So, how was your Christmas Day? Was it stunning? I really hope so. It has been a really busy and interesting year so far and, with only a few days left until 2012, I wish you the loveliest week ever. Ok, that’s the nice bit done, now I am going to come over all mercenary again by talking about unwanted Christmas gifts.
While we all appreciate the sentiment behind our Christmas gifts, sometimes the giver just gets it completely wrong. This isn’t their fault really (unless they are an angry sibling who sent you coal on purpose) so we all smile and say thank you. But space is always at a premium at home and we don’t want a cupboard full of weird Christmas items taking up valuable storage.
So, here are some great ideas on how you can get rid of your unwanted Christmas gifts and clear out that dodgy cupboard.
1. Returns
Some givers are kind enough to include a gift receipt with their Christmas present. These clearly advanced people know that their taste may not necessarily be yours and are offering you the opportunity to swap it for something you like. If this is the case, try and get into the store in question nice and early on. Don’t leave it for months or you will have a problem getting the store to exchange the item.
Some stores won’t swap items just because you don’t like them but most will do that quite happily. I was in Next buying my husband a jumper (he is very fussy) and the lady behind the counter assured me that he could easily swap it for one he preferred after Christmas.
If the gift didn’t come with a receipt and you feel deeply uncomfortable asking the giver to give it to you, then read on. There are other ways to recycle these Christmas gifts…
2. Sell it
Oooh, I can hear you gasping in shock already. I too thought that this was a terrible gauche and unpleasant thing to do until, one day, I had had enough of my exploding drawer of Christmas doom and decided to leaf through eBay and see what the items were selling for. In many cases I was pleasantly surprised and I made enough cash to pay my leccy bill which was the best Christmas present I could have had really.
If you feel uncomfortable selling Christmas gifts that you only received a few days ago, why not stick them in the cupboard and look at them again in a year or two. By then you’ll have probably forgotten who gave it to you and will be able to sell it without a smidgen of guilt. I tend to do that, if I am honest.
The best places to sell unwanted Christmas gifts is on auction sites but you can also go to sites that are just there to sell used or unwanted new items to other people looking out for them. Prelovedis a good bet, so is eBay and Amazon Marketplace. One man’s tat is another man’s Must Have That Now.
On that note, if you got any Star Trek stuff you don’t want…
3. Re-gift it
This is becoming a very popular past time – re-gifting. As we all stare at the recession and economy in horror, we are all worried about our finances but we also don’t want to stint on gifts for the people we love. So, instead of selling the item or exchanging it, stick a note on it saying who you got it from (to avoid giving it back to them by mistake) and pop it in your Present Cupboard. Now you have a growing pile of lovely gifts that may well suit someone else in 2012.
4. Pay it forward
If you’re feeling generous, why not give your unwanted Christmas gifts to charity? They are crying out for donations and these lovely gifts, still wrapped in their original packaging, will help them raise much needed money for their cause. Not only will you be doing something good and helping someone out, but you will also be indirectly including the giver in your kindness. It certainly is a lovely way of passing on the spirit of Christmas.
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