How to Deal With Unwanted Gifts
When I was brainstorming about this post, I initially decided to name it, The Aunt Dolores Dilemma. You all know my Aunt Dolores right? Okay, even though some of my most loyal readers actually do know my Aunt, the rest of you have not had the pleasure of meeting her. But don’t worry, in many ways you do know her. You just call her by a different name like Aunt Gladys, Uncle Jack, or perhaps even Grandma. What do these people have in common? They are the people in your lives, despite their best and loving intentions, annually give you the worst possible holiday gifts.
Tea lights and votives and make your own belt sets
Franklin mint coin books and fake barbies with fishnets
Holiday sweaters with bells on drawstrings
These are a few of my favorite things
Poor Aunt Dolores. She is the sweetest person who collects gifts year round from Home Shopping Networks, various Dollar stores, and probably thrift store or two. In fact, her apartment was once so full of gifts that she could have easily ended up on an episode of Hoarders. Unfortunately, the gifts that she picks out are rarely desirable and unlikely to be ever used.
So, what do you do with unwanted gifts?
1. Return the gift–Of course, in my Aunt Delores example, this would be impossible. However, in some cases you might be able to return the “dud gift” to the store where it was purchased. How would you figure out where the gift came from without a receipt? Let’s say you get a pair of ugly Arizona jeans for Christmas. By typing Arizona jeans in a standard Google search, you will quickly find out that they are sold at JC Penny’s. and a trip to your local mall will be in your near future.
2. Re-Gift it–Perhaps you actually know someone who would enjoy a make your own belt kit. Re-Gifting also is perfect for people that you really don’t like, but feel obligated to conduct an annual gift exchange. Bonus points are awarded to those that Re-Gift their worst gifts to someone who gives them a crappy gift. Just don’t commit the cardinal sin in Re-Gifting–Thou shall not Re-Gift to the original gifter!!!
3. Donate the gift–In some cases, donating the gift to your local thrift/goodwill store will actually return it to it’s original home (Unless you can actually find the land of misfit gifts near the north pole).
4. Throw it away–Sadly, some gifts are so bad, that it is truly cruel to continue the cycle. When trashing these gifts, be sure to break, burn, and/or completely destroy them, in order that they no one could possible dig them out of a dumpster and the entire bad gift life cycle will start again.
5. Keep the gift–Suck it up and wear that ugly sweater the next time the gift bearer comes for a visit. After all, it will make them happy that you are using the gift and doesn’t the saying go–”it is the thought that counts?”
Do you have any techniques in getting rid of those less desireable gifts? Leave me a comment and let me know!
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Filed under: Just for Fun
There is no easy way of getting rid of unwanted present. The most important thing in my opinion is not to offend person who gave us the unwanted thing. I’m sure that persons intentions are enough reason not to make it sad.
I can’t think of a gift so bad that you’d have to throw it away instead of just donating it to charity. Care to give some examples?
OMG you’re killing me with this post…too funny!! I also have an Aunt Dolores with the same problem. Rarely do I even let the gifts enter my apartment as I don’t know ehere they’ve been!
Once someone gave me a journal..with a note inside from someone else (saying enjoy the journal) to that person! If you’re gonna be that cheap, don’t be lazy too…check to remove all signs of regifting! I don’t believe in regifting..but I do believe in donating..at least that’s more honest.
I had lots of Unwanted gifts ……… your article helped me a lot to manage them ……..
Thanks
I used to just stick the bad gifts in the basement or the attic but now I either return them or donate them to good will
I am an avid user of the freecycle.org website. You can offer items you no longer want or need to the community of “freecyclers” in your area, people then email you if they want your item, then you coordinate a time/date to give them the item. It’s a great way to recycle and keep stuff out of landfills. Your trash (or dud gift) may be someone else’s treasure.
I keep them for a couple of months and then quietly hand them to a charity shop.
Marie uses odd gifts as essay fodder for her creative writing classes. The odder the gift, the better it is for inspiring her students.
For example, a tie with an unusual pattern, one that would be suicide to wear to a professional office, is just the thing to inspire a mind of any age.
A gift that takes a moment to decide what it is will suggest many applications of which the inventor simply never conceived.
