Christmas gifts we really don’t want

As the festive season comes to a close, share a thought for those who were gifted appalling Christmas presents…

Novelty socks, slogan mugs, pointless kitchen gadgets and bath bombs, the gifts we love to hate. With Christmas done for another eleven months, research reveals that half of Brits were expecting to receive a present during Christmas 2024 they would not like – and top of the list of unwanted gifts is bath bubbles – with 39 percent of those polled insisting a bottle of smellies is an unoriginal and uninspiring gift.

Soap suds even beat novelty items such as novelty ties, or joke jumpers (both 34 percent), while one in three (32 percent) loathe being brought clothing of any sort. The research from card company thortful, who commissioned the research, found that if added up the total spent on gifts which are completely unwanted, is a whopping £1.5 BILLION every year.

In fact, two thirds of us (66 percent) are considering moving to buying more experience-based gifts to save on the waste of physical products. However, if you are a buyer, don’t expect to find out that your gift is wasted as nearly seven in ten (69 percent) of Brits say that they would never let on that they didn’t like a present.

And a third (30 percent) say they are completely used to pretending to like gifts they dislike. However, five percent do admit that they’ve lived through the awkward moment when a loved one found a present they’d given them IN THE BIN.

A third (33 percent) say they would rather not receive a present at all than have something they find underwhelming, while four in ten (43 percent) admit they would prefer to receive a thoughtful, heartfelt Christmas card rather than a gift that felt impersonal.

Pip Heywood, Managing Director at thortful:

“A meaningful message can often mean more than a last-minute, impulse purchase. Our research shows we’re a sentimental nation that appreciates a heartfelt message over wasted presents. This Christmas, we are encouraging more thoughtful, meaningful connections across the nation.”

Regionally the worst gift purchasers are in Leicester where residents have spent at least £240 on gifts they knew were unwanted in the last five years. That’s contrasted with the more frugal citizens of Leeds who have only spent £148.

 Top Gifts We Don’t Want

• Bubble bath – 39%
• Bath Bombs – 35%
• Novelty socks – 34%
• Slogan mugs – 34%
• Clothing  – 29%
• Underwear – 28%
• Slogan t-shirts – 27%
• Books  – 24%
• Useless kitchen gadgets – 20%
• Bad smelling perfume – 19%

The research of 2,000 Britons was commissioned by thortful and conducted by Perspectus Global during October 2024.