POLL: What Was the Worst Gift You Ever Received?

It has happened to all of us. You unwrap a gift during the holidays, look upon its giver, then at the item, then back to its giver.

"Is this meant to be a gag gift?" you may think to yourself. But slowly the realization sinks in that this is for real. 

A few years ago, I received a gift from my mother's boyfriend – a carefully wrapped styrofoam container of one of my favorite 67-cent afternoon snacks – Ramen noodles.

"Do you usually do your Christmas shopping in the pantry?" I asked him with my newly-discovered sarcasm as a 13 year-old.

Since that Christmas, our family has had a tradition of taking food from the kitchen and placing it, wrapped neatly, with the other gifts. It has become one of my favorite parts of the holiday; watching one of family members excitedly unwrap a gift, only to burst into laughter upon the discovery of a shoebox with a ripe banana inside.