1: Cash
Who doesn’t like money? As a child, you probably have some fond memories of opening a birthday card and finding money inside. While it was cool back then, giving money as a Christmas present shows you really didn’t put a lot of thought and energy into your gift-giving. There are obvious cultural and situational factors that may make giving money for Christmas appropriate but in general, we suggest giving the gift of money for Christmas is a 2024 Christmas gift you should avoid.
2: Animals
Nothing better than the companionship of a pet. Maybe you’re a pet lover wanting to share your love of taking care of animals with others or you know of someone that would seemingly love to take care of an animal. Either way, taking care of a pet is a big responsibility.
Unlike a sweater that can easily be regifted and recycled, pets are living breathing animals with constant daily needs. Owning a pet is a big responsibility and giving responsibility as a Christmas gift should be avoided. Pet ownership can limit a person’s freedom and change their lifestyle in more ways than you can imagine. Owning a pet can be great, but it’s not for everyone. Choosing a pet is a personal choice and taking care of one is a big commitment. It’s better to avoid giving a pet as a Christmas gift. At the very least, be sure to do some research and ensure you’re giving the right pet to the right person and have a backup plan of what to do with the pet if the recipient is not as thrilled with their Christmas present as you would have liked.
3: Weight Loss Stuff
Almost all of us feel like we could be in better shape than we are, and there’s nothing better than motivation from friends and family when it comes to losing weight, getting in shape, and generally taking care of ourselves. While health and wellness are generally good themes to center a Christmas gift around, giving a gift that is obviously geared toward losing weight can make the recipient feel less Christmas cheer than expected. We all have friends that could benefit from losing weight and getting in shape. Motivating them and ourselves is always a good idea, but doing so through a Christmas present can backfire and leave both parties with a flavour of humbugs in their mouths.
4: DVD’s and CD’s
Maybe you gave someone a DVD box set of their favourite television series for Christmas or gifted them a CD from their favourite musician ten years ago and got a great reaction to your Christmas present.
While that may have been a great Christmas gift idea ten years ago, these are definitely Christmas gifts to avoid giving in 2024.
Digital media and the way it’s consumed is rapidly changing.
Netflix and chill have replaced popping in a DVD and a lot of folks no longer own DVD and CD players. If you want to give digital media, maybe choose a subscription to an online streaming service as a 2024 Christmas gift and avoid gifting a CD or DVD this 2024 Christmas season.
5: Anti-Wrinkle Cream
It’s possible you noticed your loved one looking at an anti-wrinkle product and thought to yourself “Ah-ha, that’s the perfect Christmas gift”. If you’ve had such a revelation, you may want to re-think the notion. Unless you want to reaffirm your loved one has wrinkles and needs to do something about them, this is a Christmas present to avoid giving in 2024.
6: Household Cleaning Products
The best Christmas present for my partner is supposed to evoke joy and pleasure, two things most people don’t get from the act of cleaning. The tool may be cool but the act isn’t something pleasurable for most.
Avoid giving cleaning supplies as a Christmas present, but if you want to take the initiative and do all the dishes following Christmas dinner, that gift will definitely be appreciated.
7: One Single Knife
Gifting a set of knives or cutlery is thoughtful and generous, but giving just one single knife can come off strange to some people. It can even have a negative connotation in some cultures. To be safe, choose a set.
8: Christmas Sweater
Traditions aside, when do you really get to wear that ugly Christmas sweater? It’s fun over the holidays and then it’s straight to the thrift shop or landfill. Gifts that are useful past the holidays are better Christmas gift ideas for your loved ones and the environment.
9: Room Deodorizers and Air Freshening Devices
This is sort of like offering someone a breath mint; are you just being kind and sharing your candy or are you insinuating that their breath stinks?
Scents are very personal, and more people are going scent-free now than ever before. If you do want to give scents, choose natural scented products as Christmas gifts and avoid ones that are exclusively geared to de-stinking houses.
10: Airplane Tickets
Taking a dream vacation sounds like fun, but planning one can be a nightmare. Often times the airline ticket is the simplest part of planning an adventure abroad. Taking time off work, scheduling around kids, and ensuring things are taken care of while you’re gone are the harder parts. There’s never a perfect time to book an airplane ticket, but when you’re doing it for someone else as a surprise Christmas gift, it’s essential to get everything right.
If you’re set on booking a seat on an airplane for your loved one as a 2024 Christmas gift, be sure to get a flexible fare that can easily be changed to a different date or refunded altogether if the recipient of your Christmas present isn’t able to make it work with their schedule.
11: Hoverboard
Giving a hoverboard as a Christmas gift last year was in, but this 2024 Christmas season it’s an entirely different climate. Many models of hoverboards have been recalled lately for safety issues such as fires and injuries. Also, their novelty has worn off and for serious electric transport commuters, there are many options to choose from besides hoverboards. For Christmas 2024, hoverboards are a gift to avoid.
12: Donations to a Cause
Planning on giving a gift of money to a cause in someone else’s name? If so you better be sure they support that cause. Giving money is always weird, but if you’re going to do it, give it to the person and let them choose who they contribute it to.
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