In the world of gift-giving, there’s a delicate balance between hitting the mark and missing it by a mile.

Recently, one grandmother’s candid confession about her worst-ever present set off a chain reaction of hilarious and cringe-worthy stories from users far and wide.

In a moment of unfiltered honesty, the grandmother took to the online forum Gransnet, to spill the beans on the worst gift she ever received

“What’s the worst present you’ve ever received, either for Christmas, birthday or another occasion?” she began.

“Mine was a small box of Dairy Milk, from a close friend of many years…. mine to him was a golf bag, to put his clubs in (he was an Estate Agent, so not on minimum wage, like I was then).”

Her story sparked a flurry of responses from users, all eager to chime in with their own tales of gift-giving gone awry.

“Cushions from my new MIL, for my minimalist Habitat sofa because SHE thought it needed brightening up,” one user shared.

“This was in 1975 at Christmas time and I wouldn’t have said boo to a goose so I enthusiasticlly thanked her for her thoughtful christmas gift ( I was 21) and put them under the stairs until she visited when they were put back on my lovely sofa for her to admire.”

For another it was an 18th birthday present from their older siblings that consisted of  “a glitter comb and an exercise book”.

Even workplace “Secret Santa” exchanges weren’t immune to the gift-giving faux pas.

“We did a ‘secret Santa’ at work. I always chose something carefully, sometimes a Christmas decoration, some Fairtrade chocolate, a pretty mug, a small scented candle. One year I got a pair of false breasts and a pair of plastic handcuffs,” one person shared.

From recycled crossword books to stolen sweet peas, the stories poured in, each one a testament to the universal experience of receiving gifts that miss the mark.

“From an old friend–a book of crosswords, most of which had been half completed and a book which was a freebie from a newspaper and was well thumbed and embellished with coffee-cup rings. From the same friend on another occasion, a glass decanter stopper,” one revelaed.

“From a soon-to-be-ex boyfriend, a bunch of sweet peas wrapped in a sheet of newspaper. It turned out he’d nicked them from somebody’s garden!” another shared.

So the next time you unwrap a gift that leaves you scratching your head, take solace in the fact that you’re not alone.

After all the online community has clearly shown that sometimes the most memorable gifts are the ones that make you laugh the hardest.