They say Christmas is about giving not receiving.

But most people are pretty excited to see the presents under the tree.

On the streets of Wellington, around half the people we spoke say they were happy with their Christmas presents.

The other half had some memorable mishaps.

One man had got a hat with their name on it in glitter pen.

"I think I was about 12 and my cousin got the same hat and she was one year old."

A Wellingtonian woman meanwhile got four pairs of men's size 36 apple bottom jeans from her father when she was eight or nine.

"One other Christmas he gave me a cardboard box with a yoga book from his house and a bunch of bananas and a rain jacket," the woman says.

Of those RNZ spoke to, men were significantly worse offenders than woman when it came to buying gifts.

They didn't have to be, says broadcaster and former Christmas in the Park MC Petra Bagust.

"I think men often want to surprise and delight the woman of their lives, whether it's their mom or their daughters or their wives.

"But actually, women often know what they want, and I think that it can be truly, profoundly helpful for us to set the fellas up to get gifts we want them to get.

"We can take a photo of the thing we love, we can have a shared note on our phone, we can literally give the men the intel that they need to succeed."

In her family, online shopping had revolutionised her husband's gift buying abilities, she says.

Her daughter meanwhile provided a list of wants, with direct links.

And it was safe to say a dust buster wasn't on anyone's list.

"I do not want anything for the kitchen or any cleaning appliance. I do not want something that has a really purposeful function," she says.

"For Christmas, I want a pop of colour, a spark of joy, something to read or relax with."

It was also the thought that counted, says Petra.

"If somebody's paid attention and given me something they think I'll like that matters more than the gift."

People also needed to be kinder to themselves when the Christmas pressure hit, says Petra.

"Part of my challenge now with Christmas is making each step an enjoyable part of the celebration rather than just beating myself into a pulp and expecting to arrive at Christmas Day in good condition."

That could include not feeling guilty about leaving gifts until late or making gifts part of a fun group activity, she says.

Meanwhile, Last year it saw 56,000 listed between 1 December 2022 and 31 January 2023, says Trade Me.

By 9am on Christmas Day, 4300 of those had already been listed on Trade Me, says spokesperson Millie Silvester.

"Some of our most viewed unwanted gifts last year included an empty Roses chocolates wrapper of 'disappointment' that sold for $200 and a sterling silver bracelet given to someone who is allergic to sterling silver."

They also saw a lot of duplicates where the receiver got what they wanted... more than once, says Silvester.

Back on the streets of Wellington, the main gifts people didn't want were any household appliances, or generic gifts like socks and toiletries.

Krystal Gibbens/ RNZ