We all give gifts with good intentions. We want to give everyone on our list something they’ll love. But every year, there are gifts that miss the mark, like shoes in the wrong size or an itchy wool sweater. And does anybody really need an electric s’mores maker?
This year, skip the risky gifts and give the perfect gift for adults on your list. Something everyone actually wants, like the New York Lottery’s Holiday Scratch-Off Games. The $10 Holiday Frenzy tickets are loaded with $5,000 top prizes, the $5 Holiday Bonus tickets are loaded with $500 prizes and the $2 “$100s for the Holidays” tickets are loaded with $100 prizes, so you’ll be giving even more chances to win top prizes.
The New York Lottery’s Holiday Scratch-Off tickets are easy last-minute gifts, whether you’re on your way to your office’s holiday party or looking for a fun surprise to slip into a card. Need to upgrade a gift you’re not totally sure about? Just stop by the bodega and grab a Holiday Scratch-Off Game. Regifting some body wash from last year? (We get it…the gift list is long.) Toss in a Holiday Scratch-Off ticket, and you’ll make everybody happy, from your great-aunt to your boss’s boss’s boss.
Here’s a look at the ten most-returned presents of the holiday season—and the one gift everybody’s hoping for this year.
We’ve all smiled and said “Wow…thank you…” to a well-meaning relative while unwrapping an unwearable turtleneck. Even as you’re opening your gift, you can already picture the return line. At least store credit never made anybody’s neck itchy.
Too big, too small, too sparkly, too pinchy…Gifting shoes is just too risky, which is why they’re one of the most-returned items every holiday season. Back to the store they go, to be exchanged for something that fits.
The good news about candles is that you can always smell them coming. Just rustle the gift bag, and suddenly your apartment has the scent of vanilla laundry or funky tangerine. The bad news? Candles are as likely to be returned as they are regifted in the office White Elephant exchange.
A mini waffle maker that makes waffles shaped like hearts. A dog selfie stick. A countertop popcorn machine. At this point, you’re just giving your beloved friends and family the gift of a crowded junk drawer.
Live. Laugh. Love. Leave it on the shelf. Those wooden signs that invite you to “Gather” or encourage you to “Wash Your Hands” are earnest, inspirational and (unfortunately) totally not the vibe.
Yes, they’re cute and cozy. No, you’re not going to willingly go outside wearing a pair of socks that reads “I Heart My Cat.” Whether the gifted socks are made from fuzzy chenille or warm wool, most people who receive them would rather not let their feet do the talking.
It’s sort of like gifting a spa day—except that nobody really wants it. The packaging on these gift sets is usually adorable, but once you open the basket, it’s filled with lotions with mysterious ingredients and bubble bath that leaves a ring of glitter in your tub.
We’ve all “liked” a thousand posts of families standing on their stairs in matching PJs. By the time January rolls around, wearing themed pajamas just makes you feel like you’re living in the past. They’re destined to be exchanged for something with fewer reindeer on it.
If the rules take almost an hour to explain, that game is probably going to stay in the box. Because you’d rather not bond with friends or family over polyhedral dice—and your little brother still hasn’t forgiven you for beating him at Battleship ten years ago—any gift that comes with a rulebook might be a mistake.
Unless you’re an aspiring baker who put a cookbook on your wishlist, a gift card for food delivery sounds so much more satisfying than 365 Ways to Cook Kale or Meal Prep Recipes to Accidentally Eat All at Once.
They’re easy to grab, fun to give and—best of all—no one’s ever stood in line to return a Holiday Scratch-Off Game with a top prize of $5,000. Just slip one into a holiday card, attach it to a gift tag or bring a few to the office exchange: it’s the one gift that never requires a gift receipt. By giving something that everyone actually wants, like Holiday Scratch-Off Games from The New York Lottery, you’ll be winning the gifting game.
Please gift responsibly.