Which Popular Holiday Gifts Are The Worst To Get?

The moment of dread has arrived: You have to open gifts in front of your loved ones, and pretend you like what they’ve given you, no matter if it’s a bottle of peppermint schnapps or a candle shaped like a Christmas tree that smells like a car air freshener. But this year, perhaps if we reflect upon the gifts people hate getting the most, we can avoid those items and bring more cheer than fear.

Our esteemed cohorts at Consumer Reports conducted a survey to find which gifts are the worst to get (not including like, four loose hangers you don’t need anymore, or a window scraper and wiper fluid from the gas station), and found that right on top of that list is whiskey, vodka, brandy, rum and other spirits, with 25% surveyed saying booze is the least desirable gift (everyone’s drunk uncles must not have been surveyed)

That is, however, not including wine — only 6% of respondents said they wouldn’t want a bottle during the holidays as a gift.

Also high on the list of least desirable holiday loot: 23% named flowers and plants as the worst to get, and 13% put the kibosh on candles, picture frames and other home decor items.

There’s still time to correct your shopping mistakes, too — as of Dec. 2, a full 30% of Americans said they still hadn’t started shopping yet.

Socks — when in doubt, go with socks. There’s a magical age at about 18 when you realize that getting socks as presents instead of buying them is pretty awesome.

The worst holiday gift you could give [Consumer Reports]

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