The unwanted Christmas gift dilemma

IT may be all smiles and delight on Christmas morning, but in every household there are always a few insincere ‘Thank yous’ also vocalised, as gifts that weren’t on any wish list suddenly stare up at you from torn wrapping paper.

Be it a crazy Christmas jumper from Grandma, a DVD from Uncle Bob that you’ve already downloaded or a toaster from mum, the big question is – how do we get rid of unwanted presents?

If you are too embarrassed to ask for the receipt, there really is no point just hiding the unwanted gifts in a drawer in the hope that one day a use will be found for them – just try to return them.

By law, shops don’t have to entertain your unwanted gift if you don’t have the receipt, but as it’s the holiday season and we should be spreading joy and good will to all, many retailers will do a direct swap for another similarly priced item. To better your chances of a return or an exchange just make sure that the tags are in place and that there are no Christmas turkey crumbs on the unwanted jumper!

Remember, even if a particular present doesn’t appeal to you, there are many people out there in this world that will pay good money for such items. One man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure. So why not try to sell unwanted presents online?

Check out websites like eBay or Amazon and see if you can transform an unwanted gift into a few Euros. Remember that there are also specialist websites that look for particular items, such as electronic devices.

If all this sounds like too much hassle as Christmas holidays are a time for relaxing and watching movies in a comfortable armchair, then why not give the unwanted presents away to someone who wants and deserves them.

Many charities collect unwanted gifts and use them to brighten up the days of sick children and other needy people. You might not get a financial reward for just giving stuff away but you will receive a jolly good feeling in your heart that you made someone else’s Christmas!