Funny Gifts That Are Actually Funny

The problem with funny gifts is that the joke has a shelf life. The mug is funny once. The novelty socks are funny while they're being unwrapped. Then it's an object in a drawer.

What makes a funny gift last

Three things: it has to be about the specific person, it has to be shareable, and it should not take up space in their house. A gift that fails the third test stops being funny the day they move.

What this one is

Damnation Vacation sells a numbered, permanent plot in one of Dante's nine circles of Hell. You pay $6.66, pick who it's for, name their cardinal sin in twenty characters or fewer, and choose their circle. They get a public gravestone page with their name on it, their plot number, and a counter tracking how many days they've been down there.

The gift is a link. You send it to them, they open it and find their own grave, and then they send it to whoever they think belongs next to them. That's the whole thing.

Why the price is the joke

$6.66. Not a coincidence, not a sale price, not a tier. It sits low enough that nobody has to think about it and specific enough that they notice.

When it works best

It does its best work when the recipient has said they don't want anything.

• BirthdaysFor the person who says "please don't get me anything."
• Secret SantaCheap enough for any limit, memorable enough to win the round.
• Group giftsOne friend group, nine circles, a lot of arguing about who goes where.
• No occasionArguably the best use. There is no reason and that is the point.

Common questions

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