Christmas is a time for giving and receiving, but who secretly prefers the receiving? I asked some of the lovely people at All About Money about the best Christmas presents they ever received - and the worst!

I think a box of hair tops the list as the worst, but can you do 'better'? Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Worst Christmas presents

Joel: "The worst present I ever received was book plates from my aunt and uncle. No, I didn't know what they were either. 'Book plates' is now a running joke for bad presents in my family!

Mike (Montgomery) says: "An ex named a star after me, but spelt my name wrong. Somewhere in the solar system, the star Michael Mongomery is out there."

Steve says: "The worst thing anyone ever got me was a handkerchief with my initials embroidered in the corner - I was 18!"

Rebecca's worst gift was "A candelabra (with no candles)."

Chris says: "The worst was a set of 50 cards detailing 50 of the most 'guaranteed to work' chat-up lines. They don't work!"

Gemma: "The worst was a Travel Book Edition of 1001 Sci Fi Films. Snooze fest!"

"As a fan of heavy metal and black clothing," Helen recalls, "I was given pink hairy Ugg-type boots and big gold hoop earrings by relatives who really should've known me better. Also, when you're a kid, clothes are just the worst - unless it's some sort of costume."

Terrorised by a childhood toy, Angela comments: "The scariest gift I ever had was the Chiggle - a plush toy that came out in the 80s that made an odd giggling noise and flashed its eyes in response to sound. I was only 7 and I was scared it would come alive in the dark and eat me and my family, so I would tie it up in its packaging each night!"

Stelios, on the other hand, was terrorised by his parents: "My worst Christmas present? A bunch of hair as a punishment from 'Santa Claus' for treating my little brother badly that year. I used to pull his hair when we were teasing each other, so I received a beautifully wrapped box with a bunch of hair from my mum's hairdresser. I cried for two days, but I NEVER did it again!"

Neil once "received a device to vacuum and seal half-drunk bottles of wine to keep the contents fresh until the next use. At my house, if wine gets opened, wine gets drunk. Who would think it worthwhile to invent such a thing?"

Nicola once "got a large, red, acrylic love-heart pendant. It was vile."

Dan was less than thrilled to get "Janet Street-Porter's autobiography - and it was second-hand."

And the winner of the 'Christmas spirit' award goes to Andy, who says: "Worst present? I'm not sure I have one. All presents are good."

Best Christmas presents

It seems the latest gadgets go down well as Christmas presents. Nicola says, "My Kindle was definitely my best Christmas present. Two years on and it's still my favourite thing."

Joel says: "The best present I ever received was a NES, my first games console and the only one that my whole family used to play on." Andy says: "The best present I ever received was an N64. It gave me years of entertainment." But great presents don't have to be high-tech: Rebecca felt the same way about the trumpet she received one year.

Sometimes, the best Christmas presents are the ones we feel nostalgic about. Neil says: "I received a Scalextric car set. I'm still buzzin' about it." And Helen remembers another great childhood present: "It was a Dalmatian costume my mum made for me when I was little. It had spotty dog ears on a headband."

Gemma did well one year: "My brother and I pocketed a proper pool table one Christmas. It was in my parents' garage where I perfected my trick shot. Pretty cool gift."

Some people just like the simple things in life. Chris fondly remembers "the beanbag I got when I was 7". And chocoholic Dan was chuffed to bits with "one of those metre-long bars of Cadbury's Dairy Milk. It lasted about five minutes!"

Steve had a fantastic Christmas present in mind: "It had to be the year I got a mountain bike with 21 gears - Shimano gears - and lightweight tubing. It was the business - until it was stolen!"

What about you?

Tell us about your best or worst Christmas presents on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+. With a bit of luck, it might help a few Christmas shoppers make up their minds what to buy - and what to leave on the shelf.