given aren’t welcome. The following five stories show how gift-giving ruined these people’s celebrations.
Taking to Reddit, a woman revealed that she and her husband had been together for three years, and on the year they celebrated their first Christmas together, they followed tradition. The tradition was that they had to buy gifts separately for each other.
While rummaging through some things at their house, the original poster (OP) accidentally came upon her husband’s Christmas gift list, and out of curiosity, she read it. She discovered that his friends and extended family were at the top of his gift-buying list.
Some of his most expensive presents were a wristwatch worth $600 for a coworker, a $250 bracelet for his sister-in-law, and $900 workout gear for his friend. OP couldn’t wait to see what he’d gotten her for Christmas after seeing what other people were getting.
However, she was left disappointed when she finally got to her name on the list. Instead of something extravagant like the rest of those on his list, he bought her a stainless steel kitchen spoon set worth $20. The woman was stunned and couldn’t ignore the hurt she felt inside, with her stating:
“I was too shocked to ignore this, and I had a confrontation with him about it.”
When she asked him about the cheap gift, her husband said he could give whatever he wanted because the purchase was made with his money. She insisted that she felt disrespected by his lack of thoughtfulness, but he argued that she should appreciate his gift regardless of the cost.
The confrontation upset her husband, but she also couldn’t easily forget the incident because she felt he didn’t value her as much as she appreciated him. OP even revealed that she bought him his favorite shoes or gaming gear during their dating years.
However, in this situation, he slammed her for being an “ungrateful, spoiled brat.” He went so far as to ask her to get rid of her selfish attitude and accept what she was receiving for Christmas. Since then, he’s refused to talk to her because he thought she was ridiculous.
His actions left OP torn and unsure of what to do, so she sought the opinions of Reddit users. To her surprise and sadly, people told her the same thing: her husband didn’t value her the same way he valued his friends.
Other people thought OP’s husband’s behavior warranted a divorce, while someone else urged her to exchange whatever she’d gotten him for something cheaper. Sadly, OP wasn’t the only person complaining about receiving an inferior gift for a special occasion.
A woman revealed on Reddit that her fiancè was a pediatrician who earned more than her while she worked as a hairstylist. Earning less, however, wasn’t an excuse she used to avoid getting him a good Christmas present. For months, she saved up so she could afford to get him the one gift he’d been raving about for months but never bought: a PlayStation 5 (PS5).
It was challenging to find the gift, as everyone wanted the same console. However, after some struggles and determination, OP found the console through a relative who added a markup to the standard retail price.
That same year, her fiancè launched his private practice and was now in a much better financial state than before. His income was so stable that he gave his parents his old apartment. He also gifted his brother his old Mercedes Benz with expensive customizations.
Days before Christmas Day, OP’s fiancè was engulfed by patients. Seeing as he hadn’t bothered to ask OP what she wanted for the holiday, she decided to bring it up. She told him about all the valuable things she’d need in the coming year, and he paid attention throughout.
OP got the impression that he understood what she was hinting at, and when Christmas Day arrived, her fiancè’s family celebrated with them. Everyone started exchanging gifts, and OP’s husband handed her the gift he’d gotten her.
To her surprise, it was a pack of toothpicks, which caused his younger sister to giggle while recording the entire thing. OP blinked in disbelief as she was stunned and hadn’t expected toothpicks as a gift. To make matters worse, her fiancè made it seem like she was making things awkward.
He even asked her if she accepted his gift or if he should give it to his niece. OP shared how he insisted she take the gift and thanked her for the PS5 she’d gotten him. Still stunned, she walked out and calmed herself in the bathroom.
She could still hear his family giggling; all she wanted to do was cry. Her fiancè knocked on the door and said it was a prank, blaming the whole thing on his younger sister, who’d suggested it to him. OP lost her mind and started yelling at him, causing his family to gather to watch them fight.
She called him “childish” and “insensitive,” while he claimed she overreacted. OP decided to spend the rest of Christmas at her mother’s house when she had enough. Her future mother-in-law called her and blamed her for ruining everyone’s mood.
However, OP’s mother defended her, saying everyone was wrong for participating in such a cruel joke. The next day, OP’s fiancè showed up with what was supposed to be her actual gift. He even apologized and reiterated that the whole thing was his sister’s idea.
