Ho-ho-horrible Christmas

Jacinda Ardern, Ben Boyce and Kerre McIvor talk about the worst Christmas presents they've received. Photo / NZME.

It’s that time when Father Christmas’ inbox is full of wishlists, but not every present will be welcomed with open arms. Well-known Kiwis tell the Herald on Sunday about the worst presents they’ve received. Cherie Howie reports.

Kerre McIvor
Broadcaster
"It was an iron from my former partner. I was nine months pregnant and it wasn't even wrapped. He looked non-plussed when I burst into tears and he said 'But you said you needed an iron'. He still doesn't think he did anything wrong and therein lies the difference between men and women. It still burns."

Sir Bob Harvey
Former mayor
"I got a fake letter from the Oscars saying we'd like you to present an Oscar on behalf on the New Zealand Film Commission. I bought a new dinner suit and told my wife and kids I was going to be a world wide success. I didn't find out it was fake until I got to the airport. Twenty years later I smile about it, but it took 20 years."

The ruse was pulled by Sir Bob's old lifesaving friend,Malcolm Beattie,who had been the victim of a prank by Sir Bob four years earlier.

Jacinda Ardern
Labour MP
"Does wrapping paper count? My grandma gave mea present last year wrapped in wedding paper. Hilarious, but not very subtle. And although I loved it, the gift was also a cook book. I should add in my grandma's defence, she claimed she had forgotten her glasses when she picked the wrapping paper. Apparently the love hearts were too subtle."

Ben Boyce
TV host and radio jock
"I once got given a fruit cake by an older family member. I hate fruit cake but didn't have the heart to throw it out, but those cakes blimmin' last longer than Chris Warner on Shortland Street. Anyone want a piece?"

Lucy Elliott
Shortland St actress
"I was about 6 or 7 and fascinated with all things Beatrix Potter. Except for the rat with the rolling pin from the book The Roly Poly Pudding who terrified me and gave me nightmares. So I was more than a little gutted when one of my family members bought me the rat figurine of my nightmares, and gave my sister all three of the cute bunnies from Peter Rabbit (Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail) even though she didn't care about the books at all. I had nightmares for days with that rat in my room. I eventually got so bitter about it all, I went and ripped out all of her toy rabbits' tails in retaliation, even though it wasn't really her fault. I feel bad about that now."

Clint Brown
Sports broadcaster
"As mall packet of PK chewing gum when I was about 10 years old from one of the rellies and I thought, 'Spare it'. As a kid I thought is that all they could spare, 25 cents for some chewing gum? But it's the giving that counts and anyway it gave me fresh breath."

Will Hall
Actor "I've got two. I was given fly spray by a female friend because the only thing she knew about me was that I hated flies and ants. The other was a four-page letter from a woman I'd been courting about how she'd never met anyone like me and not to open my present until she'd left the country. It was a CD of Fonzie's greatest hits. It was bad covers. I'd given her a necklace and she gave me Fonzarelli's Greatest Hits. I never spoke to her again."

Te Radar
Comedian
"It was a step stool my mum got me. I remember opening it and thinking,'What on earth am I going to do with this step stool?' So for about half a day it held this thing of being the worst present and then I had to get something out of a cup board and I went 'wow this is the best present I've ever received'. I use it now every week, years later."