With Christmas only a few days away, many of us are scrambling to finish buying the perfect gift for our loved ones. Whether it’s a week-long fishing trip for your brother or the LEGO set your son has been pining after for months, serious thought often goes into which presents you buy and for who.

But while we may think our nearest and dearest will love the presents we choose for them, the unfortunate reality is that sometimes our gifts fall a little short. And although present fails can leave the gifter feeling embarrassed and the receiver raising their eyebrows, there’s no doubt they make for a great story.

With that in mind, top online gift card brand, Prezzee has put a call out to find the funniest gift fails of 2020. And boy, there are some real doozy’s!

Here’s a selection of our favourites:

“I once received a brown paper bag with a cucumber, chilli and three bulbs of garlic for my birthday…”

“My Dad has a habit of gifting us stuff he finds in yard rubbish. For years I let it slide but I had to draw line when he gave me a bike helmet he found that looked a mother possum had given birth in it!”

“My grandma gave me a carwash cleaning voucher – I don’t have a license, don’t own a car – go figure”

“My wife and I were once given a ‘brand new vacuum cleaner’ that came pre-filled – bag of dust included”

“My grandmother passed on her shapewear to me. Actually a potentially useful gift, but I’m pretty sure they weren’t new.”

“I once received expired chocolates from my nan. Didn’t realise they were expired, ate some then noticed they were full of worms and maggots.”

“My daughter-in-law put together a hamper for me. It was a very nice thought but unfortunately it had everything I HATE in it… Peppermint Tea, Hot Pink Nail Polish, Vanilla Scented Candles, Chilli Chocolate… These smells & colours are like Coriander to me…My Kryptonite!”

“I was given cutlery last Christmas…all fine but it was a box of knives only. No forks, no spoons. Just random knives.”

“My Mum showed her complete dislike of my ex-boyfriend at Christmas by buying him a DVD box set of D-grade action movies and kept the $2 sticker on the box.”

“I received a Hair styling kit from Secret Santa at work. It was really fancy with all these attachments, blades, combs etc. It would have been perfect if it weren’t for the fact that I am totally bald (and rocking it).”

“As a teenager my friends and I used to skim a little Whiskey from the bottle at the back of Dads liquor cabinet and top it back up with apple juice so he wouldn’t notice. Years later Dad gifted me his ‘prized’ 15yr Old bottle of Whiskey as a Christmas gift. He was quite taken aback as I opened the bottle and took a very large gulp of apple juice.”

“I’m quite petite and once got a size 16 jacket from my mother-in-law for Christmas. Not only was it several sizes too big for me, it had cat hair all over it… No prizes for guessing who wears a size 16 and has a cat at home.”

We guess the moral of the story is that when presents are concerned, sometimes the safest route is best! Luckily Prezzee makes buying, sending, storing and redeeming gift cards simple, fuss free and fun, without any added fees.

What have been your worst gift fails? Tell us in the comments below.