The most unwanted Christmas gifts in the UK, and what to give instead
What UK surveys say are the most unwanted Christmas gifts, the real presents that disappointed people, the gifts never to give and a better choice for each one, plus what to do if you receive one.
One in five UK adults received an unwanted present for Christmas 2024, according to a Which? survey of 2,047 adults in January 2025. The worst Christmas gifts rarely fail on price. They fail because they ignore the person: the wrong football team, biscuits with nuts for someone with a nut allergy, a helicopter ride for someone afraid of flying. Below are the gifts UK surveys rank as the most unwanted, the ones never to give, what to buy instead and what to do when one ends up under your tree.
The most unwanted Christmas gifts, according to UK surveys
Two recent polls asked the question in different ways: one counted the gifts people had been given and did not want, the other asked which gifts people would be unhappy to receive.
| Survey | Who was asked | Top of the unwanted list |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 survey cited by Finder | Sample not stated | Clothes that are not their style (29%), deodorant gift sets (21%), soap gift sets (20%) |
| YouGov, December 2022 | Britons who celebrate Christmas | Handkerchiefs (59% would be unhappy to get them), oranges (48%) |
Finder’s top ten continues with bath salts and bath bombs, novelty socks, hat and scarf sets, candles, pyjamas, mugs and make-up gift sets. In Finder’s own poll of 2,000 adults in November 2024, 58% said they had been given at least one Christmas gift they did not like, and it put the total spend on those gifts at £1.27 billion, or £41 per person.
Why socks and toiletries appear on both lists
The gifts people say they dread are often the ones they say they would welcome. In the YouGov poll, 88% of Britons who celebrate Christmas would be happy to get a jumper, 79% socks and 73% a deodorant or shower gel set. What disappoints is the generic version: novelty socks grabbed in a rush, a gift set in a brand they never use.
The worst Christmas gifts Britons have actually received
Which? asks the public about their presents a few weeks after Christmas. Its surveys for Christmas 2023 and Christmas 2024 turned up these:
- Marmite-scented deodorant
- Used pyjamas
- Out-of-date chocolates
- A Tottenham Hotspur book, for a lifelong Chelsea fan
- A helicopter ride from a daughter, for a parent with vertigo and a fear of flying
- Biscuits with nuts, for someone allergic to them
- A bottle of Buck’s Fizz long past its use-by date, regifted from the year before
- A second-hand tumble dryer
- A toilet seat
What the worst gifts have in common
- They ignore a fact the giver could have checked: an allergy, a football team, a fear.
- They are used or recycled, and it shows.
- They are a chore in wrapping paper, like the toilet seat and the tumble dryer.
- They comment on the body: diet shakes, anti-wrinkle cream, a gym membership nobody asked for.
Gifts you should never give for Christmas
Some gifts go wrong so often that they are best left alone unless the person has asked for them by name.
- A pet as a surprise. An animal means years of care and cost, and the new owner should choose it. Dogs Trust, then called the National Canine Defence League, created the slogan “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas” in 1978.
- Anything that hints at a flaw: bathroom scales, diet books, anti-ageing cream, hair-loss shampoo.
- Food and drink that clash with a diet or a faith: meat for a vegetarian, wine for someone who does not drink.
- Underwear or nightwear for anyone other than a partner.
- Used items passed off as new, and regifts that stay in the same circle of friends.
- A gift that is really for you: the gadget you plan to borrow, the album you want them to like.
What to give instead of the worst Christmas gifts
Almost every item on the unwanted lists has a version people are glad to unwrap. Swap the generic choice for the specific one:
| Unwanted gift | Why it misses | Give this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Clothes in a guessed style | Taste and fit are personal | A gift card for the shop they already buy from |
| Deodorant or soap gift set | A brand picked at random | A large bottle of the brand already in their bathroom |
| Bath salts and bath bombs | No use without a bath, or the time for one | Hand cream or lip balm for winter |
| Novelty socks and joke gifts | Funny on the day, then a drawer | Warm walking socks, or a joke based on a story you share |
| Hat and scarf set | Rarely matches their coat | One good scarf in a colour they already wear |
| Scented candle | Scent is personal | A refill of the candle they already burn |
| Mug | Most cupboards are already full | Coffee, tea or hot chocolate they will use up |
| Something they already own | Nobody checked | A quick question to their partner, parent or flatmate |
Small things that get used up rarely end up in a drawer. Our stocking fillers are sorted by budget, and the Stockings, Sacks & Fillers range has the stockings and sacks to put them in.
