In response to the criticism Obama encountered because of the DVDs he gave to Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the iPod he gave to the Queen, Obama unofficials have said the president is probably happy with his choices and might even compare himself to Santa Claus.

"I don't understand what the big deal is," one unofficial said, "I gave an iPod to my mom for her birthday, and she loved it!"

After Brown presented Obama with a pencil holder carved from an antislavery ship called the HMS Gannet, the president handed over 25 DVDs to the prime minister. DVDs included such classics as Psycho, Star Wars and E.T., but none of them worked on U.K. DVD players.

"What would you rather have: 25 awesome DVDs or a pencil holder? Who even uses pencils anymore?" someone could be heard saying.

Not all of Obama's gifts have been as terrible as one might think. For example, the prime minister of Australia received an original copy of the sheet music for the Star Spangled Banner. Some see this as an improvement, while others believe it's just a tactic used to rub it in to the people who received the cheap stuff.

"Look, Obama is like Santa Claus: He gives you the gifts you actually want," One person said. "Instead of giving things with sentimental or historical value, he gives you the kind of things you'd ask for at Christmas. What's more American than that?"