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Returning Your Gifts: The Good, The Bad & The Down Right Ugly

ByKim Anderson
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Ah, the holiday rush is over.  Take a deep breath.  Look around.  Are you staring at a small pile of gifts that you just frankly don’t know what to do with?  A pile of gifts that you have moved around your house six times now?  After your work “Secret Santa” party, your friends “Dirty Santa” party, the family’s white elephant swap, and then those other “unique” gifts that you got this year, what’s a woman to do with all her extra gift bounty?  Well, for one, be grateful that you have “bounty” and two find it a new home.  Here are the ways to deal with those gifts that need a place in your home or somewhere else.

1. Hide It-

  • If you got cookies and candies in excess this year go ahead and package those babies up in some freezer bags and place them in the far reaches of your freezer.
  • Besides, it’s New Year’s resolution time and you need it out of sight until you loose your resolve on January 25th and eat the whole bag.   At least if it’s frozen it slows you down a little…right?
  • So go ahead and maybe divide your goodies all up into single servings before you hide them.
  • On the other hand, if it’s a gift that you might have to one day produce in the person’s presence, store it in an out of the way safe place.  Just make sure that you can access the item quickly should you need to put it out!

2. Get Creative-

  • You may not have an immediate use for it, but just take a few seconds to think about it.
  • Could you use it to make something else?
  • Could you use it as a door prop or small decoration somewhere?
  • Could you fill it with something for storage purposes?
  • Would it be nicer if it were a different color (spray paint/jazz it up).
  • Could it be used as a paper weight?
  • Could you use it as a weapon if need be?
  • Would it burn easily and environmentally (you can always be prepared right)?
  • I’m just being silly now…sort of.

3. Re-Gift-

  • One person’s unusual gift could be another person’s treasure.
  • If you know someone who might love what you got consider saving it for an upcoming event to give to them.
  • You can always save it for next year to give to someone you know would find great use for it.

4. Donate It-

  • You could donate the item to a local thrift store that supports individuals or causes in your own area.
  • Sometimes you literally don’t know what something is.  This happens a lot with handmade gifts.  If you could figure out how to use the darn thing you would keep it, right?

5.Take It Back?

  • Sometimes in various gift swaps you end up with a gift that you just are not sure what to do with.
  • In that case consider figuring out where it may have come from such as Target or Walmart and take it back.  A quick scan of the barcode at the customer service desk will clearly tell you if it is or isn’t from that store.  If it is from the store, they may ask for your ID to make a return without a receipt.  (They do this to limit the number of returns people make per year without a receipt.)  You will most likely receive a store credit.

6. Sell It-

  • Clothing and home decor would be easy things to sell at a local consignment shop.
  • If you have an annual garage sale, put it with your items to sell.
  • Ebay and Craigslist are also other outlets to sell great stuff on.

Everyone gets gifts from time to time that were a very sweet thought or gesture but ultimately just end up as clutter since we don’t have a use for them.  Take some time to think about the best way you can use it before you loose it.  Feel free to share any gifts you may have received in the past and were unsure what to do with or where to put them.