Unwanted gifts are something that we all have to face at times. Many family Christmases force us to put on an act and exclaim ´It´s lovely!´, or ´How unusual!´. The trouble is that you have to do something with these unwanted gifts that you unfortunately can´t stand or will never use. Or stop them occurring in the first place. Here are some solutions, both sensitive and devious, to the dilemma of unwanted gifts …
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Tell Them Your Taste
Sometimes even your nearest and dearest are completely oblivious as to what your tastes are. They may also make the mistake of not realising that your tastes have changed with time, so you end up with unwanted gifts more suitable for a younger person. Simple – make sure they know what kind of things you actually like.
Donate
If, in spite of your efforts to explain that you hate cooking, you still end up with kitchen-themed gifts, then find them a good home. Any unwanted gifts will be welcomed by charities, so that they can sell them to raise funds. Just don´t pick a store that the donor might go in …
Frequently asked questions
Whoops!
Okay. This is really devious and probably incredibly ungrateful, but if your unwanted gift is breakable, it might just meet with an unfortunate accident. If you´re careless. Very careless. Act sorry, but not too sorry, or they might buy you a replacement, and you can´t pull the same stunt twice.
No More Pressies
Agree among family and friends not to give any more gifts, perhaps giving only to the children in the family. They´ll probably be as relieved as you are – everyone will save money and won´t have to waste time and effort thinking what to buy (this is what leads to so many unwanted gifts).
Hide and Seek
If you really can´t bring yourself to break that hideous vase you were given, and the donor visits only rarely, hide it at the back of the cupboard so you don´t have to look at it. Bring it out when they visit, and put it back in the cupboard the minute they´ve gone. They´ll never know how much you hate it, in fact they´ll think you love it.
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Size Wise
This works beautifully for clothing (as long as they don´t make you try it on in front of them. Oh dear, you tell them, it doesn´t fit. Hopefully, they will then give you the receipt and you can exchange it … for something you like (of course, the store didn´t have your size in stock …).
Regift
Some think that regifting is the perfect solution to unwanted gifts, others think that it is appalling. Let´s just think of it as recycling. You don´t want the gift, so it goes to someone who may appreciate it (if they don´t, they can pass it on as well). Just remember who gave it to you, so they don´t get it back …
Unwanted gifts are common for many reasons. People may not know your taste, buy their gifts in a hurry, or feel obliged to buy something for you. Even if they mean well, you need to do something with it if you don´t like it, so these ideas should help. What is the worst unwanted gift that you´ve ever received – and are you still speaking to the recipient?
Top Photo Credit: weheartit.com
