A new study confirms what many of us already knew: in-laws are the worst when it comes to giving presents at Christmas. That’s right. Mother and father in-laws have the worst reputation for giving gifts which either upset, offend or bewilder the rest of the family.
Guess who else sucks at giving Christmas presents?
According to this study of 2,000 adults, commissioned by Vistaprint UK via OnePoll.com, work colleagues, aunts and sisters also often give gifts which never get used.Here’s what else they discovered…
— One in twenty people even say their PARTNER often fails to get it right, with one in ten falling out with a loved one after they picked a terrible present.
— One in six would rather hide the gift somewhere in the house rather than admit they don’t like it, and 25% of respondents would re-wrap and re-gift to someone else.
— Almost half will take the present to a charity shop so someone else can benefit from their misfortune.
— Almost six in ten people receive up to five presents each Christmas which they then never use – while just over half receive up to the same number each birthday.
Not everyone sucks at gift-giving though…
— Nearly four in ten people said partners purchase the most impressive presents, while 20 percent said children choose great gifts.
— Clothing, music and personalized gifts were respondents’ favorite presents, while jewellery from a favorite store or gift vouchers are always received well.
— Fourteen per cent of adults would love tickets to see a favorite band, one in ten are happy with slippers – and one in 20 would be delighted with an engagement ring.
— One in six people like a gift with sentimental value, and seven in ten enjoy anything which is handmade.
On the plus-side for all you bad gift-givers out there, people still appreciate the effort.
— Eight in ten adults admit it’s the thought that counts when present giving – the spirit of the season and all that.
