What to do With Unwanted Christmas Gifts

Photo by: Sydney Meyer

They mean well, they really do. It’s not easy trying to find a Christmas gift for a “sort-of adult” attending a university where you share a dorm room the size of a broom closet with two other people. Holiday shopping is tough, we’ve all been there, and sometimes the task can be so daunting that loved ones quit before they try.

We’ve all been the recipients of unwanted gifts. Whether it be another pair of socks, Silly Putty (what do you do with that, anyway?), bathroom cleaner or an avocado. There are always those gifts that warrant a plastered-on smile and a big “…thanks?” Instead of shoving your unwanted items under the bed, try out these ideas:

1. Donate
   1. There are many places that take donations for unwanted items in the area. Thriftopia, a store in the south part of Ottawa, will take donations and offer them for resale. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
2. Sell it
   1. eBay has an insane increase in business the first few weeks after Christmas. People sell their unwanted paraphernalia all the time, and, with the use of Facebook’s market app, it’s easier than ever to get rid of your stuff and turn a profit doing so. Just be sure you’re not Facebook friends with that particular gift-giver.
3. Upcycle
   1. Nearly every gift can be repurposed. Whether you receive an excessive amount of pajama pants that can be reused for fabric for a craft project or have a puzzle that can be turned into wall-art, Pinterest is the place to go for methods of reuse.
4. Regift
   1. Along the lines of reduce, reuse, recycle, re-gifting a gift is always an option. So long as the gift isn’t being given back to the same person, of course. Waste not, want not, as they say.
5. Swap
   1. There are legitimate websites that have been created for the sole purpose of swapping unwanted Christmas gifts. These websites are pretty interesting to scroll through, so make sure you have ample times to waste before embarking on your trading quest. These websites include Goozex, BookMooch and Swap.com.