I received a birthday gift from a friend who I do not talk to anymore. It reminds me of them every time I see it. I would rather return it than re-gift or throw it away.

How do I go about this?

4 comments

  1. I understand that you don’t want to see it anymore, but returning a gift is sending a huge message. It is meant to insult the other person and make them feel “less than”.
    Is this what you want communicate? Better yet, do you really *need* to communicate this?

    If it is someone who is not a part of your life anymore and they just randomly popped in to give you this item, I would let it go and donate the gift to a nearby hospice thrift store.

    The act of returning the gift can bring more stress to both parties. I’m not saying it’s never an okay thing to do, but without knowing the background of your histories together, it’s probably for the best for both of you to move on with minimal interaction.

  2. Don’t return it, that would be insulting for sure and likely cause them to upset you further. They might take it as instigation and an invitation to cause problems in your life, like gossip or harassment.

    Minimize your interactions with them by donating the gift or giving it to someone else entirely. They don’t need to know and you definitely shouldn’t keep it.

  3. I think you should re gift it. To someone who will appreciate it. Do not resend it back to the person who gave it to you…

  4. Give it to a homeless shelter.

    Returning it to them is like throwing a glass of water in their face.

Leave a Reply
You May Also Like