AsiaOne reveals the worst gifts we received for Christmas

It’s Christmas season! So? That means it's time for presents. Hurray! Right? Not always.

Sometimes, gifts just fall short of our expectations despite the anticipation. And it’s not because we were hoping for too much, either.

Here, we present to you the worst Christmas gifts that our team has received, and what we've learned about the art of gifting:

1. Don't give insincere or, worse, "cheap" gifts. Or at least, don't get found out.

"The worst Christmas gift that I have received are $2 Daiso cups. It’s so insincere." - Jia Yi

2. Office gift exchange rule #1: Keep to the budget

"We had a secret office gift exchange last year, and it was agreed that the gift should be $20. Being a nice colleague, I actually went to buy a $25 branded shoe bag, given that we have a 'sporting' culture here. But what I got in return was really disappointing. It was a mug that was clearly a free gift from a vendor. There was even the vendor's name on the mug. It was a disappointing day." - Gary

3. Office gift exchange rule #2: Don't leave anyone out

"The worst gift I NEVER received was probably during one of our office Christmas party’s gift exchanges. Apparently something must have gone wrong somewhere and nothing had my name on it, so I left the party empty-handed. :(" - Candice

4. Your gift shouldn't run the risk of making someone ill or itch

"The Christmas gifts that I dislike receiving the most are beauty products, as I have sensitive skin." - Sharon 

5. Don't get something the receiver OBVIOUSLY doesn't need

"For the love of Santa, I once received a facial hair trimmer slash styler. It's okay, you may think, 2-in-1 some more. Until you find out that yours truly is someone whose hair hormones are not particularly effervescent. Moustache, barely. Beard, hopeful. Sideburns, none. Therefore, no styling where there's no trimming to do, and no trimming where there's no hair.

"Rubbing salt into my wounded follicles, the box features a gloriously hairy face, that, I assume with the help of the trimmer slash styler, has turned facial hair into a canvas of avant-garde art. Despite my lifelong principle to appreciate any form of giving, this multi-talented gizmo - all $50 of it - remains unopened in a corner of my room, principally due to its sheer irrelevance in said owner's life.

"I guess, as the saying goes, you never actually own a trimmer-slash-styler, you merely look after it for the next hairy dude." - Thiam Peng

But at the end of the day, having an appreciative mindset is probably the best way to navigate this season of giving. Merry Christmas, everyone!

asiaone@mm2entertainment.com