Many charities are encouraging us to give our unwanted gifts to them so that they can be put to good use. Alternatively we might want to go and demand a refund, or get a replacement. We may even take to selling them online. However should we really be disposing of gifts that others have bought for us, should the solution not simply be that we buy less presents that are better chosen rather than get a load of presents that are then not wanted.

The solution should be that we buy less presents that are better chosen than get a load of presents that are then not wanted. According to the Guardian, “As research indicates that British shoppers wasted £1.7billion on unwanted Christmas presents this year.” This is a huge amount wasted on unwanted gift items when our economy is crippling. A better option for giving presents would be gift vouchers which do not go to a waste or rather buy something useful as the saying goes – It is the quality that matters, not the quantity. This saying holds true for the festive season of Christmas. The other option which holds the spirit of Christmas is to donate unwanted items to established charities like Oxfam so that the unwanted items can be used by people who actually need them. However, I stick with the first point that it is better to buy one useful and good present which you know that the receiver would love instead of filling the stockings with useless little items.

As shown in the chart below, it can be noted that maximum people feel that it is the thought that counts; hence they do not dispose it. However the present would still be useless. This is a very idealistic yet a sweet thought and of course the gesture is appreciable, however it is still a waste as it will just be there lying in some corner of the house, collecting dust and finally will end up in the bin.

Germany Spain France Italy Netherlands UK Total It's the thought that counts. I keep them. 47% 68% 78% 63% 58% 49% 61% I exchange them for a credit note or a gift voucher. 17% 24% 9% 8% 11% 15% 14% I sell them on auction sites or marketplaces. 25% 7% 13% 15% 13% 25% 16% I give them to charity. 4% 4% 8% 12% 6% 25% 9% I offer them to others. 25% 10% 13% 30% 32% 23% 22% I throw them away. 2% 2% 3% 8% 6% 4% 4% I refuse them right away 1% 1% 1% 0% 1% 2% 1% Undeclared 8% 3% 2% 2% 9% 3% 4% Source:^[1]

Hence, to respect the sweet thought behind the presents brought for us by our loved ones, it is advisable to buy one good useful present instead of little useless ones. This way we won’t feel bad about disposing the gift, returning/refunding, selling it on E-Bay and Gumtree and the spirit of Christmas will still be there spreading cheer and happiness.

1. ^ http://www.itnewsonline.com/showrwstory.php?storyid=1718

A cluttered room can cause injuries or a fire hazards, or at the very least it makes it impossible to keep the room organised - important things can get lost and broken because useless things are in the way. If your room is anything like as small as mine, it is unworkable to have unnecessary items cluttering it - the necessary things barely fit.

Even though 'its the thought that counts' - if you truly don't want the gift, what are your honest thoughts about it? You can't appreciate it, it doesn't make you think good thoughts about the person when you see it (apart from 'at least they remembered me/got me at least something' - which, if you think about it, isn't exactly the highest you can think of a person, compared to someone who did enough research to get something you can at least use)'. Someone else might really want it, and they can buy it off you on eBay and you'll both be happy.