Um, I Love It! 5 Ideas For Dealing With Unwanted Christmas Gifts

It’s always an uncomfortable experience to receive a bad gift. While you appreciate receiving a gift in the first place, you might not have a need for tie-dyed shower curtains. Your first instinct might be to return the gift, but that means you’ll have to wait in endless lines at the mall. To save yourself some time, and perhaps make someone else happy, here are some options for what to do with holiday gifts that you don’t need.

1. Reappropriate

Need a crafting project for the new year? Get creative by turning your Christmas gift into a work of art. Coffee mugs can make great pots for the gardeners out there, and that t-shirt you’ll never wear can be harvested for its fabric in your next epic sewing project. Check out Pinterest for some ideas on how you can turn that “oh” gift into an “ohh!” decoration.

2. Sell your gift on the internet

There’s a whole marketplace for random stuff on the internet and you may be surprised by what some people will buy. Sign up for an eBay account or post your gift on Craigslist to see if anyone might be interested in taking the gift off your hands. If you search around these sites, you’ll see that your gift is far from the most random item posted on there. Keep in mind that you may have to pay for shipping if the buyer doesn’t live in your town, so price appropriately.

3. Regift

We’re not suggesting that you pawn off that talking fish head to another victim of its sonic curse, or regift grandma’s flannel underwear to your boss. Sometimes a gift is just not for you, but might be enjoyed by someone else. Just be sure to remember who gave the gift in the first place. There’s nothing more awkward than regifting back to the original gifter.

4. Donate to charity

Rather than trashing or returning your gift, why not donate it to someone who might want that harmonica-playing snowman? Your local Goodwill or other charity shop is always in need of items and it can’t hurt to donate your gift to them. As they say, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Somewhere out in the world, there’s a living room missing a harmonica-playing snowman.

5. Trade in gift cards for cash

There’s a whole industry of companies that take your gift cards in return for cash so you can unload that $50 Applebee’s card that you’ll never use. Websites such as Cardpool.com and Cardcash.com offer up to 92% of the card’s value, or you can trade for a card of your choice. There’s also CFC Gift Card in Tucson, which allows you to exchange your gift card for cash or donate it to charity. Some Target locations have also begun featuring gift card kiosks where you can exchange your gift card for Target store credit.

Buying the perfect gift can be stressful for our loved ones and sometimes they’re going to miss the mark. However, you can always find new ways to turn unwanted items into new opportunities. And for that dreaded ugly Christmas sweater? The ugly Christmas sweater party has become a yearly tradition, so you might already have your wardrobe chosen for next year.