Buying an affordable and appropriate Christmas present isn’t the hardest thing in the world, so how come we’ve all experienced a forgettable gift during the holiday season? Maybe my personal bad gifts were because I thought too much about the whole thing and should have instinctively left. But in saying that, going for the obvious and sending a gift card or coupon is simply thoughtless. So here it is, my list of the worst Christmas gifts of all time – I have to admit that I actually bought one for a family member, the other two, unfortunately, were given to me.

Electronic gifts from Santa. I think three words that should never go together, just like the electronic stuff that Santa says really does. Here’s a basic rule of thumb I guess, if Santa does something when he puts the batteries in the back and flips the switch to the ON position, there is probably a reason why the Christmas present is on the worst gift list. I have seen a mountain climber Santa Claus, a flying trapeze Santa Claus, a Santa Claus in sunglasses who said a funny phrase when you got too close. Anyway, the basic rule is true, Santa doesn’t need batteries, period.

Art is a personal gift idea. Certainly art is a magnificent impulse to reflect on the meaning of life and appreciate the intricate design of the universe, but as a gift it is pretentious, opinionated, and highly likely to raise eyebrows. You see, art is one of the most personal gifts you can imagine, so for me to offer you an abstract wildflower print and really appreciate the idea is not even remotely likely. More specifically, I would kindly return the art and suggest that it look better on another wall. I haven’t received art yet, but I have given it and they don’t talk about it much so I guess it wasn’t appreciated.

Discount on office supplies purchased in gift baskets. Do you know what they are: small baskets filled with cheap 7 Eleven chocolates, a candy cane and some waffle cookies and underneath plastic with a small basket? I’m not sure if it was because I was working in a factory and things weren’t going too well for the boss, but when Christmas rolled around, the pay clerk put us all in line and handed out a little basket with these things in it. . to all floor employees. The gift basket still had the discounted office supplies tag on the bottom. Surely the worst gift of all!

Another worst Christmas gift idea is the coupon or store voucher. They force you to select a gift from a specific store, which is almost worse than just throwing away some cash. And just a little more thought goes into it too. So the worst Christmas gift idea is the gift voucher.

When you’re thinking of Christmas gifts, avoid my worst list and take a little time to make a meaningful and memorable Christmas gift. There is so much out there that it really is no excuse for making the worst list of gift ideas.