You better not say this if you don't like your gift

While I had spent a fortune on that one exclusive perfume that was only available in that little boutique in Paris , I received a hideously ugly necklace from him in return. Talk about awkward. What am I saying? Downright embarrassing. Christmas 2008. And now let's hope that Mr. isn't reading along. With a smile that I had to pull from my toes, I thanked him; the poor thing never saw the light of day. At least, not with me.

If you think that finding a suitable Christmas gift isn't already a mental exhausting battle, you've never gotten your hands on something that, well, how shall I put it subtly, doesn't make your heart race much faster. Something about not looking a gift horse in the mouth but not wanting to fool the giver either.

How do you deal with a gift that you find downright qualitatively extremely disappointing? Actually, you have two options. Option one: you are honest and subtly say that it’s not really your taste. Or option two: you start lying massively, but this does require some experience. The chance is quite high that an overly enthusiastic reaction comes out of your mouth that is anything but credible.

We are good at it. Our British neighbors did research and interviewed 2000 people to find out what they say when they receive a gift they don't really like. If you thought you were the only spoiled brat, you are mistaken. We all fake it when it comes to happiness. In fact, the same clichés regularly return. At number one: ‘thank you, very nice!’, closely followed by: ‘this is very handy!’ Also ‘what a nice surprise’ is in the top three. And uh, these also frequently appear in the list of most commonly expressed thanks.

“Thank you, I almost bought it myself.”

“You really didn't have to do this.”

“This is so nice, I can use it for everything.”

“Nice, where did you buy it?”

“Original gift.”

“Sweet of you to think of me.”

“Wow, can't believe you know my taste so well!”

If acting isn't really your strongest trait, you can still put the disappointing package in the gift closet. Tip: do note the name of the giver. It would be a bit of a shame if Mr. or Mrs. receives the same package next year... Good luck with that.