OP felt the prank wasn’t funny and that her fiancè’s 23-year-old sister had no business doing pranks, and neither did he as the eldest of four children. Reddit users ultimately confirmed that she wasn’t in the wrong for how she reacted to the cruel prank. OP wasn’t the only one who received a bad gift; the man’s wife even pushed for revenge in the following story!
A Redditor and her husband spent years failing to gift each other presents on Christmas Day due to their financial situation. Instead, OP would always buy presents for their children and her in-laws. However, ten days ahead of one Christmas Day, her husband came home with a large box.
He excitedly told her he’d gotten it, leaving her doubtful about what it was. OP’s intuition told her that the gift wasn’t hers but something her husband wanted for himself. On Christmas Eve, everyone opened their gifts.
OP’s husband pushed her to quickly open the gift he’d gotten her, claiming she would love it. She calmly opened the box and saw a wet and dry vacuum cleaner; saying she was upset was an understatement.
OP had been content to sweep and mop the floors as they had hardwood and linoleum floors and felt she didn’t need the vacuum cleaner. Then her husband’s true intentions were revealed when he explained that he needed the machine for his garage as it also sucked up water, with OP adding:
“He said it worked great cause he already tried it before wrapping it up.”
It was clear to her that he’d bought the gift for himself, and it saddened her because she would have appreciated a cheap necklace over such an unthoughtful gift. That night, she couldn’t look at him and refused to go to bed with him, opting to sleep in the living room instead.
When her husband found his gift was the reason for her behavior, he slammed her for being selfish. He told her that gifts should be what the entire family could use, not what they wanted individually.
After hearing that statement from him, OP stayed awake and plotted revenge. It’d take a year before she could actualize it, but she didn’t mind. When Christmas came around again, she got a huge box and placed it under the tree.
On Christmas Eve, while opening presents, OP’s husband’s eyes lit up when he saw the large box. He got even more excited when he discovered the box was his present. He hurriedly opened it and was stunned to see a case of toilet paper inside. Then, his wife quoted him saying:
“Christmas was not for what we would want, but what we as a family need or could use.”
That evening, he complained about the gift to everyone in their family. His brothers and the rest of the family argued that he deserved it. The woman’s bold move was pivotal in their family. Since then, no husband in the family has ever dared to buy their wife a vacuum cleaner or anything similar for Christmas!
Reddit users were impressed with OP’s revenge story, while others also shared the bad gifts they’d gotten from their significant others. Unlike the OP in the previous story, this next one was upset when her gift was retracted and changed to something else.
In late November 2023, a Reddit user took to the “AITA” forum seeking advice concerning a situation that stirred strong emotions within her. Despite her genuine love for her in-laws and their consistent support, a particular incident triggered anger she hadn’t experienced.
The Redditor explained how she and her husband initially planned on spending Christmas in Jamaica, but the trip was canceled due to her father-in-law suffering a heart attack. The older man subsequently had open-heart surgery earlier in November.
OP didn’t resent the cancelation, and she didn’t mind spending time with her in-laws instead. She also revealed that she wasn’t necessarily looking to get a gift for the holidays, but to her surprise, they each offered a substantial sum for the holidays — more than her monthly income.
OP was excited, especially since she and her husband had been under financial strain due to the recent circumstances. The money offered could help them alleviate their debt and return to a more stable financial position. For two weeks, the couple believed they would get generous financial assistance.
Sadly, her dreams were shattered when she made a startling discovery. OP discovered that their gift would now be reduced to just a spa date. Her sister-in-law (SIL) and her boyfriend expressed their wish to join the family in Italy in the summer, but they couldn’t afford to pay for their flights and food. So her husband’s parents offered to cover the accommodation as their Christmas gift.
After learning about her in-laws’ change of plans, OP felt terrible and lamented, “It feels like a big slap in the face; they offered me basically my monthly income and instead are only going to give a prepaid weekend that I honestly don’t even want?”
OP also complained about the weekend costing more than $1000 less than what they offered her and her husband, to begin with. Her frustration was mainly due to the stark economic disparity within her husband’s family.
She pointed out that they were the least well-off, with her SIL earning more in one paycheck than she did in an entire month. Adding to the financial contrast, the military service of other family members resulted in considerably lower monthly bills.