Embracing Mindfulness
31 mindfulness challenge cards, one task a day, 7 x 12 cm, boxedHow to avoid buying a dud: the 7 gift rule and other checks
Gift rules are popular with parents who want to keep a child’s list under control, and there is no official version. The four gift rule is the best known: something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read. A common seven gift version adds something to do, something to share and something to make. For adults, a few checks matter more than any rule:
- Check the facts you could get wrong: size, football team, diet, allergies, fears.
- Ask for a list, or for a link to the wish list they already keep.
- Ask a partner, parent or flatmate whether they already own it.
- For a work Secret Santa, stick to the agreed budget and keep it neutral. Our Secret Santa gift ideas are sorted by budget and by person, and the Secret Santa gifts collection has small presents that suit most colleagues.
- Ask for a gift receipt. Which? points out that a present with a gift receipt can be exchanged at the retailer.
What to do with an unwanted Christmas gift
Most people keep an unwanted present or pass it on rather than take it back. This is what Which?’s respondents did with the gifts they did not want from Christmas 2024:
- Almost halfkept it anyway
- 1 in 10gave it to a family member or friend
- 1 in 10donated it
Returns are the exception. In Which?’s survey for Christmas 2023, one in seven people with an unwanted gift managed to return it.
Returning it
UK rules treat shops and online orders differently. In a shop you have no automatic right to a refund for a change of mind, so it depends on the retailer’s own policy. For goods bought online, by phone or by post, the buyer can cancel within 14 days of delivery and then has another 14 days to send the item back. Personalised items, perishables such as flowers and sealed hygiene items such as underwear, once opened, are excluded.
For online orders, often only the buyer can start a return, and the refund usually goes back to the account that paid. If the order was marked as a gift, the retailer’s policy may let the recipient return it. Which? also warns that when a retailer goes bust, its administrators decide whether to honour gift cards, and that many gift cards carry an expiry date.
Regifting it
- Only regift something new and unopened, in its original packaging.
- Pass it outside the circle of the person who gave it to you.
- Check inside the box for a card or a tag with your name on it.
- Keep a note of who gave you what, so it never goes back to the sender.
For presents that suit the person rather than the season, see our Christmas gift ideas for everyone on your list, or fill a stocking with small, useful things from our Christmas stockings and stocking fillers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most unwanted Christmas gift?
It depends on the poll. A 2024 survey cited by Finder put clothes that are not the person’s style first, at 29%, ahead of deodorant gift sets at 21%. Of the gifts YouGov tested in its 2022 poll, handkerchiefs were the one the most people would be unhappy to receive.
What is the least popular Christmas gift?
On YouGov’s figures, handkerchiefs: 59% of Britons who celebrate Christmas said they would be unhappy to get them, and only 34% would be happy. Oranges also split opinion, with 48% unhappy and 43% happy.
What is one gift you should never give someone for Christmas?
A pet, unless the whole household has planned for it. A dog or a cat needs years of care and money, and the new owner should pick the animal. Dogs Trust has made that point with its Christmas slogan since 1978.
What gifts should not be gifted?
Anything used, anything that suggests a flaw, such as scales or anti-ageing cream, food that clashes with someone’s diet, and underwear for anyone except a partner. Skip gifts that are really for you too, like a gadget you hope to borrow.
What is the 7 gift rule for Christmas?
It caps presents at seven, each from a set category. There is no official list, but a common one is something they want, need, wear and read, plus something to do, something to share and something to make. A family can split the categories, with each relative buying one.
What is a gift everyone wants?
No gift suits everyone, but warm basics come close. In YouGov’s 2022 poll, 88% of Britons who celebrate Christmas said they would be happy to receive a jumper, 81% slippers and 79% socks. Check the size and style before you buy.
What is the hottest Christmas gift this year?
It changes week by week through November and December, so a live best-seller chart tells you more than any annual list. For children, the Toy Retailers Association publishes its DreamToys list each year, a panel’s pick of the most wanted new toys.
Is it rude to regift a Christmas present?
Not if it is new, unopened and suits the new owner. In Which?’s January 2025 survey, one in 10 people with an unwanted gift passed it on to a family member or friend. Keep it away from the original giver’s circle and check it for a tag with your name.