For those gifts that don’t help Marie out with creative writing, I have been able to find other uses for them.
It’s actually fun to see if I can “legitimize” the gift, that is, use it for a genuinely productive purpose.
A gaudy belt might be just the thing for a play a child is in.
A pink serving bowl with a tacky funny face at the bottom might be used as a children’s camp popcorn container.
A metal rack for the million pair of shoes we don’t have might be used in an art studio as the center support for a creative work.
Odd gifts are free ticket s to a person’s own creativity.
After all, it is unlimited creativity that sets us humans apart from most other beings on this planet.
If someone out there has an odd gift, receive it with delight.
View it as a challenge to your creativity, and then GO FOR IT.
for me i will never throw away the gift.
just keep the gift, if you don’t like it just don’t wear it
Lol!! Great post!! Really funny, yet some good advice in there. First time reader, but I’ll be back!! Happy New Year!! God bless.
Very funny! I always donate cause if i dont like it someone else probably wont either!
Why would you think of getting rid of your ugly Christmas sweater? There are so many uses for that piece of clothing nowadays!
That is one of many reasons why I don’t like Christmas gifts. Usually if I want or need something I go buy it for myself. It seems like more times than not I end up with things I don’t like. I usually find out where they got them and return or throw them away. I guess I should be donating!
For me I use a site called freecycle. You don’t get paid for any of the stuff you list but the satisfaction is knowing that someone else will have a use for it.
You could travel back in time and communicate with your Aunt appearing as a sort of religious experience and convince her to stop giving away horrible presents.
Oh man. This post had me laughing. Unfortunately it’s as if my parents have no clue who their children are because the gifts they give are absolutely awful. This Christmas my sisters received the same awful velor sweatsuits my mom bought for them last year. We died laughing. I definitely donate a lot of unwanted gifts.
Have you seen the latest prophetic announcement.
Google the Ubvric Rosetta Stone. Really interesting stuff that.
Evidently in 1936 near the Annapurna Sanctuary of Nepal yet another relic was found that speaks of the last days.
Is not nice to refuse a gif. The gift is a gift and must be accepted
I have a lot of unwanted gifts as of the moment but I find it so impolite to return the gifts that was already given to me. Instead, I just re-gift it especially during unexpected events arise. I just make sure I remove everything that’s in it then it’s good to go.
I usually put them in a closet and forget for a while. In the end they allways go to trash. No memorial attached.
Haha, the pink rabbit suit kills me. It is like a fetish for me
This may not be completely ethical, but you can pretty much return anything to wal-mart without a receipt.
And if you don’t do that, I agree, regifting is an option.
Heh, funny tips
But true, probable the best thing to do.
Too funny suggestions to handle with unwanted gifts..but I think its not easy to work according to these suggestions. I believe I can’t throw away a gift or that I can re-gift it to another person because I would not have wanted to hurt the person’s sentiment whoever gifted this to me.
The best thing i can think of is, give it away to an orphanage or some charity. They will just love it.
I always put them in boxes and keep them in the closet. My heart doesn’t let me throw them away
You’ve provided great tips to take care of the gifts. But I love all my gifts. I never thrown anything away. I’ve it and will show it to my daughter :).
I never massed unwanted gifts in attics and basements! There’s always someone who will like the gift! It’s nice to make humane gesture and give something to those who really need!
Speaking of unwanted gifts, I just got one yesterday. But I am planning to give it to someone close to me because it’s pretty nice it’s just that I can’t think of any use from it so might as well give it to a good friend whom I know will terribly like it.
I actually keep such gifts for home! Won’t really matter who sees you at home wearing that ugly sweater right :)?
I simply give it to those unwanted gifts who needs it the most. Always give in good faith, that’s my golder rule.
I think of a gift donating it to charity.
My wife and I follow your second suggestion. We have a box of gifts that serve no other purpose in life except to be regifted. They are too nice for the salvation army or to throw away, yet they don’t have any practical value (at least in our family anyway). Sometimes I wonder if the gifts we have been given are already regifted. As a result, we re-regift them. Poor things.
I usually re-gift them. It’s better to give than throwing it. After all they gave them to us thinking that we may love it. It’s the thoughts that count