So what do you do when you receive Christmas gifts you don't like?

It happens to all of us, and we just treat it like a dirty little secret and don't talk about it that much. And, I'm sure we've all gifted duds to other people too. It does go both ways. But here are 8 things you can do whenever you receive Christmas gifts you don't like, in order to make the best of the situation.

  1. Thank Them. Yes, please thank them as convincingly as possible to avoid anyone feeling bad about it. At least, that's what I do. Anyone opposed to faking-it in the moment to spare feelings and to maintain the Christmas spirit? 🙂
  2. Keep It and Show It Off. Depending on who gave it to you (for example, kids or anyone else that will be looking it for it on a regular basis), then you'd probably feel compelled to keep it forever and show it off. This is my reaction to every gift from my mom - I just proudly display it in my home. Despite the fact that it doesn't fit in. Just like I've done with her brightly colored-egg gift from a couple years ago at Christmas. It's in my curio cabinet.
Christmas Gifts You Don't Like / Image Source: Pepper Valentine

3. Keep It and Hide It. Yes, I totally have a hiding spot for items that I want to forget even exist, but yet I also cannot part with them due to guilt or a feeling of obligation.

4. Re-Gift It. This is my favorite move, undoubtedly. If there is someone in my life that would enjoy it instead, I would prefer that they have it and I'll gladly gift it to them at my soonest opportunity.

5. Donate It. This is my second favorite move with gifts I don't like. It's just another way to get into the hands of other people that would enjoy it instead.

6. Exchange It. This option works if you KNOW where the item originated from. And your likelihood of success when attempting to exchange it depends on the specific store, as well as the terms on the gift receipt (if you even have a gift receipt, which isn't that common I've noticed). So this option doesn't work all the time. I wish you luck if you try it! 🙂

7. Sell It. I've tried this on some online marketplaces before - like the Facebook marketplaces or Ebay. And it's a bit of a hassle in my opinion since you have to create a posting to advertise the item on sale, then you have to wait around for someone to be interested enough to buy it, and then you have to figure out the logistics of getting it to them. So it's probably the most leg-work of all the options available.

8. Throw It Away. This may be the most dramatic option, and it feels a bit wasteful to me. But sometimes you just have to take this step. I would probably do this if the gift I received was already damaged in some way so I wouldn't want anyone else to have it instead.

Anyhow, this is the time of year when I start dreading the whole gifting thing. It does stress me out as it's not something I enjoy very much. I'm definitely not a gift person. I actually don't mind giving gifts, I enjoy that. But I kinda HATE receiving gifts. Is that weird?

Whenever anyone asks me what I want for Christmas, it's never an object or a thing that can be bought. I'd want them to accompany me to dinner or to drinks or to join me on a little trip somewhere. I'd appreciate that so much more than an item that I just end-up re-gifting to someone else anyway, or stowing away somewhere and forgetting about it.

I don't know. I'm being a weirdo about gifts, I guess. 😦

How about you all? What do you do about Christmas gifts you don't like?