I’ve always wanted 10 million pairs of socks

Let’s face it, with Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s past us, the Holy Trinity of shopping will have ensured that at some point in time we’ve been gifted something we don’t want. Now the rather nasty thought exists as to how to get rid of these so called ‘treasured’ mementos.

Sure we could keep them; I mean after all, they’ve been so ‘lovingly’ gifted to us by our relatives whom I’m sure spent hours tirelessly searching for the perfect gift and simply didn’t buy the 10,000 Peter Pan puzzle from the gas station down the road. However, as a 19-year old who got presented with a very ‘artistic’ flowerpot for Christmas, I can say there’s a limit to how much we can tolerate before we simply go ‘That’s it, I’m chucking it’.

So, now what do we do? Well in my opinion, we have four options so generously ‘gifted’ to us by the shopaholic gods above. There’s the easy to do S.I.N.D alternative where we simply Send It Next Door. I’m sure my neighbours have been dying for a multipurpose 6-in-1 spoon that doubles as a can opener. I mean who wouldn’t want a gift like that? Just be careful to remove any trace of previously gifted evidence. We wouldn’t want anyone to think that we actually don’t like what we receive. Think of it as us simply following through on the age-old saying: ‘Tis better to give than to receive’. This means that labels, price tags and any wrapping that doesn’t even remotely resemble our tastes have to go (Sorry ‘My little pony’ wrapping paper, I don’t think anyone would believe that I own you).

Charity is your next best bet if you simply can’t go through the hassle of finding someone else to present your gift. There are always people out there that are less fortunate than us so giving back some of the stuff that we don’t actually need would be a great way to start off the New Year. Considering the calamities that we’ve had this past year and the hardships some have had to endure, the prospect of knowing that someone out there cares about them is humbling to every human being. I’m sure somebody can find a use for whatever you don’t want, even if it is a multicoloured flowerpot.

You could always sell what you don’t want if you’re low on funds. It’s a great way to scrape up a bit of extra cash after the holiday cheer has left our wallets not so cheerful. The best part about it is that we’d be selling what we don’t want to someone who actually does. So spread the gifting joy and profit.

I believe we’re down to our last option, which is hardest to carry out. The final thing you can do with an unwanted gift is to actually make it ‘wanted’. It’s time to find an alternative for the gift that you so desperately tried to get rid of and make it usable enough to cement a place in your household. Now this will involve a considerable bit of brainpower and a bit of effort, but it’s an improvement over simply dumping the present in the trash. Take me, for instance: that flowerpot makes a pretty good toothbrush holder… for someone else.