The fine line between nailing and failing your inappropriate gift giving
From snarky to downright cruel—inappropriate gag gifts are a the créme de la créme of gift giving. They not only offer a good laugh but also an opportunity to point out the sympathetic and charming flaws of the recipient in the most playful of ways.
A joke isn’t funny if you have to explain it but for the sake of this article, let’s layer some science over the act of ‘inappropriate gift giving’ and look at it objectively for a minute.
To make your inappropriate gag gift a success it’s important to find the right balance between funny and offensive. Whether you nail or fail your inappropriate gift giving depends on the following three factors:
#1: Who’s receiving the inappropriate gag gift?
Probably the most important question is who is the recipient of your gift and how will they perceive the joke?
For example, a sarcastic gag gift may not be the perfect gift for your grandparents (unless they are cool and still rock that kind of dry humor). But it may be totally appropriate for your sarcastic friends, your co-worker who you get drunk with on weekends, or your uncle who’s the embodiment of inappropriateness.
Inappropriate gag gifts are supposed to be special and meaningful gifts for the unique and fun-loving people in your life.
#2: Who’s giving the inappropriate gag gift?
A funny gift with an underlying snarky message is one thing. But how well it’s received often depends on who has given the gift in the first place.
Someone who you’ve only just met may not appreciate getting an inappropriate gift from you, no matter how much they can relate to it. Instead, this can even come across rude and well … inappropriate in the true sense of the word.
If you have a great relationship with the recipient and you know that they’ll appreciate the present when it comes from you, you’re in for a win!
#3: Why is the gift funny?
Before you wrap up your inappropriate gag gift take a moment to think about how the recipient will react when they tear open the wrapping paper. Will they think it’s funny? Will they fluster from embarrassment? Or may they be offended?
Inappropriate gift giving is about making everybody laugh, so make sure it’s not only funny to yourself. Embarrassing or offending the recipient is okay in a small dose but too much of it and you may lose a friend—again, it depends on the recipient and how well you know them. But the most important thing is that the recipient can relate to the gift, even if that means to publicly acknowledge the flaws they are too proud to admit.
Making fun of someone’s traits is absolutely fine if the recipient can see why it’s funny and will appreciate the joke.
In addition, you want to make sure that your joke gift isn’t just funny but also has a real purpose. Nothing worse than a gift that’s funny for a day but ends up in the trash because it’s otherwise useless.
Exception: When breaking the rules is allowed
As we’ve established, when it comes to inappropriate gag gifts it’s all about the relationship between you and the recipient.
However, there is one gift-giving occasion when none of that matters: Yankee gift swaps, or otherwise known as White Elephant gift exchanges.
Most popular as Secret Santa gift swaps during the Christmas season, yankee gift exchanges are the perfect event to feed your inappropriate gag gifts into.
Where do I find inappropriate gag gifts?
Funny joke gifts are all around us but finding the ‘appropriate’ one for the occasion can be tricky. Google search results for ‘inappropriate gag gifts’ can quickly become overwhelming and usually end up in a rabbit hole.
To find the perfect, funny and useful inappropriate gag gift check out our range of hilarious notebook titles. From awkwardly honest to downright sarcastic, there are more than a hundred hilarious and customizable gifts for friends, family and co-workers to be found.
To get you started, check these titles out:
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There's a lot more where these came from! Make sure to browse through our entire range of hilarious notebooks and journals and give an inappropriate gag gift that'll make 'em laugh:
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