Christmas is a snowball’s throw away and we’re knee-deep in watching comfy reruns of the Harry Potter movies. Because it’s been a tough year, we want to get you Pandas into the holiday mood. The team here at Bored Panda thinks that the best way to do this is to show off some of the most heartwarming Christmas gifts that surprised people in the best possible way.
Prepare your faces for smiling too wide, get your Christmas stockings ready for all the cheer you’re about to find, and remember to upvote your fave pics. Let us know which pics inspired you the most and we’d love to hear about the best Winter holiday surprise you’ve ever gotten or given, too!
Whatever your gift, it’s the intent and the emotions behind it that count. You might get a lonely sock for Christmas, but it can mean the entire world to you if you’re like Dobby the house-elf. Similarly, you might open your stocking to find the brand new tech gadget you’ve been eyeing, but it’ll barely mean anything if your Secret Santa only did it because they felt pressured and ran out of options (‘Spirit of Giving’ batteries not included).
Bored Panda was curious to learn about how surprises work on a psychological level and what to do if you feel like nothing can surprise you anymore. So we reached out to Natasha Page, an accredited BACP Integrative Counselor and Psychotherapist, as well as the founder of 'My Little Therapy Box,' a therapeutic resource that helps support people's emotional health. Read on to see what Natasha told us.
#1 My Friend And I Replaced Christmas With Brucemas, Where We Exchange Bruce Willis Themed Gifts Each Year. I Win Forever. (And Yes It's Real)
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#2 My Girlfriend Was Unemployed Last Christmas And Couldn’t Afford A Gift For Me So She Painted This
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#3 Christmas Gift From My Loving Friend
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Psychotherapist Natasha told Bored Panda that a surprise is something that we want or are happy to get. "We feel good because, for most of us, being surprised means someone has taken the time to think about you and, normally, the intention behind a surprise is to make others feel good. Another person has tried to do something positive for you to enjoy," she said.
However, it's not all candy canes and lollypops when it comes to surprises. Unexpected gifts can create negative feelings, too.
"On the flip side of this, a surprise could also make someone feel guilty, for example, if they haven't spent the same amount of money on a gift for the other person or if they view the surprise, gift, or gesture in a negative light," Natasha pointed out. She added that some people can see gifts as someone trying to show off their status or exert control over them, instead of viewing it as an act of kindness.
#4 My Wife Found Out That 60% Seniors In Nursing Homes Have No Visitors And Get Nothing For Christmas. So She Held A Small Fundraiser And Put Together 61 Gift Bags For A Local Nursing Home. Each Bag Contains Chapstick, Lotion, Tissues, A Word Search Book A Pen, And A Blanket
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#5 An Elementary School Bus Driver Asked Every Kid On His Bus What They Wanted For Christmas. He Bought Every Child A Gift
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#6 In 1983 I Told My 14-Year-Old Girlfriend To "Just Get Me A Rock" For Christmas. She Did. I Married Her. 35 Years Later We Are Still Together, I Still Have It, And It Is The Most Precious Gift I Have Ever Received
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There are some people who are naturally more averse to surprises, whether they're good or bad. We wanted to learn more about this. Here's what psychotherapist Natasha told us: "Sometimes, people who may be struggling with low self-esteem or issues relating to things in their past (such as childhood abuse or trauma) may find accepting surprises or gifts overwhelming."
She said that some people can end up thinking that they don't deserve the surprise. "It could, for some people, even hold negative connotations such as receiving gifts from a past abuser." However, each case is unique and personal because of the subjective associations each person makes with getting gifts.
#7 Christmas Gift From My Teens Has Proven More Useful Than Expected
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#8 My Friend Is Terrible At Flirting. She Asked This Guy If He Liked Bread As An Opener And A Year Later They Are Together And He Made This For Her Christmas Gift
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#9 Pillows Made From A Grandpa's Old Shirts For The Family’s Christmas Gifts. The Grandpa Passed Away Earlier This Year
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But what about when people are cynical to the point that nothing ever surprises them and they feel like life doesn't have much to offer anymore? Natasha suggests that people who feel like this might be struggling with depression, low mood, or may have lost their optimism because of the adversities they've had to face in life.
"Some clients I have worked with have had difficult life experiences that may impact how they view the world around them," she said. According to Natasha, some might think that having this sort of mindset is a negative thing. However, she suggests looking at things slightly differently.
#10 On Christmas Morning After We Had Opened All The Gifts, Travis Said He Had One More Big Gift For Me. I Was A Little Confused On Why He Had Gotten Me A Barstool But Once I Sat Down And Looked At Him, I Immediately Knew What Was Happening. He Later Told Me That The Stool Is From The Bar We Met
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#11 Stepdad Raised Him Since He Was 3. He Got Him Adoption Papers As A Christmas Gift
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#12 Small Thoughtful Gifts Beat The Newest iPhone Every Time
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"Don't try to do anything, let them hold their views, we're all individuals and we all go through our own unique journey in life. However, I think the year we have all had with Covid-19 has demonstrated that there are many things that may come and surprise us, whether in a positive or negative way."
