I don’t know about you, but the holidays came a lot faster than I expected them to, which means I found myself in the midst of the last-minute-shopping crowd. Through my countless ventures between the aisles and in the check-out lanes, I realized the plethora of gift ideas that I had were just plain awful.

It was in that moment that I thought: “boy, it would be super convenient if I had a simple guide telling me what I shouldn’t get people for Christmas.”

So, to avoid becoming the local scrooge this holiday, I created my own Christmas-gift don’ts list.

Now, you too, can avoid shameless, heartless gift-giving with  a few of these simple, yet meaningful tips:

Food

Unless your friend is a hardcore foodie and you’re getting them exotic, gourmet, authentic Belgium chocolates, food is probably not  the most ideal Christmas gift for anyone. Fruitcake doesn’t exactly pack the same Christmas-spirit that an actual heart-felt gift would.

The infamous sock and underwear duo

No one, and I mean no one, wants socks and underwear as a Christmas gift. Unless your friends is in dire need of tighty-whities, I would say skip this gift idea, period. You might think you are trying to look out for your friend’s personal hygiene, but in reality, you look like a Grinch.

Pajamas

It doesn’t matter if they are footie pajamas, matching sets, or nightgowns; pajamas are a definite gift-giving don’t. That fleece onesie may look warm, but  i can assure you that your friend won’t feel the same warm-fuzzy feeling that you think they will.

Gift cards

Nothing says “I had no idea what to get you” more than a gift card to a place like Walmart. Of course, when shopping for a teacher or a boss, gift cards are great ideas because they lower the risk of offending someone you’re trying to kiss up to. Getting a gift card to a movie theater or a certain clothing shop they like is definitely an appropriate gift, because it says “Here, have a good time on me.” You’ll look generous and thoughtful at the same time.

Do yourself a favor this Holiday season and dodge tacky gift-giving.  Nothing ruins a Christmas faster than a horrible (and I mean sock-and-under wear- horrible) Christmas gift.