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<p>The holidays can be a strange time if you&#39;re related to someone you don&#39;t get along with. Maybe they&#39;re not a blood relative, but an in-law or a family friend who got into it with you one too many times, no matter the connection, gifting someone you&#39;re not genuinely close to can feel like a minefield.</p><p>While there is certainly the option to protest by not gifting them in the first place, that gives them the satisfaction of directly confronting your seething hostility. A more strategic and cunning move is to buy (or make) them a gift that will communicate distaste, but with enough subtlety they have a hard time kicking back. This is holiday psychological warfare 101.</p><h2>In <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/dzdsnx/what_are_good_passive_aggressive_xmas_gifts_to/" target="_blank">a recent Reddit thread</a>, people shared their passive aggressive gift ideas (and anecdotes) that are a must-have for anyone with beef to spill at the table.</h2><h2>1. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/llcucf80/">llcucf80</a> has a deliciously petty idea.</h2><p> </p><blockquote> <p>Gift card with a very low amount to an extremely expensive store (like Saks Fifth Ave). Maybe $5 worth.</p> </blockquote><div className="ad-splitter"></div><h2>2. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Wndrwmn8901/">Wndrwmn8901</a> is not here to play.</h2><blockquote> <p>A puzzle but you open it first and remove a piece then glue the box back together.</p> </blockquote><h2>3. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/MysticMom16/">MysticMom16</a> knows the power of the written word.</h2><blockquote> <p>A book about being a better person.</p> </blockquote><h2>4. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Artemiseus/">Artemiseus</a> is full of gorgeous evil ideas.</h2><blockquote> <p>Tickets to something that&#39;s only available during a time they can&#39;t/won&#39;t go. A massage at a place that&#39;s 2 hours away. A magazine subscription to something they definitely don&#39;t care about. Sponsorship for an animal at a zoo/sanctuary (your money goes towards something good for a good cause and the person doesn&#39;t get anything but their name on something maybe), donate to a cause in their name towards something they don&#39;t care for or support, a cactus, cheap socks, an obviously boring book (like statistics or the history of potato peelers) a framed picture of you and your spouse (with your spouse very happy) (I understand this is for your MIL?) something she&#39;s too old or young for.</p> </blockquote><div className="ad-splitter"></div><blockquote> <p>On the &quot;beef&quot; theme, Tillamook is a ranch with milk cows. You can sponsor and name a cow for pretty cheap. Name one after her.</p> </blockquote><h2>5. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Qkddxksthsuseks/">Qkddxksthsuseks</a> knows how to make sh*t hit the fan.</h2><blockquote> <p>Haribo sugar free gummy bears. It has a rep for having a laxative effect on people who eat it. For the unsuspecting it will be very surprising.</p> </blockquote><h2>6. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/twistedsister78/">twistedsister78</a> knows how to make the wrapping count.</h2><blockquote> <p>Not a gift but every year for the last ten or more maybe- I have wrapped gifts to my mother and sister in paper that says Ho all over it, I buy ho ho ho paper when I see it and they have never picked up on it. Stupid I know but I get a secret giggle by secretly calling them a ho.</p> </blockquote><h2>7. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Stri-Daddy/">Stri-Daddy</a> knows how to maximize the card experience.</h2><p> </p><blockquote> <p>Confetti explosion Christmas\birthday card.</p> </blockquote><h2>8. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/krkr8m/">krkr8m</a> knows how to play the subtlety.</h2><blockquote> <p>An accessory for something they don&#39;t own.</p> </blockquote><div className="ad-splitter"></div><h2>9. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/thattiredgradstudent/">thattiredgradstudent</a>&#39;s friend received a top-of-the-line passive aggressive gift from their mom.</h2><p> </p><blockquote> <p>My progressive friend was in law school for environmental law when his (very conservative) mom got him an autobiography of Antonin Scalia for Christmas.</p> </blockquote><h2>10. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/grotesqueteaspoon/">grotesqueteaspoon</a> thinks the wrong shirt could do the trick.</h2><blockquote> <p>Clothes that are either way too big or way too small for them.</p> </blockquote><h2>11. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/zinn7/">zinn7</a>&#39;s grandma has no mercy.</h2><p> </p><blockquote> <p>I don&#39;t know if this is <em>passive</em>... But my grandmother once got a family friend a mirror for Christmas. When he opened it up and looked puzzled, she said &quot;It&#39;s so you can see how ugly you are.&quot; She was dead serious.</p> </blockquote><h2>12. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/MrBnDaBois/">MrBnDaBois</a> thinks you gotta go big or go home.</h2><p> </p><blockquote> <p>A gift card to their favorite restaurant but it doesn&rsquo;t have anything on it. That way hits them when they have to foot the bill and you can play if off as a &ldquo;Oh no, what!?&rdquo;</p> </blockquote><div className="ad-splitter"></div><h2>13. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/HasetsuKankouKyokai/">HasetsuKankouKyokai</a> has it all figured out.</h2><blockquote> <p>This is specifically for nasty MILs.</p> <p>Get them a self help book relating to some fault that they see in you. Do they think you are cluttered? Get them a book on how to mindfully declutter their homes. Do they think you&#39;re argumentative? Get them a book about how to talk to people constructively. Do they think you&#39;re not good enough for their child? Get them a book about how to &quot;let go&quot; of loved ones.</p> </blockquote><blockquote> <p>It sends the message that you understand that someone in your relationship needs to fix themselves, and *big wink* it&#39;s her.</p> </blockquote><h2>14. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/outoftouch49/">outoftouch49</a> thinks killing with kindness is the best route.</h2><p> </p><blockquote> <p>The best thing you can do is get them something extremely thoughtful and nice. It will absolutely destroy them because they either have to admit they may be wrong about you or convince themselves that they hate the gift.</p> </blockquote><div className="ad-splitter"></div><h2>15. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Black_Bud/">Black_Bud</a> goes the hygiene route.</h2><blockquote> <p>A lovely gift basket with soap, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, an exfoliator, hairbrush, toothbrush, mouthwash, body spray (add until you&#39;ve successfully offended).</p> </blockquote><h2>16. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/BeenJee-Official/">BeenJee-Official</a> knows deodorant is a go-to.</h2><blockquote> <p>Cheap Deodorant. But a lot of it. Like 50 sticks of 1$ Deodorant from the dollar store.</p> </blockquote><blockquote> <p>It implies they smell and you deliberately got them the cheap stuff, when the total price could have gotten you a higher quality item.</p> </blockquote><blockquote> <p>Not to mention they have to use up every single one of them otherwise they&#39;ll feel guilty throwing it out.</p> </blockquote><div className="ad-splitter"></div>

16 people share stories of the most passive aggressive gifts they've ever given or received.

