Christmas Presents You Don't Want

hollysteers

It’s really only basic good manners to accept all gifts graciously.

I loved opening all my gifts yesterday. OK, the odd gift (yes a candle) will be added to my burgeoning stock (good idea nanna8) and I’d hate every gift to be pre-ordered and no surprises.

Yes, I totally agree with you. I was brought up to accept gifts graciously too. And sorry, but if anyone presented me with a 'wish list', it'd be going straight into the bin!

I have a wish list on "Giftster" and add to it online. Things I might not buy for myself but like the idea of... last month it had the "Pasta Grannies" cookbook put on it, as well as a brooch I liked made by someone local and for about 6 or 8 months it's had a nice face cream on that was maybe a fiver more than I'd usually buy. Some things on it (eg a piece of artwork that's really out of budget) have been on a couple of years but the out of print weaving book that's been on the list for years was a terrific surprise last year!

My children and husband look at it now and again!
And I look at theirs.

Why "throw out a list" that you are not obliged to even look at?
Surely we have all asked people "is there something your daughter/wife/husband might fancy?

You can still buy them a candle if you want!

Who knew that my daughter-in-law loved a particular body product but didn't treat herself if nobody was told?

hollysteers

It’s really only basic good manners to accept all gifts graciously.

I loved opening all my gifts yesterday. OK, the odd gift (yes a candle) will be added to my burgeoning stock (good idea nanna8) and I’d hate every gift to be pre-ordered and no surprises.

It’s so good to see some Christmas cheer. God Bless us everyone. A lot to be learned from A Christmas Carol

hollysteers

It’s really only basic good manners to accept all gifts graciously.

I loved opening all my gifts yesterday. OK, the odd gift (yes a candle) will be added to my burgeoning stock (good idea nanna8) and I’d hate every gift to be pre-ordered and no surprises.

Lists do not necessarily mean you know what you will receive. Both DH and I received some very nice present, spot on, that had not been listed, plus a couple of list items, we never know in advance what is likely to be in each parcel

It’s the not knowing that contributes to the fun

There are some people who persist in giving presents even though it has been mutually ( as we thought) agreed that we would no longer do this as all of us in our seventies felt we had all the toiletries, plants, candles et al that we needed, and would just exchange birthday gifts.
Last year the excuse was that she had already bought the presents (early November); this year she just did it and dropped the presents off 3 days before Christmas, which led to panic buying. One of these very quietly determined people with a will of iron who always has her own way.
In the scheme of things, not that terrible, but simply annoying and wasteful.

I agreed with a group of friends earlier this year to not do presents at Xmas, this has worked, and is very liberating, was worried one person might break the rule but it went very well.
We should stop buying things for people just for the sake of it, is silly. Just make a deal to go for a nice lunch or coffee and
cake with friends before xmas.

eazybee if you've already agreed you won't exchange presents, why let someone manipulate you into feeling you have to do just that?
They'll soon get fed up of you not responding to their behaviour.

I’m with V3ra eazybee.

If it’s been agreed ‘no presents’, and someone still buys them, well, that’s up to them, but don’t rush out and ‘buy back’.

I suspect she will change how she does things next time.

Put all your unwanteds into an Amazon box and seal the box. Leave it on your doorstep and someone will nick it. Problem sorted 🤣

Another year when I've ended up with a pile of unwanted gifts and judging by the tired packaging on them -I think that they were recycled . They will end up at a charity shop or in a church raffle .
On Christmas Day I had a panic trying to find three extra gifts for some unexpected visitors .
Yesterday I dashed out to replace them as I'll see the recipients later .
Every year ,I vow never again .
I did keep to my budget and spent less than I normally do on gifts .
I made one of them .
As the year progresses I'll try to make as many as I can and put them in a large box labelled GIFTS !

If you've agreed, I would say that when they bring gifts , you say I'm sorry but as a group we agreed no more presents and so I haven't.

For some people it is the pleasure of giving that is important to them

I hear you! Every year I get Percy Pig stuff from M&S 🤷🏻‍♀️ and despite my stepdaughter asking what I fancied she gave me some slippers that won’t fit. They were costly too, had she given me what I’d asked for she’d have saved some money too smh

Presents are not a contract - they are a GIFT. Appreciate that someone loves you enough to give you a present - I’m sure you could find other members of your family to take them off your hands.

DD tries to buy activities for people rather than stuff. At our age we don't need or want more stuff! When my DiL was expecting my younger GC, DD gave them a weekend of chidcare looking after my GS so the parents could have a weekend away. I went along too and we had a weekend of fun. Unfortunately we caught Covid while there and both got ill when we got home! If I don't know what to give I tend to opt for a handmade gift, or a voucher.

I have already “ regifted “ some items , with no compunction !

I agree with most on here.
*You could give to a charity.
*Do a £5.00 maximum next year.
*Say I'm not buying this year I'm donating to a charity (perhaps one close to the "givers" heart- because like you I have everything I need and there are a lot of people that don't.
But Re-gifting is definitely tricky. 🙄

Primrose53

I’ve said this on here before but I volunteered for 15 years in a charity shop. Every year as soon as we reopened after Christmas we were inundated with unwanted gifts. Toiletries, nightwear, slippers, books, calendars and diaries, ornaments, socks, perfumed candles, preserves etc.

It always stuck in my mind but one year a lady came in with a bin liner full of WRAPPED gifts. She said she couldn’t be bothered to open them as people never gave her things she really liked.

that is really quite sad isn't it? like she was invisible

As previously suggested. Don't offend the giver. Pass unwanted presents on " one man's meat is another man's poison". And there are food banks, charity shops etc who would welcome them.

There is no harm in regifting I have already passed on a gift to my friend for her grand daughters birthday coming up in February. Way to go. My daughters now ask what I would like so I get my face cleansers, creams and vouchers for beautician treatments this saves me money perfect.

We’d said to all our AC’s not to buy gifts or vouchers for us, as we didn’t really need or want anything. Our DD sent a message on Christmas Eve to say she’d made donations to Marie Curie and Dogs Trust, which she knew we’d appreciate. However on Christmas Day eldest AS brought in a fancy coffee machine from all of them, apparently DH had mentioned months ago he saw this was on sale but when he went to buy it, it was sold out. Spent yesterday trying to figure out how to work it.😂😂

My children do usually ask me what I'd like so I think of something useful that I need, or say that I'd love some flowers or a "kill-proof" indoor plant.
I keep an ear out during the year for anything that they say they need and instantly say that I'll give them that for Christmas, or I go with my daughter when she is shopping for the children and buy her something to wear for herself.

Donate them to someone who will appreciate them.

Toiletries are really handy for people with no relatives in care homes.

Cateq

We’d said to all our AC’s not to buy gifts or vouchers for us, as we didn’t really need or want anything. Our DD sent a message on Christmas Eve to say she’d made donations to Marie Curie and Dogs Trust, which she knew we’d appreciate. However on Christmas Day eldest AS brought in a fancy coffee machine from all of them, apparently DH had mentioned months ago he saw this was on sale but when he went to buy it, it was sold out. Spent yesterday trying to figure out how to work it.😂😂

I hope you manage to master your coffee machine, they usually just take a bit of practice - there are often YouTube videos about the individual machines which can be useful. Amazon reviews often give helpful tips too.
Your post is obviously a happy one, but many of the posts are so sad, adult children who must surely know what presents their parents would appreciate but just can't be bothered to find suitable presents.