Australians received in December surprise parcels but they were not amused by their contents.

A pink bag sent from a post office box in Dingley Village in Victoria was received by someone in Alexandria, New South Wales. It contained bits of fabric, as reported in social media posts.

Another recipient commented on the post, saying he had received a “weird” package also from Dingley containing socks with holes. Others received stinky rags, stuffed toys, pillows and flower petals.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said the unsolicited packages may have been intended to scam people, referring to the modus operandi of fake couriers using packages of “trash” as “proof of delivery” to their victims.

Meanwhile, a village in Makueni County, Kenya received an unexpected “airdrop” from India on 30 December.

The 500-kilo metal ring could have hit a person on the ground or damaged property, the Kenya Space Agency (KSA) complained to the India Space Research Organization (ISRO), NTV reports.

ISRO owned the huge separation ring that was part of a rocket it had launched into space, according to KSA.

The ring was red hot when it landed as it apparently burned during reentry into the earth’s atmosphere, according to James Mateng’e, who was among the first people to respond to the incident, according to NTV.

The sound of the crash was so loud it was heard kilometers away, NTV quoted locals as saying.