Gift Receiving Guide

It is better to give than to receive.

That is the sentiment we try to adhere to during the holiday season. But sometimes we still end up getting our feelings hurt or disappointed.  Here are some tips that get me through.

1. I rarely return gifts. I just don't. Things change, people exit our lives for whatever reason and I end up feeling good that I still have an item that that person bought for me. The only time I may return something is if I get a clothing item that is just TOTALLY not my style (but I try to keep an open mind about any clothing items, realizing how easy it is to change up things with accessories). But I will usually just exchange the clothing item for a different clothing item at the same store.

2. Just go into the holiday season with no expectations of certain gifts. If there is something you really want just make plans to buy it for yourself. If you do get it as a gift, icing on the cake!

3. Try not to get offended if you receive something really crazy. Some people have terrible gift giving skills. Just try to keep a sense of humor about it. I know I had a family member that always bought crazy gifts and we still laugh at some of them. Hey that's worth it!

4. There is nothing wrong with re-gifting. Just make sure it's in good condition and there is no old wrapping paper stuck on gift or your name written on it lol. And make sure you don't give it to the person who gave it to you. As a matter of fact I switch it on a different family. If I got something from my husband's family, I will re-gift it to my family and vice versa. If it's a nice gift, but something I can't use I don't mind giving it to someone who might love it. But better yet, donate the unwanted gifts to charity. The only way I wouldn't re-gift is if it's something I don't think anyone would want. Then it goes in the garage sale box or donation box.

5. If you have a group of friends that are open to some fun, have an after Christmas gift exchange. Everyone can bring a gift that they received for Christmas but don't really want and exchange it for something else. What a fun girl's night this could be.

6. If you always get bad gifts from let's say your inlaws...if they are open to the idea, go to a gag gift exchange instead. My family felt like we were in a gift giving rut, so we decided to do gag gifts one year and now it's the highlight of our festivities. It exceeded our expectations of fun! We laugh so hard, it really makes our get together a blast. We are all adults so if we want a box of chocolates or a new pair of pajamas we can buy them ourselves. But you cannot buy the look on someone's face when they receive dirty houseshoes, a reindeer figurine that "poops" out brown jelly beans or a Marie Antoinette wig.

Do you have any gift receiving tips?