The Christmas season certainly isn’t all about giving and receiving gifts, but the game of Secret Santa is! Whether you play with your colleagues, best friends or family members, it’s always exciting to surprise someone with a heartfelt gift. The understanding with this game is that everyone puts in time and effort and is rewarded with the warm feeling of making someone’s day, as well as a gift of their own.

But apparently, some Secret Santas out there belong on the naughty list. TikTokers have recently been sharing the worst presents they’ve received from gift exchanges, so we’ve gathered some of their photos below. While these presents must have been painful to receive, we have to admit that they’re hilarious to see. Keep reading to find a conversation with Raeshorn Creque, one of the TikTokers featured on this list, and be sure to upvote the gifts that you'd consider worse than coal!

#1

Image credits: lauraemsteel

To learn more about how it feels to receive a lackluster Secret Santa gift, we reached out to TikToker Raeshorn Creque, who recently shared his disappointing present online and was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. Raeshorn said he was inspired to post a video about his experience because he knew his audience would be amused by the clear lack of effort put into his gift.

For some reason, Raeshorn's Secret Santa gave him a half-eaten box of Pop-Tarts, used cologne, a Roku remote and a sauce packet. But thankfully, he said this is the first time he's had a bad experience with Secret Santa. "I enjoy Secret Santa! It's very exciting knowing someone who may or may not know you can you get something that can one day forever be a treasure in your heart," the TikToker shared. 

#2

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Raeshorn also shared that he went all out purchasing his present for someone else. "I ended up spending around $100-$150 on a gift for my person because I knew them personally and knew what they really wanted to do with their life," he explained. "I gifted him a tripod that moves, a microphone for his phone, Dior Sauvage cologne and a gold chain. I know he likes to smell and look good while also wanting to become an influencer."

#3

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And as far as preventing himself from receiving bad gifts in the future, Raeshorn says he doesn't believe it's possible unless he were to simply change who he was playing with. But he told Bored Panda that he's still a fan of the game. "Secret Santa is a game for families to come together and show their creativity, and that’s what I love most about it!"

#4

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The first time I ever participated in a Secret Santa gift exchange was my freshman year of high school. I was absolutely thrilled and spent so much time and effort planning the perfect gift for my person. I created a shirt online for her, ordered it and ensured that it would be delivered in time for our Christmas party. I knew she would love it.

But what I didn’t think about until the day of was the fact that I would be getting a gift too. Well, in theory. The person who picked me conveniently didn’t show up for class that day, and when he appeared the next day, he handed me a box of chocolates. That’s it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate. But it was obvious what had happened there. 

#5

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#6

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Despite having a disappointing first experience with Secret Santa, I was not deterred from participating again in the future. In fact, I think I’ve participated in a Secret Santa gift exchange nearly every year since. And because I love getting presents for others and spreading some Christmas joy, I’m always happy to participate. But after seeing the photos on this list, I can understand why not everyone is eager to hop on the Secret Santa train.

According to the University of Technology Sydney, if your office has 20 employees who wish to participate in Secret Santa festivities, there are about 895 quadrillion possible combinations of who will choose who (while still ensuring that no one has to purchase their own present). But as it seems from this list, there’s probably a 1 in 20-ish chance that you’ll receive a present you hate.

#7

Image credits: raeshorn101

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#9

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It also seems that plenty of employees know before they even agree to participate in Secret Santa that they’re dreading the experience. Employer News reports that nearly one third of participants say they worry about choosing certain colleagues who they wouldn’t want to shop for, and the same number of employees admit that opening up gifts in front of their coworkers makes them uncomfortable. 24% of participants say they’ve had to buy a present for a colleague they’ve never even spoken to, and 18% say that Secret Santa adds unnecessary stress to an already hectic season. 

#10

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#11

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#12

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Even though one third of employees at UK companies say they’ll participate in their workplace Secret Santa this year, 30% admit that they’d really rather not take part. 36% admit that they’ll even give away the gift they receive if they don’t like it. So even though a whopping £167m has been spent on Secret Santa presents, at an average of £15.50 per gift, £60m of that ends up being wasted. 

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#14

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#15

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Employees are also calling for some changes to be made to the Secret Santa setup. Nearly a third would like to see a smaller spending limit, and 22% of employees say they’d actually rather give to charities than one another. It’s not surprising, considering how questionable the gifts they receive often are. Respondents told Employer News they’ve opened up presents to find used candles, toilet paper, cash and half-eaten or expired food items.   

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#17

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#18

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To prevent receivers of Secret Santa presents from going home saying “bah humbug,” some companies have implemented mandatory wish lists to ensure that everyone gets something they actually like. Websites that allow everyone to upload wishlists, like Elfster and Draw Names, can be a massive help, especially when employees don’t actually know one another well. Just because you picked a person who you couldn’t even spot in a crowd doesn’t mean you have to get them a generic gift!    

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#20

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#21

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If Secret Santa simply isn’t a hit in your workplace or family any more, feel free to explore alternatives. I’ve always enjoyed a nice game of White Elephant, as it allows everyone to purchase whatever they’d like and provides some freedom for players to choose presents they’re actually interested in. The game can sometimes become a bit heated, especially if the same items are coveted by everyone, but overall, it’s much less stressful than the pressure of shopping for one specific person. 

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#24

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We hope you’re enjoying scrolling through these unfortunate and embarrassing yet hilarious Secret Santa gifts, pandas. If you participate in a gift exchange next year, please remember to put in an appropriate amount of money and effort. And if you’re worried about receiving a bad gift, just skip the experience altogether and buy something for yourself. That way you know you’ll end up with something you like! Keep upvoting the pics you find particularly ridiculous, and if you’d like to read about even more awful Christmas presents people have received, we recommend checking out this Bored Panda article next!

#25

Image credits: kariii3201