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Christmas

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Original poster

Has anyone received someone else's unwanted present from a previous year?

37 replies

jetgirl · 27/12/2007 14:45

I only ask as my husband's auntie gave me a Boots No 7 bag with various travel size bits in, it clearly hadn't been opened before as the tags held the zip together, and she obviously thought I wouldn't realise. However, when I opened the bag, inside there was a coupon for 200 extra advantage card points, valid until September 2006 !
I think it's a bit cheeky really, and tbh I would rather she hadn't bothered as it makes me feel like an afterthought. Will still be a good girl and write my thank you letter, but not the one I really want to write

OP posts:
moondog · 27/12/2007 14:46

Oh God, am all for this.What difference does it make how old it is?

My best present ever came from a junk shop.

foofi · 27/12/2007 14:48

It doesn't mean it's an unwanted present. She could have bought it and put it away to give to some (unspecified) person at a later date. I'm always doing this. I see things, think that would be a good gift, put it in my gift cupboard, which I raid as and when necessary. Sometimes things sit in there for a couple of years. So what?

kd73 · 27/12/2007 14:51

I wouldn't be affronted, perhaps she received the gift but couldn't use it.

I always recycle my Sanctuary gifts as I normally receive several gift sets and I am allergic to the stuff.

Wags · 27/12/2007 14:51

All my unwanted things get re-cylced to the charity shop or saved to donate as tombola prizes or whatever. I am not great at re-gifting, working on the basis that if I hate it most of my friends would as well. FIL & Step MIL gift goes straight there, may not even bother opening it next year, save myself the effort. But they make up for it in every other way by being fab GP to the kids!

Original poster
jetgirl · 27/12/2007 14:53

It's not the age (though the products inside are now well past their best!), I honestly don't think she would have known that I would have realised it was an old gift, as she had never opened it herself. I suppose it would be worse if the products were half-used!! No doubt she would would be mortified if she knew that I knew.

Any unwanted presents I've received have gone to charity shops (would be afriad to pass one on in case I accidently sent it back to the original sender!)

OP posts:
PurlyQueen · 27/12/2007 14:54

I think you're being a bit ungrateful, jetgirl. So what if it's got an old voucher in there? At least she gave you something that she thought you would get some use out of.
The only way to guarantee that you will get exactly what you want at Xmas is to buy your presents yourself

moondog · 27/12/2007 14:54

So what is the issue, if it is not the age?

foofi · 27/12/2007 14:54

But, as I said in my previous post, how do you know she didn't buy it, albeit a while ago?

tiredemma · 27/12/2007 14:55

it wouldnt bother me. in fact- i would just be grateful that she had given me a pressie

FairyTaleOfNewYork · 27/12/2007 14:55

i do it all the time. this year my brother received a simpsons gift that my dh didnt want and was stil unopened.

dd1 has decided she doesnt want one of her xmas presents (my little pony) and has put it in the 'gift' cupboard to re-gift it for birthday parties etc.

bubblerock · 27/12/2007 14:55

Was it one of the free ones that No7 do?

tutu100 · 27/12/2007 14:56

Jetgirl, my local boots has those bags reduced in store at the moment so they are still selling them now even though the vouchers have expired. I bought one for myself and the products in mine are absolutely fine. Normal beauty products have quite a long shelf life unless they have been opened.

Original poster
jetgirl · 27/12/2007 14:57

Foofi - you're right, I have a present cupboard too, and I hadn't thought of that.

Thanks for putting it into perspective, feeling a bit now

OP posts:
moondog · 27/12/2007 14:58

I thnk I got that bag free a while back and sent it to my sister.
She liked it.

Sazisi · 27/12/2007 14:58

I did it to my dad this year Last year DH gave me a voucher for a massage and a float session; I don't really like going in float tanks, so took the massage, and they gave me back a voucher for just the float session..which I gave my dad In my defense, I did also give him a hat and bottle of Courvoisier, and he likes floating, and I even 'fessed-up about the voucher thing

jetgirl, your story's quite funny because it sounds like you were given something Boots give out free with a purchase! Sorry, not helping am I

FlllightAttendant · 27/12/2007 14:59

I do this. Maybe she doesn't know what you would like but I doubt it was given on the understanding that you wouldn't like it

I keep presents I've bought for people and changed my mind about giving them, till a suitable person is there to give them to. I try hard to make them suitable for that person iyswim, not just 'here, have this, I don't care if you like it'!

I also put unwanted things in the cupboard to re-give to people I think will like them. If they are awful I give them away or to people I genuinely hate

FairyTaleOfNewYork · 27/12/2007 14:59

was it a red bag? with gold-ish trim?

i have that one, and the cosmestics and travel sized creams etc in it were lovely.

the nail varnish wasnt to my taste though.

yULeYSEES · 27/12/2007 15:01

Was she a bit strapped for cash? Sounds like a freebie you get to me.

Still it's the thought that counts

kinkiclaus · 27/12/2007 15:03

Two years ago I gave my db and sil something, and last year they gave it back to me! In their thank you letter I wrote how similar it was to what I got them the previous year and that we must have similar gift buying tastes. But in reality they obviously thought it was crap, wanted to give it away, but forgot it was me that gave it to them.

Original poster
jetgirl · 27/12/2007 15:09

Like I've said, I've no problem giving things to charity shops - at least the charity shop can make some money, and someone gets to buy something at a great price - as I've written that I'm thinking perhaps that's what DH's auntie did. God, I can be stupid at times, and dare I say it, thoughtless at times(I blame it on the sleepless nights induced by my 5 week old baby ).

Sazisi - you're right, it is funny really.

Flightattendant - my cupboard's the same, I like to think I've thought about what the person would really like, and if I change my mind the present is saved for someone else more suitable.

OP posts:
slalomsuki · 27/12/2007 15:15

Hate to tell you jet girl but the no 7 bag was a free promotion over a year ago with some No 7 make up and the voucher was added to it. I know because I also received one from my birthday in October 2006 from a friend and when I said I couldn't use it, it couldn't be excahnged

nametaken · 27/12/2007 15:29

Right, at the risk of offending half of you lot here's my twopenno'th

If you receive a gift you don't wont you should donate it to charity. This helps alleviate the poor and starving and suffering people throughout the world and you can feel a little bit better about yourself, plus, if you give a lot of stuff away like this you can even say no to street charity collectors with a clear conscience.

If you wish to buy someone a gift then you should spend as much time and money as you can looking for something that that person will enjoy. That's what a gift is.

On no account should you be buying up cheap plastic tat made by child slaves in china to put in a cupboard and give to someone as a gift in order to make yourself look generous.

I want you all to make this your New Year's Resolution.

And so endeth the lesson.

hatrick · 27/12/2007 15:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

nametaken · 27/12/2007 15:36

oh, and by the way, me and my friends (if we think someone might try to pass the gift off as their own generosity) always put a small gift tag INSIDE the gift that you would only notice if you unpacked it - addressed to the original recepient.

Heh heh heh

Whatever happened to generosity?

nametaken · 27/12/2007 15:38

I know that some people arn't very well off, that's why I would prefer to receive nothing, or a small, less expensive personal gift, or a homemade something, than a gift that was sent with the express purpose of making the giver out to be more generous than they really are.