OP wished to inform her mother-in-law (MIL) that offering substantial money, only to retract it later, felt insensitive. She believed her in-laws might view it merely as a number without fully grasping its impact on their financial situation.
Reflecting on past holiday experiences, she admitted a longstanding discomfort with the family’s tradition of exchanging extravagant gifts. She contemplated addressing the issue, wondering if she would be considered inconsiderate.
OP promised to maintain a calm and collected demeanor if she were to approach the conversation. She planned on expressing her hurt at the insensitivity of casually throwing around large sums when their financial situation was far from secure.
The Redditor reached out to the platform, wondering if she would be bad if she told her MIL that her Christmas gift felt like a slap in the face after what she had initially offered. Most of the Reddit community thought she was in the wrong.
Some said she was misguided in holding feelings of resentment and disdain towards her in-laws. Several commenters expressed that OP was ungrateful and seemed to blame her in-laws for her financial struggles. Others perceived the offered spa weekend getaway as a genuinely generous gift. Last but not least is a story about a woman whose gifts weren’t well appreciated by her in-laws.
In December 2022, a woman shared on Reddit that she was engaged to her fiancé, Noah, and spent her first Christmas with his family. The arrangement was made after she and Noah moved to be closer to them after he graduated from college.
The couple was set to marry in February, and they were expecting their first child in May. OP didn’t have a family of her own and tried to express her gratitude to Noah’s close-knit family through carefully chosen gifts.
She wanted to ensure each person received something they would love, so she crafted a book sleeve for one sister adorned with details from her favorite books. OP also created clothes for another niece’s stuffed animal, aware of her being on the spectrum.
Sadly, her attempts to make amends were futile, with one of Noah’s sisters calling her a stalker to her face.
She also recognized that Noah’s mother wished for a genuine jewelry box, so she chose one the older woman had previously admired. For her fiancé’s father, she purchased a spacious office frame capable of holding family photos.
The gift addressed his longstanding complaint of not finding one large or elegant enough to hold family photos. She filled it with images provided by Noah. For her fiancé’s other sister, she bought her favorite makeup, alleviating her recent budget constraints.
She also gave Noah’s brother a signed piece of memorabilia from his favorite sports. For the remaining nieces and nephews, she fulfilled wish list items their parents had yet to acquire. Noah assured her that his family would love her carefully selected gifts.
However, on Christmas Day, OP noticed a shift in the atmosphere. Though Noah had suggested that her efforts weren’t necessary, emphasizing the extensive time and effort she had invested in tracking down specific items, OP couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss during the celebration, with her saying:
“I spent the whole time worrying that I had bought them stuff they didn’t like anymore or something.”
Her fiancé’s family didn’t say anything, but the next day, they asked Noah what she had been thinking: buying them such personal items like a stalker since she was almost a stranger to them. OP was left distressed and offered them her sincerest apologies during their subsequent encounter.
Sadly, her attempts to make amends were futile, with one of Noah’s sisters calling her a stalker to her face. The sister even went as far as telling her that it was no wonder OP’s family didn’t want her if she was so “creepy” to do things like that.
Noah intervened, defending his fiancée and expressing his disagreement with his family’s reaction. OP apologized again and told them she didn’t mean to hurt anyone and would learn from it. Sadly, they told her she had overstepped.
Her fiancé believed she hadn’t done anything wrong and didn’t deserve his family’s hard criticism. He felt she deserved an apology, but the emotional turmoil left OP grappling with whether she should seek external opinions on her actions.
Adding a layer to the complexity, OP revealed her difficult upbringing, growing up in an unhappy home with unkind parents and a strained relationship with her older sister. Her sister’s animosity stemmed from their shared experiences with their parents.
It led to OP being left with no familial support by the age of 16 and experiencing homelessness for a significant period. Despite having spoken with her fiancé’s family on the phone, she had only met them in person recently due to the challenges posed by COVID-19 and living in different cities at the time. Their familial dynamics were reportedly harmonious before these events unfolded.
She mentioned that the family did not return the gifts but gave her gift cards. OP also noted Noah’s plan to address the situation with his family once he calmed down, highlighting his readiness to reconsider their relationship if apologies were not offered.
