Let me start by telling you it was my birthday recently, something I consider a hobby. The question as what to add to my birthday list suffered a negative response because I genially didn’t have any big wishes or desires. Now I’m very easy to please (something with cats or Frozen and I will bounce through the year in a state of total bliss) but imagine receiving a gift you think is really stupid, this is how to deal with such a situation and simply said; you have two options.

Option 1:

Ask no questions hear no lies

Keep cooing at the top of your voice how wwwwooooonnndddeeerfulll you think those pair of colored socks are or how faaannnttaassttiicc that Jessica Simpson fragrance is. One of the best phrases is “Oooh I never expected that!”it says exactly nothing. Because you really didn’t expect that did you? You might have expected something better but you can’t say that. So keep it superficial the perfect tone for situations like this. Another favorite is: “Gosh, you shouldn’t have.” You’re being honest here but the giver will never interpret it this way. They’ll think “Goodness me how generous.” And that’s fine by me.

Honesty goes a long way but sometimes a little white lie is welcomed with open arms. Like if it’s a cheap gift and the giver didn’t go through a lot of trouble. Or if it’s something handmade, crocheted or knitted, you can never ditch something like that. So you smile and say you ‘absolutely’ love it and will wear it every single day!

Option 2:

Be honest

But if something is clearly expensive it might be wise to do the sensible thing and just tell the truth. A costly piece of jewelry, a designer bag or a collector’s item of well you name it, has the money put in so if it isn’t your cup of tea just say so. “Oh wow what a beautiful bag. Only you know what? I don’t think blue is really my color.” Then you can go exchange it for a black one together. Or that expensive bracelet, only keeping it in your jewelry box is such a waste. If it’s too inappropriate or uncomfortable to be honest at the moment after you’ve opened it, call them the next day and explain that you’ve given it some thorough thought but it’s just not your thing. Because, put yourself in their position, if you’ve put in the effort and paid a proportional amount for a gift and the receiver keeps it in her bottom drawer you would be disappointed too. Not nice.