The stockings are empty, the gift wrap is in the recycling bin, and you’ve probably got mixed feelings.
Distracting, conflicting and gut-wrenching feelings often come after a major gift-giving and -receiving extravaganza.
Foremost is the feeling that you like only 10 percent of what you received. Or you’re worried that you received something phenomenal from someone you gave a mediocre gift to.
There are many reasons why someone might not appreciate your good taste. Most of the time, something might be perfectly nice, but it still makes you crinkle your nose and think, “no likey.”
Feelings can be complicated, but most of us know intellectually that you can love a gift-giver without loving their gift. However, we all instinctively feel a bit bummed when we get it wrong.
So do yourself a favor and remember why you gave them a present in the first place. I also hope you gave them a guilt-free-no-questions-asked gift receipt.
OK, let’s tackle the sensitive issue of how to graciously deal with a gift that sucks.
You’re probably worried you will offend them by not wearing, displaying or using the gift you claimed to adore when you opened it yesterday.
My advice: If pressed, always be honest but vague. Say something like, “I really appreciate the gift, but it wasn’t quite my style.”
If it feels right and it’s true, you can also add, “I didn’t want something that sweet to go to waste, so I donated it to Dress for Success to assist single parents with job interviews” or the ScholarShop to help with educational programs, etc.
Never, ever ask for a receipt, by the way. If it wasn’t given, you can’t ask.
If you plan to exchange something this time of year, it can often be done easily without a receipt. And if you don’t like the store that the gifter went to or you don’t know which store or you don’t want to be bothered with an exchange, donate that gift. It deserves an appreciative home outside of your closet graveyard.
You can also exchange gifts for gift cards that can be donated to charities like Dress for Success to use for clients in need of career clothing.
And now that we’re on the topic of gift cards …
Every year I rail against them and every year they grow more ubiquitous. Gift cards are a great idea in theory, a great idea for retailers and a horrible idea for consumers. Why? Millions of people don’t use the darn things.
As much as I love Target, iTunes, Best Buy and Macy’s, they are not charities. They don’t deserve your friend or family member’s free money.
So either use your gift cards or give them to a real charity that might be able to augment a silent auction basket with that spa gift certificate or use that Kohl’s card to help a needy client. But by all means, don’t stick it in a drawer and forget it like a huge percentage of recipients.
According to the National Retail Federation’s 2010 Gift Card Consumer Intentions and Actions survey, conducted by BIGresearch, total gift-card spending is expected to reach $24.78 billion.
In 2007, Consumer Reports noted that 27 percent of gift cards from the previous year were still unused, which means it was almost certain that they would never be used.
On a final note: What if you got something fabulous from someone you didn’t find something fabulous for.
Forget it.
If you don’t know what someone will like, you probably don’t know what they don’t like, either. They might just love it because you gave it with the right intentions. And if they don’t, well, that’s kind of their problem.
