We see gifts as an expression of love, so we have to keep unwanted gifts too, right? Wrong! “The true purpose of a present is to be received,” as Marie Kondo says.
If you’re feeling guilty for not wanting a gift that someone gave you, watch the video below and ask yourself these three questions:
How to Deal With Unwanted Gifts
1. Are you tying your relationship to that person into the object they gave you? Think of them as two separate things. Getting rid of a gift someone gave you doesn’t mean that you don’t love and appreciate that person. It just means that this particular gift doesn’t serve you. Your relationship with that person is not dependent on this item.
2. Would you have bought this for yourself? If the gift giver had just given you cash, would you have picked out this item for yourself? If the answer is no, that’s a good sign that this isn’t a blessing to you right now. Maybe you can return it, exchange it, or even sell it, and get something that would be a blessing to you. You still have that original gift giver to thank!
3. Do you feel like you’re “wasting” this gift by passing it on, even though you know you won’t use it and don’t love it? Here’s the thing – the gift has already fulfilled its purpose. It conveyed the love and thoughtfulness of the giver. Mission accomplished! Now, it’s up to you to decide if this is something that will fit with the home and life you want, or if it will detract from that vision.
What’s actually wasteful is allowing unwanted gifts to take up your space. You’re wasting your space, cluttering up your home. You’re also wasting mental space on it because every time you see it stuffed in the back of a closet, you’ll feel guilty.
Here’s what I want you to do:
Hold the gift, feel gratitude for the thoughtfulness of the giver, and let it go.
If the person who gave it to you knew that their gift wasn’t a blessing, they wouldn’t want you to keep it and feel guilty every time you see it because you’re not using it, would they? So letting it go is a gift! You’re removing that burden of guilt.
So what should you actually do with those unwanted gifts, now that you know it doesn’t have a place in your life?
- You can hopefully return it, or exchange it.
- You can re-gift it to someone who would love it.
- You can sell it on Poshmark or Facebook Marketplace or consignment.
- You can donate it – maybe even to a women’s shelter, a toy drive, or other cause.
Whatever you decide, remember that you’re the CEO of your own life and home. You decide what works for you – no guilt allowed!
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