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Christmas is the time for giving, and it’s also great to be on the receiving end—but not always. Four familiar faces recall gifts that somewhat dulled their festive cheer

Four familiar faces recall Christmas gifts that dulled their festive cheer

Fiona Kotur Marin

“Now I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth—i never complain about receiving a thoughtful gift or gesture. However, I was surprised when a dear friend of mine unknowingly regifted the Marni necklace to me that I had given her the previous Christmas. In fact, I actually loved it and was happy to see it again and I still wear it to this day with fondness and amusement.”

Annabelle Bond

“Without a doubt the worst Christmas present I have ever received was from my grandmother. Earlier that year I had made the fatal mistake of telling her how good she looked in a particularly awful sweater she was wearing. Obviously I was trying to boost her confidence and be polite, but the sweater was a hideous article of clothing. Imagine my surprise when my Christmas present was a replica of the exact same sweater that my grandmother had been wearing.”

Christopher Owen

“Undoubtedly the gift of loneliness when my nearest and dearest decided to take their Christmas holidays in Thailand and leave me camped in Hong Kong, where I was detained by urgent work deadlines. Worst Christmas ever!”

Angela Chengmatsuzawa

“My husband (Masaaki) and I were given a decorative Japanese crystal plate for Christmas one year, but that’s not the weird part. I distinctly remember how strange it was that the gift was wrapped in Lane Crawford tissue paper that felt reused, which in hindsight is good because recycling is awesome. However, it was also in an orange Hermès box with decorative stickers covering the logo. The crystal plate was an odd choice in the first place but if you’re going to regift something, at least be consistent and make it convincing.”