(We know that it's been a tough year, dear Pandas. If you live in the UK and want to speak to a counselor about relationships and emotional and wellbeing issues during the holiday season, you can find a BACP therapist near you right here. Don't be shy—they're here to help.)
#13 Oliver Got A Christmas Gift
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#14 My Mom Has Been Begging My Dad For A Dog Since Ours Passed Away In May. He Surprised Her Christmas Morning With This Gift. He's A Man Of Few Words
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#15 Simpsons Shoes I Painted For A Christmas Gift
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There are gifts that make you happy. And then there are those that make you extatic. For like a moment. Until you realize—this is going to be more trouble than it’s worth. That’s why you should always be very careful before gifting somebody a pet.
They might have sighed longingly about how much they want a pupperino or a pony. But let’s face facts: what are they going to do with those lovely animals if they’re living in a studio apartment with two other people, eating dehydrated noodles for dinner?
Now, this one might sound obvious, but obviously don’t regift something that you got and didn’t like. It’s a cop-out. It’s low. And it’ll get you on Santa’s ‘naughty’ list faster than you can say ‘Ho-ho-ho!’ Instead, if you really want to surprise your loved ones, go for something deeply personal. Putting your unique creative spin on even a cliched gift idea can result in something heartfelt and something that’s bragged about to every acquaintance ever. Don’t overthink it. Trust your heart.
#16 Gave My Pirate-Loving Landlord His Christmas Gift Last Night: January's Rent. In Coins. His Response: "You're Both Awesome And A Huge Asshole."
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#17 I Crocheted The Ninja Turtles For My Nephew
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#18 My Wife Gave Me The Best Xmas Gift Ever!
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#19 The Best Christmas Present
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#20 My Husband Turned An Old Clothing Steamer Into The Perfect Christmas Gift For Our Luigi-Obsessed Three-Year-Old: His Own Poltergust G-00!
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#21 Wholesome Christmas Gifts
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#22 Wholesome Christmas Gifts
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#23 I Know You Guys Will Appreciate This Christmas Gift I Made For A Fellow Friends Fan
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#24 Secret Santa Gift
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#25 My Grandma’s Face When She Opened The Gift I Crocheted For Her..
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#26 This Mug Is Completely Black When It's Cold.. And Turns Into This When It's Hot. A Gift, From My Girlfriend
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#27 My Secret Santa Gift Made Me Cry
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#28 My Favorite Gift This Christmas
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#29 Christmas Gift
For Christmas, my wife got a recording from Christmas 1973, the last year her grandmother was alive before breast cancer took her. My wife wasn't born until 1976. This is the first time she has ever heard her grandmother's voice.
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#30 My Father Passed Away From Lung Cancer In July. Mom Had These Gifts Made For Me And My Brother. The Best Gift I've Ever Recieved
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#31 “My Grandpa Passed 7 Months Ago So This Is My Grandma’s 1st Xmas Without Him In 59 Years. For Christmas We Decided To Gift Her With Letters We Found Her & My Grandpa Wrote To Each Other In 1962 While They Were In College. He Kept Them All These Years”
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#32 My Daughter Always Steals Printer Paper To Draw On So For Christmas I Wrapped A Pack Of 500 Pages Of Paper. She Started Running Around Screaming With Excitement. Easiest Present Ever
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#33 It Took Me Over 160 Hours, But I Finished Knitting My Brother's Christmas Present This Morning! Just In Time
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#34 My Brother Never Fails To Disappoint With His Personalised Christmas Gifts - This Year He Made Me A Calendar
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#35 This Was The Only Thing She Wanted For Christmas. I Hope This Warms Your Heart Like It Warmed Ours. This Is My Nine Year Old Daughter Opening One Of Her Gifts
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#36 My Husband Was 3 Months Old When His Father Was Killed In A Car Accident. As A Christmas Gift To His Grandmother This Year, We Recreated An Old Photo With Our New Son
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#37 My Mom Is An Artist And I Asked Her If She Could Draw Solitude From My Game. Best Early Christmas Gift Ever!
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#38 "Shirtception" - My Favorite Christmas Gift Every Year From My Brother. Right Now We're At Level 3
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#39 My Daughter Got A Walmart Gift Card For Christmas, And She Chose The New Diary Of A Wimpy Kid Book Instead Of Toys
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#40 No One Can Top The Christmas Gift I Got My Dad This Year!
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#41 The Christmas Moose, Contains 12 Gifts For My Wife. Head Is A Bit Small, But It Was All For Fun Anyhow
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#42 One Of My Better Christmas Gifts
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#43 My Maths Teacher Gave Me His First Guitar Ever, A 1989 B.c.rich Ironbird, As An Early Christmas Gift, And Im Fucking Shaking! These Things Are Rare Af And Ima Treat It Like My Firstborn!
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#44 Last Christmas, I Bought My GF An iPad To Get Her Into Digital Art. Today, She Gifted Me This [god Of War] Painting For My Birthday! [image]
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#45 Best Christmas Gift Ever! R&m Playmat!