The holidays can be a strange time if you&#39;re related to someone you don&#39;t get along with. Maybe they&#39;re not a blood relative, but an in-law or a family friend who got into it with you one too many times, no matter the connection, gifting someone you&#39;re not genuinely close to can feel like a minefield.While there is certainly the option to protest by not gifting them in the first place, that gives them the satisfaction of directly confronting your seething hostility. A more strategic and cunning move is to buy (or make) them a gift that will communicate distaste, but with enough subtlety they have a hard time kicking back. This is holiday psychological warfare 101.In a recent Reddit thread, people shared their passive aggressive gift ideas (and anecdotes) that are a must-have for anyone with beef to spill at the table.1. llcucf80 has a deliciously petty idea.  Gift card with a very low amount to an extremely expensive store (like Saks Fifth Ave). Maybe $5 worth. 2. Wndrwmn8901 is not here to play. A puzzle but you open it first and remove a piece then glue the box back together. 3. MysticMom16 knows the power of the written word. A book about being a better person. 4. Artemiseus is full of gorgeous evil ideas. Tickets to something that&#39;s only available during a time they can&#39;t/won&#39;t go. A massage at a place that&#39;s 2 hours away. A magazine subscription to something they definitely don&#39;t care about. Sponsorship for an animal at a zoo/sanctuary (your money goes towards something good for a good cause and the person doesn&#39;t get anything but their name on something maybe), donate to a cause in their name towards something they don&#39;t care for or support, a cactus, cheap socks, an obviously boring book (like statistics or the history of potato peelers) a framed picture of you and your spouse (with your spouse very happy) (I understand this is for your MIL?) something she&#39;s too old or young for.  On the &quot;beef&quot; theme, Tillamook is a ranch with milk cows. You can sponsor and name a cow for pretty cheap. Name one after her. 5. Qkddxksthsuseks knows how to make sh*t hit the fan. Haribo sugar free gummy bears. It has a rep for having a laxative effect on people who eat it. For the unsuspecting it will be very surprising. 6. twistedsister78 knows how to make the wrapping count. Not a gift but every year for the last ten or more maybe- I have wrapped gifts to my mother and sister in paper that says Ho all over it, I buy ho ho ho paper when I see it and they have never picked up on it. Stupid I know but I get a secret giggle by secretly calling them a ho. 7. Stri-Daddy knows how to maximize the card experience.  Confetti explosion Christmas\birthday card. 8. krkr8m knows how to play the subtlety. An accessory for something they don&#39;t own. 9. thattiredgradstudent&#39;s friend received a top-of-the-line passive aggressive gift from their mom.  My progressive friend was in law school for environmental law when his (very conservative) mom got him an autobiography of Antonin Scalia for Christmas. 10. grotesqueteaspoon thinks the wrong shirt could do the trick. Clothes that are either way too big or way too small for them. 11. zinn7&#39;s grandma has no mercy.  I don&#39;t know if this is passive... But my grandmother once got a family friend a mirror for Christmas. When he opened it up and looked puzzled, she said &quot;It&#39;s so you can see how ugly you are.&quot; She was dead serious. 12. MrBnDaBois thinks you gotta go big or go home.  A gift card to their favorite restaurant but it doesn&rsquo;t have anything on it. That way hits them when they have to foot the bill and you can play if off as a &ldquo;Oh no, what!?&rdquo; 13. HasetsuKankouKyokai has it all figured out. This is specifically for nasty MILs. Get them a self help book relating to some fault that they see in you. Do they think you are cluttered? Get them a book on how to mindfully declutter their homes. Do they think you&#39;re argumentative? Get them a book about how to talk to people constructively. Do they think you&#39;re not good enough for their child? Get them a book about how to &quot;let go&quot; of loved ones.  It sends the message that you understand that someone in your relationship needs to fix themselves, and *big wink* it&#39;s her. 14. outoftouch49 thinks killing with kindness is the best route.  The best thing you can do is get them something extremely thoughtful and nice. It will absolutely destroy them because they either have to admit they may be wrong about you or convince themselves that they hate the gift. 15. Black_Bud goes the hygiene route. A lovely gift basket with soap, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, an exfoliator, hairbrush, toothbrush, mouthwash, body spray (add until you&#39;ve successfully offended). 16. BeenJee-Official knows deodorant is a go-to. Cheap Deodorant. But a lot of it. Like 50 sticks of 1$ Deodorant from the dollar store.  It implies they smell and you deliberately got them the cheap stuff, when the total price could have gotten you a higher quality item.  Not to mention they have to use up every single one of them otherwise they&#39;ll feel guilty throwing it out. 