People Are Sharing The Passive-Aggressive Gifts They’ve Given Or Received & The Petty Level Is Unbelievable

With the holiday season just beginning, the Reddit community has been asked the question "what is the most passive-aggressive gift you've ever given or received for Christmas" and Redditors have not disappointed.

Some people received thinly veiled hints about their housekeeping skills from their mothers-in-law, whereas others gave completely obvious gifts that could only be interpreted one way — it depends on how confident they were feeling. Just remember though, once you give the gift of passive aggression it's hard to come back from that so choose your presents wisely.

They Need To Take The Hint Already

backpack wars for christmas
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Photo Credit: Reddit

You'd think after that many years of them giving you purses and you continually not using them, they'd be able to take the hint and realize that you're not going to change! They're stuck with you and your backpack.

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Revenge Presents Are Always A Good Option

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payback gift for niece and nephew
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There's nothing like a payback present to ruin someone else's Christmas. It's always easy to give a passive-aggressive present when there are children involved because a lot of children's toys are incredibly annoying for parents. If you don't want to spend the money on a karaoke machine, consider giving the kids recorders.

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Oh This Family Plays Favorites

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lump of coal for one kid
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No wonder their username is 'emotionallyempty' after an experience like that. Every parent says that they don't play favorites and that they love their children equally, but an experience like this would certainly make you think otherwise.

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Squash Your Beef By Buying A Cow

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tickets to an event they cant go to christmas
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This is a fantastic option, because it makes you look like this excellent person who's so giving and cares about donating to charity or giving someone tickets to a concert, and there's no way they can complain about it without looking bad.

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The Message Here Is Pretty Clear

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read up on yourself
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This is one of those gifts that has a very pointed meaning. There's no denying what someone is trying to tell you if they give you this book for Christmas. You're not overreacting or taking it to heart, they're sending a message.

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Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

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someone got a rock as a gift
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It's hard to be upset if it seems like she genuinely thought you would enjoy getting a rock for Christmas. But at the same time, there has to be something else going off if she thought giving a teenage girl a rock and acorns would make for good Christmas gifts. Maybe some underlying rage going on here?

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Thanks But No Thanks

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thank you cards as a passive aggressive present
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These aunts clearly need to learn some manners of their own and should worry less about how other people were raised and more about how to act towards their family members.

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You Get The Gift Of Straight Teeth And Responsibility

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a retainer for christmas
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Don't you realize that those braces cost your parents thousands of dollars, and you've squandered it away by losing yet another retainer? What do you expect? You haven't earned the iPod yet.

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She Hasn't Earned The Nice Towels

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guest towels from grandma
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The second commenter is clearly on the right track. Make sure you have the ratty towels out whenever she comes over and if she brings it up, tell her they're for the important guests only — she'll think twice about commenting on it again.

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There's A Reason He's The Ex

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allergy to nuts petty present
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The fact that her parents keep up the gag years later and her current boyfriend can laugh about it too shows she made the right decision in making that guy an ex-boyfriend.

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These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

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a present thats actually for her
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Even if this mother-in-law didn't mean it passive-aggressively, you could definitely use it to your advantage with future gifts if you're looking to irk someone. Maybe they once commented on a food you love that they hate, or they don't like a certain flavor of gum. You've got choices.

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You're Just Trying To Help, Honestly!

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self help book for your MIL
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This is another one of those gifts that you wouldn't even necessarily be able to get mad at someone for. You could simply say you and your mother-in-law were talking about the importance of organization or how to better communicate with your family, and you'd look like the helpful son or daughter-in-law.

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People Will Be Dying To Get A Present From You

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funeral home voucher for christmas
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This one isn't really passive-aggressive, it's just straight-up aggressive. If you're going to be giving out gifts like this for Christmas, you better be prepared for a little bit of backlash.

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Give The Gift Of Insanity

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puzzle pieces minus one gift
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This one is pure evil, there's nothing passive about it. It's creative and it's incredible, but there's no passive-aggressiveness here, there is only pure anger and spite. Giving someone the gift of an unsolvable puzzle is only for those looking to cause real damage.

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Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animals

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grandparents giving pettiness for christmas
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The best part is that the grandparents didn't remind everyone on the day of the anniversary or even within the week. They waited until the perfect opportunity to get back at everyone collectively. Plus you will still have to remember yourself next year and every year from then on out.

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The Gift Of Embarrassment

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gift card for christmas
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Imagine the embarrassment someone would go through thinking that they had $150 to spend and then getting up to the cash register only to be told they owe $140. If you really dislike someone that's the route to take, but if you're looking to be just a little petty maybe take the $5 card route.

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She Set Herself Up For This One

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kippers that smell for christmas
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This definitely counts as passive-aggressive. It's weird that she does this with her gifts, so she was practically asking for someone in the family to plant a weird gift in there, but this is next level.

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When The Student Becomes The Master

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shovel as a present
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What if your dad wasn't being passive-aggressive though? What if all along he was just trying to use this to get you out of the house, regardless of if the shoveling was done or not?

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Maybe She Should Hire You A Cleaning Lady For Christmas

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cleaning products from MIL
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If your mother-in-law has such a problem with your "dirty" house then she can take all those cleaning products and do the work herself! She's not the one that lives there so she's not the one that gets to judge.

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Sibling Rivalry

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half a chocolate bar xmas gift
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So your sister wasn't trying to be passive-aggressive here, but you can bet that the Reddit user will be the one giving a passive-aggressive gift when next Christmas rolls around. A sibling never forgets They're like elephants.