How sad to see this article in today’s DT, barely two minutes after Christmas Day has ended.
How-to-dispose-of-your-unwanted-Christmas-gifts.
Do people really need to be told how to get rid of items they don’t want? It seems so coldhearted. I have also seen adverts in the local papers offering Unwanted Wedding Gifts for sale, and hoped that the donors didn’t read that paper and recognise the description and telephone number. If I did, I would be very tempted to go round and reclaim my gift.
Boadicea's Chariot 
This year, for the first time ever, I finally achieved the ultimate no gift status desired for so long.
Not one person gave me a thing and I gave nothing either.
A great relief not to have to add to the collection of soaps, candles, ungents etc with hideous dubious flavours, all very expensive and pretty well the same effect as nerve gas.
I’m reactive to the fixatives used in the perfumes, literally send me off into an asthmatic type attack!
Regrettably I’ve never had the gall to give them away or sell them, they lurk in the airing cupboard. I was always terrified they might work their way back to the original donor somehow! Too much even for me!
Spousal unit is so relieved of the necessity of having to Christmas shop he must have mentioned it at least twice a day for weeks.
Amusingly the only member of the household who went Christmas shopping was one of the Jack Russells..
We always take them to Petsmart, all 3 of them to choose their own goodies, bones etc and glare at the cats up for adoption (protected by glass in another room). Gus finds this squeaky toy, a snake with about 6 squeakies in it, so if you bit different parts it made a different pitch of squeak. He was entranced, took it off the shelf, played with it, picked it up, refused to give it back, took it past the till, refused to surrender it for checking, carried it out the store, and put it in the car all by himself, causing much mirth to the staff, they just scanned a similar model! (We are regulars there) Neither of the other two dogs are into squeakies and just looked at him like he was a total embarrassment to them, it really was very funny indeed. They accepted bonios to get over their fraternal humiliation!!!
The dogs considered this to be an excellent festive expedition and the self given present has been satisfactorily ‘killed’ several times over!
Not, I think, in a suitable state to be regifted!
The sending of wish-lists is the worst abuse. Getting the right thing is obviously paramount for some. The thought no longer counts.
I tried.
https://charioteers.org/2011/12/25/i-may-never-understand-the-female-mind/
Yesterday’s Brisbane Times reported that around 500 million dollars had been spent on ‘unwanted’ presents in Australia.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/technology-news/unwanted-presents-provide-a-net-gain-online-20111225-1p9ju.html
I find it sad that some people put a lot of effort into buying presents, and that the thought is not appreciated.And I also find it sad that some people don’t make the effort to find out what others really want and don’t bother to buy anything on the grounds that it’s all too commercialised.
The whole point of buying someone a present is to give them something they would like that they might not be able to buy for themselves.
Sickening.
I enjoyed the story of your dog shopping for his own present, Christina. If I were ever to buy you a present, it would be flowers or a plant. Don’t people know you’re allergic to perfume?
Wish-lists are only for family use with us, otherwise I wouldn’t know what CDs to get the children. It’s useful to learn the favourite perfumes of daughters-in-law too. One daughter-in-law collects a certain edition of the Chalet School books, so I try to find her one she hasn’t got. If she manages to get them all, that collection will be worth quite a bit at current prices. As Boadicea says, a present should be something the recipient would like but couldn’t buy themselves.
Sheona, your criterion for the choice of gifts is fine if you can afford more than the recipients! Pensioners find themselves stuck for solutions.
The wish-list is for the entire family to share, Janus. “If you and Dad are getting him/her this, then I’ll get that.” It saves time for busy working people, who also have a lot of demands on their cash like mortgages and children.
We have a wish-list system too for family. I think it makes more sense that just guessing what they want, when I have no idea what DVD’s CD’s books etc they would like.
I love buying them presents but hate the thought of wasting money on something they have already got or dislike, even though they wouldn’t dream of telling me, they are far too well-mannered.
I actually can’t believe what I’m reading.
Are you telling me that family members give you a list of CD’s or Books and encourage you to buy them as gifts!
you’ve got to be kidding.
I’m quite happy to buy a framed mirror, a candlestick (or two) bath oil, after shave etc. Never from a list, never ever.
Only my children tell me what music and books they’d like. They don’t have the same musical tastes as me, oddly enough, nor even as their siblings. What is the point of me buying a Sinatra CD that they’d have to trot back to the shop to change? Bath oil, after shave – no way. Toiletries they buy for themselves. Though if you did think of sending me perfume, Soutie, it’s Chanel No. 5!
Even in the dim and distant past I never bought presents. The boy was always into seriously obscure electronic components for this and that project. I just cut a check! He always sent a cheese or flowers. He was a great aficionado of Neal’s Yard. I think he caught that from me I always sent my mother cheese.
Husband’s were only allowed to go to nominated jewellers. I can’t remember actually buying presents for husbands!
I never thought they deserved them. As far as I was concerned they were bloody lucky I hadn’t already left!
(Totters off cackling!)
Stroll on, Christina. I like the cut of your jib.
OZ