What To Do With Unwanted Christmas Gifts

By Hayley Dean, ellaslist

So, you didn’t quite get what you asked for or perhaps the kids got SO much stuff this year that you just don’t have the room for?

It’s ok, we get it.

Every year we say to friends and family “Please, the kids get so much, just something small this year” which they of course, interrupt as “Please buy my child the Taj Mahal or bigger”.

And then comes the awkward stage of deciding what to do with aforementioned Taj.

There are really four options to decide on, see what fits you best.

 

1. Do nothing

Let’s start with the most important one of all, doing nothing.

Personally, I put a lot of effort into every gift I give. You should know your family/friends well enough to appreciate if they will need to see their gift in use or being played with. And only you can decide if it’s really worth hurting their feelings over. There are just some unwanted gifts you truly need to keep because let’s face it, their feelings are more important than the gift itself.

 

2. Sell it

The top of mind choice for most. There are a number of free ways you can re-sell your unwanted gift these days: Garage Sale, Facebook marketplace or buy, swap and sell groups and Gumtree of course. Good old ebay is still an option but they will charge you a fee.

 

3. Pay it forward

Again Facebook offers a number of ways to donate your unwanted gift through groups like “Mummy’s paying it forward” and “Single Mums (Sydney) Pay it forward”. You may also like to donate it via charity bins to The Salvos, St Vinnies or The Smith Family.

 

4. Regift it

Like my mum before me, I have a gift box full of unwanted gifts, mostly things that we received duplicates of, that I use as my gift box. There are many items in there from the newborn days which is super handy when friends or neighbours have babies. The trick here is to remember who gave it to you in the first place so you don’t gift it back to them! Happen to a friend of mine (true story), needless to say, it did not go down well.

Whatever you decide, own it, embrace it and ensure you’re doing it for the right reasons because after all, as they say, it’s the thought that counts