The list of unwanted gifts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We didn’t do presents this year, so for once, NOTHING!

I did receive a metric ton of cookies and fudge that I could never eat. Sampled each and threw it away.

People are putting this stuff on my local buy nothing group and there is actually a competition for it. You don't realize how many people here are living close to the edge and would like some treats or some nutritious food.

Really? Wish I had known. It’s too late now, sadly. It hadn’t even occurred to me to offer it up that way. I figured nobody would want partially enjoyed confectionery.

Or freeze them for the next time you have a sweet tooth but don’t really want to eat too much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I received a festively-wrapped Navage Nasal Irrigation Kit. The "Multi-user" version (meaning multiple people can irrigate their nasal passages with the same machine).

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA OMG this is hilarious

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GIANT blanket hoodies for each of the four members of our family. They are ENORMOUS and take up a whole drawer when folded. I don’t know what to do with them. We live in a small townhouse and I feel like there was malice behind giving them to us.

My SIL gave me one and I love it! I hang mine up in the closet when not in use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Candles, fuzzy socks, kitchen items I didn't request. I appreciate the thought but I don't have room and won't use them. A couple were given with bizarre explanations, like a pitcher to mix my yogurt in: what?

Oil and vinegar! Yes we use it but not even close to the quantities received.

Tea ... this was from DH and I am trying to figure out how to gently ask for an exchange. I love tea, but not the kind he got.

Ok - I have to ask - how much oil and vinegar did you get that you cannot use it? Or is it odd flavors?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What gifts did you/your family get this year that are going into the Buy Nothing pile, the donation pile, or maybe even the trash?

-Those tall, cylindrical wafer cookies with chocolate inside
-Candles
-“Cookie kits” and “chili kits” and anything that involves dry ingredients in mason jars
-A huge marble run that has no place in our home; it’s seriously huge and I don’t understand how anyone could think we had room for it. Probably a regift.

I love those cylindrical wafers! Take them to work, someone will eat them.

Also, my kids LOVE marble runs, so I don’t think that’s a bad gift. Maybe keep it and bring out on a day you just want the kids to occupy themselves for a couple of hours without bothering you?

[Anonymous]

It was a good year for me, as my husband did not do his normal go to the hardware store and buy me random stuff. Except for my stocking stuff. There is a ton of mints and gum, mostly types I do not really like ]. They are his favorites. So I just put them in the cupboard and he will eventually forget he gave them to me and will eat/chew them. But at least they are not wasted. I still have random objects in the house I have been waiting to give away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My extended family has a big gathering and we really did not any unwanted gifts this year. Instead we concentrated on hanging out, eating good takeouts and taking group photos. We had a blast.
- We did a secret Santa for our extended family using an online app and we had modest dollar amount limits.
- We chose our own gifts under the agreed upon price point. I had nothing special I wanted so I listed every single thing that I normally use and would not mind getting extras of - my lotions, serums, makeup brushes, creams, shampoo, clothing, food items etc. on my list.
- Wanting cash only gift was an acceptable option.
- All gifts were from Amazon and we had to include a link to the product on our wishlist.
- No wrapping paper or gift bags. We had to cover the Amazon packaging the gifts came in with our own creative art work. People were gluing and tying all kinds of leaves, twigs, feathers, beads, toys, cartoon strips, collage and scraps of wrapping paper on the Amazon boxes and it was really a lot of fun.

Our Kids - Generous cash gifts.

Teachers - Gift cards from Amazon.

Cleaning lady - Generous cash tip and a chocolate box that someone gifted us.

Hostess gifts - Wine bottles.

$ is King!

My own family did this Secret Santa thing using Elfster and it sounds similar. But I actually hated it and felt it was pointless. We were literally just clicking on an amazon link that was provided and ordering it. Everyone knew what they were going to open. Yes, it absolutely minimized unwanted gifts but I'm ready to do away with the whole thing altogether.

Growing up, we asked for things like CDs or DVDs or books. Now it is so easy to use streaming services that the only thing my kids want are super expensive things like electronics and it's so easy to order from amazon that my college kids are getting deliveries every other week. They don't have the wishlists like I used to!

I agree. We should do away with this whole gift-giving thing - but we won't. I gave gifts for years that seemed to be well recieved, but the next day everyone was trooping to the mall to return those gifts. The cash gifts were considered too "cold and impersonal". So secret Santa with the gifts you want actually seems to work out well.

[Anonymous]

We should start giving gifts to Baby Jesus. It's his birthday, not ours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It wasn't for me, but 7 yo was a witch for Halloween so our au pair got her a Wiccan bible so she can learn to be a real witch. That got recycled quickly.

This is the best laugh I got all day. Reminds me of the time my son told me the slightly Goth afterschool program employee had been talking to the kids about "fallen angels".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What gifts did you/your family get this year that are going into the Buy Nothing pile, the donation pile, or maybe even the trash?

-Those tall, cylindrical wafer cookies with chocolate inside
-Candles
-“Cookie kits” and “chili kits” and anything that involves dry ingredients in mason jars
-A huge marble run that has no place in our home; it’s seriously huge and I don’t understand how anyone could think we had room for it. Probably a regift.

I have received all of these!

I purchase the cylindrical wafer cookies for myself. If you like sugar cones or fortune cookies they taste like that.

I dislike candles (artificial smells, masking of unpleasant smells instead of eliminating issues, safety hazards). I give them to people who like candles or use them as my white elephant gift.

SIL gives handmade and purchased food kits. I get the thought but don't share her taste. We tend to stall on making these, make once, then usually discard the rest of the jars. One kit required overnight soaking of ingredients plus hugely expensive meat purchase. Not a fan of gifts that require spending my own money to use.

Marble run. Received two expensive European wood ones that were both less fun than a cheap larger disassemblable set would have been. Gave one back to sister (original donor) as hand-me down set when her kids were ready. Hopefully she enjoyed it since she picked it. Don't remember what I did with the other - packed away? I thought about returning it but it came from an online store that mostly had products for younger children so nothing I could use store credit for. The base set was really simple, a tunnel block had a defect that stopped the marble, and the expansion packs were like $30 for something like a eight inch wood domino run so it only got played with once. So please note: German wood is not always preferable to Chinese plastic.

[Anonymous]

Truffle Oil

[Anonymous]

To the person who received the giant hoodie, Google how to fold a blanket like a pillow, with a few modifications you could make that work and then display on the bed or a chair, no drawer or closet space wasted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GIANT blanket hoodies for each of the four members of our family. They are ENORMOUS and take up a whole drawer when folded. I don’t know what to do with them. We live in a small townhouse and I feel like there was malice behind giving them to us.

My SIL gave me one and I love it! I hang mine up in the closet when not in use.

I would love this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband gave me a custom family name sign. The problem is its grammatically incorrect. Our last name ends in s and he didn't make it plural. So the sign says (for example) "The Jones" instead of "The Joneses" or "The Jones Family" I don't honestly know what to do with it.

This would send me over the edge.

[Anonymous]

We do a white elephant with extended family. It’s fun/funny and some years we get good things we’d use, others, not so much. For stuff we won’t use, I generally put back into the following year’s white elephant