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#46 My Wife Gave Birth To A Child That Is Not Hers, For A Couple That Has Desperately Wanted One For Over Ten Years. Surrogacy Can Be Hard, But I Witnessed Her Give The Greatest Christmas Gift Ever. I Am So Proud Of Her!
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#47 Witcher Bestiary I Made As A Christmas Gift For My BF
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#48 (Late Post) Semi-Frugal But Wholly Personalized Christmas Gifts! I Spent ~$25 On Watercolor Supplies And Paper And
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#49 I Surprised My Acnh Obsessed Niece With An Early Christmas Present All Handmade By Me!
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#50 I'm Poor And My Parents Don't Need Anything, So This Is Their Christmas Gift This Year
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#51 Christmas Gift Convoy: Follow Up With More Stories About The 156,237 Packages We Brought To Kids In Eastern Europe
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#52 Yes, We Are Bit Excited To Finally Be Parents. Our Christmas Calendar Gift
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#53 Decided Against Getting A Car In Favour Spending £1500 On Gifts For Kids Charities Every Xmas Until I Die. Did I Pick Good Games For Them?
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#54 First Time In My Life Not Living Paycheck To Paycheck. Got My Parents An Early Christmas Present. They Deserve Much More, But It's A Start
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#55 Every Christmas My Grandmother Asks If I Want The Same Present. Every Year Since I Was 14 I've Said Yes
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#56 The Switch Game My Little Brother Wanted To Gift Me This Christmas Was Only Digitally Available, But Because He Wanted Me To Be Able To Unwrap Something, He Recreated The Package On His Own... With Some Creative Liberties...
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#57 Christmas Presents For His Grandcat
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#58 I 3D Printed My Best Friends Base From Minecraft As A Christmas Gift For Him!
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#59 I Painted Ongo For My Brothers Christmas Gift. He’s A Hardcore Iasip Fan, I Hope He’ll Love It As Much As I Do!
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#60 My Early Christmas Gift. And The First Thing I Will See Everyday When I Head Down To The Living Room
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#61 Christmas Gifts, 20 Years Apart
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#62 In New Zealand The Police Are Offering Free Gift Wrapping For Christmas This Year
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#63 Hands-Down The Best Gift I Got This Christmas, From My Brother
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#64 I Got This Galaxy Moon Lamp For My 7yo Daughter As Her Christmas Gift. Best Decision Ever!
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#65 For My Friends Christmas Present, I Drew Her, Our Pets And I On Our Community Farm!
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#66 Eve Is The Christmas Present
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#67 My Sister Likes Bags, So I Crocheted This For Her Christmas Present
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#68 Homemade Christmas Gift
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#69 For Christmas Last Year, I Got My Alzheimer's-Stricken Grandma This Hat As A Gift. She Thought It Was Really Fashionable And Still Wears It Around All The Time
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#70 While Cleaning Out My Grandmothers House, My Mom Found A 23 Year Old Christmas Gift To Me From My Deceased Grandfather (1998) And Currently Dying Grandmother. A Beautiful Gift From The Past That Makes Feel Close To Them Both Again Somehow
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#71 My Parrot Has Mixed Feelings About My Secret Santa Gift
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#72 My Girlfriend Really Went Above And Beyond With The Christmas Gift I Got Her
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#73 My Wife Surprised Me With An Early Xmas Gift. A Custom Cutting Board From Ron Swanson's Wood Shop
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#74 My Old College Roommate Was In Town And Said He Needed To Drop Off A Suprise Xmas Gift He Got Me...
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#75 You Know Your Homemade Presents Are A Success When.....
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#76 3D Printing Christmas Gifts For My Server Mates. This First One Is My Brother’s Base
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#77 Early Christmas Gift From A Friend. Love It!!
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#78 My 14-Year Old Son Built This Coffee Table For His Sister And Her Boyfriend As A Christmas Gift. It Measures 28” X 42” And Is Made Of Red Oak With Red Oak Stain And Polyurethane Finish
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#79 My Sister Learned A Valuable Lesson This Christmas: If You Let Your Older Brother Take An Ugly Picture Of You, You Will Get It On A Custom Color-Changing Mug As A Gag Gift. Merry Christmas Everyone!
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#80 My Partner And I Did 5 Minute Crafts As Our Christmas Gifts To Each Other
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#81 My Girlfriend Hates Video Games But She Loves Me, So This Was My Christmas Gift
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#82 Late Christmas Gift From A Friend. Travel Posters
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#83 I Painted This Celeste Plant Pot For My Friend’s Christmas Present
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#84 My Veggie Box! It’s Going To Be A Christmas Present, So Pleased With How It Turned Out! All Patterns Available For Free On Ravelry, By Amanda Berry
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#85 My Finished Houndstooth Hound! A Christmas Present For My Mom
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#86 Christmas Gift I Made For My Father In Law
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#87 Family Thought They'd Get Me A Gag Gift. Too Bad It's The Best Gift I Got This Year!
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#88 Home Arcade System (Xmas Gift For My Kids)
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#89 Dad Gets A Christmas Present!
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