What to do with unwanted Christmas gifts

Oh Christmas…a time for giving and receiving gifts.

Let’s face it, some of the gifts do not necessarily tie in with one’s personality. So after you have grinned and bared it, the all-important question thereafter is – ‘What do I do with this thing?’

Fear not, there are some great ideas you could implement for all those unwanted Christmas gifts.

Site, Hyper Jar, gives you the following great tips:

Donate them to charity
One of the best things to do with unwanted Christmas presents is to donate them to charity. You can visit a local charity shop on your high street, and they’ll be more than happy to receive gifts you don’t want to keep for yourself. They can then sell them on to raise money for their cause, which is a great way of giving back at this time of the year.

Alternatively, you can get creative with how you donate your gifts. Donate children’s toys to your local hospital, gift books to schools or libraries, sports equipment can go to local sports clubs, and clothing can go to homeless shelters.

Sell them
Instead of leaving an unwanted Christmas gift at the bottom of your wardrobe to gather dust, you can sell it online and put the money to good use. You can use an online platform to sell unwanted items or upload your gift to the Facebook marketplace to find a local buyer for something you don’t want. Selling unwanted items is a great way to stop spending and start saving money, and it’s a good habit to get into.

Save and re-gift them
Rather than giving away or selling your unwanted Christmas gifts, you can save them and re-gift them to a family member or friend. If you have space in a spare room, you can place your unwanted Christmas presents to one side and return them when a special occasion comes around, be it a birthday, anniversary, or even next Christmas. The key here is not just to pass on an unwanted gift because you can’t be bothered to think of anything good to get a loved one.

Swap them with friends or family
Given that you’ll spend a lot of time with family and friends during and after the festive season, you might find that someone within your circle has also received an unwanted Christmas gift. If this is the case, a present swap might be on the cards. When you’re catching up in the living room during the Christmas holidays, you might find that you might be able to propose a present swap with one of your relatives.

Of course, you’ll need to be tactful when discussing a present swap, and you should only propose a swap if doing so is mutually beneficial. Present swapping is particularly handy when it comes to clothing items, but there’s no reason you can’t swap anything that appears in your stocking on Christmas morning. In many households, present swaps are a big part of the day, and it’s a good way to find a home for unwanted gifts.

Offer them to a stranger
Christmas is the season of goodwill, and random acts of kindness go a long way at this time of the year. If you have an unwanted Christmas present, you might consider offering it to a stranger. There are several ways to go about this, and the method you choose depends on what you’re giving away. Some people offer unwanted gifts to strangers in their front garden by attaching a sign to the gift and offering it to passers-by.

Upcycle them
Unwanted Christmas gifts provide you with the perfect opportunity to get creative. Rather than selling or giving away unwanted items, you can upcycle them into something that you will love.

Return it to the shops
If the unwanted gift you have been given comes with a gift receipt, your job is simple – you can return it to the store. Increasingly, many people give gifts with the receipt included, as they know that the person receiving the gift might want to exchange it for something more aligned with their personality and interests. This is a helpful tip for you as a gift-giver – including the gift receipt in a parcel that you give at Christmas can make it much easier for the recipient should they wish to exchange or return the gift.

Store it for safekeeping
We haven’t mentioned the moral dilemma of dealing with unwanted Christmas gifts. After all, if someone makes an effort to buy you something that they think you will appreciate, it can seem a little ungrateful to return it or give it away to someone else. If you don’t feel good about any of the options introduced above, you can store the unwanted gift for safekeeping.