Canadians: No tacky sweater gifts, please

TORONTO, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- The majority of Canadians surveyed said they prefer gift cards as a Christmas present rather than sweaters or clothing they'll probably never wear.

An Ipsos Reid poll for American Express of 1,000 people found 83 percent like to receive gift cards because they enjoy choosing their own gifts, an Amex release from Toronto said.

Chantel Simmons, editorial director for Sweetspot.ca, an online lifestyle portal, said the findings make sense.

"At some point, everyone has received a well-intentioned gift from a grandparent or an uncle that was so off-the-wall that it tends to become family lore," she said. "The idea of 'holiday sweater syndrome' is having its cultural moment right now in Canada as we become increasingly sophisticated consumers, particularly around the notion of what our gifts say about our own personal taste."

She said gift-givers should "consider the aftermath of an unwanted gift."

For those who have received gifts they didn't like, 29 percent said they had returned it and the same number said they had re-gifted the item.

The online poll was conducted Nov. 12-13 and had a 3.1 percentage point margin of error, Ipsos Reid said.