If you don't celebrate Christmas what do you do when someone gives you an Christmas ornament?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It's weird too because a least a few of the people who have gifted me Christmas ornaments know that I'm not celebrating Christmas but somehow don't make the connection that I don't have a tree in my house. So I don't really have any need or use for ornaments. I always thank them but then it's just useless tchotchke that I have no use for in my home. If you are in a similar situation what do you do with an ornament?

. I'm sure there will be a bunch of non Christians coming out of the word work to tell me they are X religion but still have a Christmas tree but that's not me.

I say thank you and then either put it away in a closet, or throw it out. If I really liked it aesthetically and it was not religious maybe I’d add it to my tchotchke display collection, but that’s unusual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, be happy someone gave you a gift. My neighbors are Indian and celebrate Diwali every year. They give us Diwali snacks and every year we get excited and say Thanks. People want to share in their holiday traditions with others and it's well meaning. Stop trying to find the evil in everything.

Nobody is saying that it's evil.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really? You can’t think of any creative re-use, OP? I BUY ornaments (nearly all are non religious- snowflakes, happy holidays, winter-themed) to attach to gift bags and or wrapped presents and cards.

I use the same ornaments on seasonal wreaths and decor inside and outside of my house.

Think of ornaments as fancy tags or embellishments.

As someone who doesn't celebrate Christmas...

It would be weird to attach a Christmas ornament to a gift. I'm not usually giving a ton of gifts to people who celebrate Christmas and I choose not to participate in my office's white elephant, which might be the only place I could do that. It's a cute idea in theory, though.

Wreaths are also not common among non-Christians. Or decor for that matter. What are non-Christians decorating for at this time of year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, be happy someone gave you a gift. My neighbors are Indian and celebrate Diwali every year. They give us Diwali snacks and every year we get excited and say Thanks. People want to share in their holiday traditions with others and it's well meaning. Stop trying to find the evil in everything.

They gave you snacks, because everyone eats food. They can assume that you eat food too and that this would be an appropriate way to share their holiday traditions with you, even though you don't celebrate Diwali yourself. But Christmas ornaments are meant to decorate a Christmas tree, which (it should be obvious) not everyone has. If someone gave OP a tin of Christmas cookies, I bet the response would be "Yum, cookies! Thank you!" The problem is that now OP has an ornament that has no purpose to him.

[Anonymous]

ornaments aren't just for trees. If it's a non-religious ornament, I just use it. Someone gave me a fun disco ball ornament that I hang at my wet bar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It's weird too because a least a few of the people who have gifted me Christmas ornaments know that I'm not celebrating Christmas but somehow don't make the connection that I don't have a tree in my house. So I don't really have any need or use for ornaments. I always thank them but then it's just useless tchotchke that I have no use for in my home. If you are in a similar situation what do you do with an ornament?

. I'm sure there will be a bunch of non Christians coming out of the word work to tell me they are X religion but still have a Christmas tree but that's not me.

Regift, post on a buy nothing site, or donate to places like family shelters, etc. so they can put them on their trees.

[Anonymous]

Have you really never received a gift you didn’t want?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really? You can’t think of any creative re-use, OP? I BUY ornaments (nearly all are non religious- snowflakes, happy holidays, winter-themed) to attach to gift bags and or wrapped presents and cards.

I use the same ornaments on seasonal wreaths and decor inside and outside of my house.

Think of ornaments as fancy tags or embellishments.

+1. I’m no longer religious and don’t mind Xmas ornaments. They’re not religious either

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hiss and try to avoid it touching my skin. I carefully wrap it in a cloth and keep it separated from my person until I can safely deposit it in the center of my pentagram and perform the ritual depriving it of all its powers. Then I pop it in the trash.

Are you available to cater the eggs at my Christmas party? 😈

[Anonymous]

Everything is an earring if you're brave enough.

[Anonymous]

why is this a post?

Donate it and move on with your really boring life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lived in the Middle East for a few years and was often gifted small gifts during their Islmanic religious holidays as well as being invited to meals etc.

I never even considered being offended or upset or refusing their gift. I just said Thank you when given a gift and then gave it away to someone else who was Muslim (or if it was a very cheap thing, I threw it out).

That’s different because it was a cultural thing in a different country where you were a visitor.

I think OP should refuse it ASAP after receiving, but kindly. “I actually don’t celebrate Christmas and I don’t have a tree! It’s so pretty I would hate for this to be wasted on me! ….….No really, it would be wasted on me; I would love for someone else who has a Christmas tree to have it. Thank you so much for the thought, though!”

Lots of people view Christmas as a cultural or commercial holiday here in the US, so it really could be innocuous. However if after you mention this, the person continues to push an ornament on you, that’s obnoxious and you can just put it right in the trash on your way out (“donating” or “rehoming” the item is just burdening someone else with the unwanted clutter. Unless it’s super nice quality and not breakable, it’s a hassle for your Goodwill as well. Don’t do it!)

[Anonymous]

If you don't drink alcohol what do you do if someone gives you wine?
If you are allergic to chocolate what do you do if someone gives you chocolates?

You can do the same with the ornament, whatever that would be.

[Anonymous]

Same thing non-drinkers do when gifted a bottle of wine: regift it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Say thanks and pass it on or donate it.

Yup. It’s like any other gift you have absolutely no use for, and probably came from someone you don’t know well so it’s not going to be sentimental.

Op here The problem is that I work in an elementary school, so some of these ornaments are actually very sweet heartfelt gfts from students