Christmas Gifts Your Man Won’t Want To Unwrap

It’s official: festive socks have been named and shamed as the ultimate gift men don’t want to unwrap this Christmas morning. The tacky pressie, a favourite of grannies and great aunts, topped a poll of the worst ever Christmas gifts, voted for by readers of men’s magazine Loaded.

Loaded wanted to take the pressure off Christmas shoppers by finding out what men really want under the tree this year, so they quizzed more than 800 readers on their shopping habits and found out some top tips for getting it right.

Gadgets like MP3 players and camera phones top the list of must-haves, but thrifty wives and girlfriends beware – name brands are essential, with cheap imitations more likely to end up in the bin. Don’t bother with the instruction manual though as 86% of men say they never read them, preferring to fumble their way to success through trial and error.

Loaded’s gadget expert Ed Chipperfield said, “Real men never read instructions. What better way is there of spending Christmas afternoon than trying to work out your new bit of kit? It gives you the perfect excuse not to have to make small talk with the mother-in-law or help with the washing up.”

The poll also found that male shoppers leave it all to the last minute; 72% said they hadn’t started Christmas shopping yet, compared to only 24% of women in the quiz, and 23rd December is the day blokes are most likely to hit the high street this year. But ladies will feel the benefit: the late rush means men are likely to splash out more than they mean to on their partners, with 68% saying they over-spend on last-minute sprees, and are most likely to opt for underwear, perfume or a CD to please the missus.

45% of men and 41% of women say they plan to spend between £300 and £400 on Christmas shopping this year, with 25-50% of the budget going on one special person. Brothers and sisters could lose out, with 51% of men claiming a sibling was the person they were most likely to scrimp on if they were pushed for time.

Top 10 most-wanted presents for men:

1. Xcute 6mp camera phone
2. Apple iPod Shuffle
3. Motorola KRZR K1 phone
4. Curb Your Enthusiasm book
5. Nikon Coolpix S10 digital camera
6. One For All universal remote control
7. James Bond Casino Royale poker set
8. The World of Karl Pilkington book
9. Lost Collectible character figures
10. I Was Keith Richards Drug Dealer book

Top 10 worst presents for men

1. Christmas socks
2. Razors
3. Aftershave miniatures
4. Soap
5. Ties
6. Badly-chosen music
7. Cheap gadgets
8. Boring board games
9. Ugly clothes
10.Underwear

Loaded magazine’s January edition, out now, features a run-down of 101 inspired Christmas gifts to ease festive shopping headaches this year.