Let’s be honest, for every amazing present you never knew you wanted that’s glistening up at you, chances are there’s a fair few gifts you could really do without.
While socks, or certain CD collections might have been bought in good faith – sometimes knowing what to do with this ‘thoughtful’ gift is about as hard as mustering the fake gratitude when you open the paper.
Not wanting to sound ungrateful, sometimes you need to see the silver lining of these not-so-wanted presents.
Here’s our top tips for turning one man’s trash into another man’s treasures:
Sock It To Them
This was a divider in Her towers, because while some people love socks, others felt this was a pretty lazy present.
So what if you’ve got a 5-pack with no purpose?
Stuff with pot-pourri and lavender, placing a rubber band on top. Place amongst your clothes in your drawers to keep them fresh and leave a lavender hint. You’ll be starting the New Year with a signature scent.
All Soap, No Glory
A nice bath-set can always be a welcome addition to the bathroom, but when it’s cheap or particularly strong on a fragrance you don’t particularly cherish, the one-size-fits-all present can fall far short of festive expectations.
Keep the smaller bottles and soaps with the laundry pile and use to handwash the items with a small stain before popping them into the washing machine. Washing the wooden floors after a Christmas party? Add some bubble bath to the fairy up liquid to take away from the bleach smell.
Chocolate Overload
We never think there’s a thing as too much chocolate, until we’re three quarters way through our second tin of roses and suddenly all bets (and belts) are off!
If you feel like you’re close to your chocolate peak, keep supplies in a lunch-box. From mint chocolate truffles, to coconut or a trust dairy milk bar, melting down the excess can provide some new mixes for a trusty rice-crispie bun batch, or for some cupcake icing.
Add marshmallows, or sprinkles to jazz it up!
Re-Gifting
It might sound obvious, but you’re probably broke for most of January and you will know one or two friends who have a birthday, announce a new job or are in need of a serious cheering-up. Sometimes a present might mean a lot more to them, especially if they’re not expecting anything.
Before discarding the gift altogether, think if there’s a special event coming up and leave it aside (in perfect condition!) for some re-wrapping duties over the coming weeks.
Start A Film or Book Club
You got a second copy of Mean Girls, while your best friend sent you a snap chat of every season of Love/Hate. Sign up the girls to a Whatsapp group for kicking the broke January blues and nominate all the DVDs, box-sets and books for weekly entertainment.
From Friday date-nights, to a lazy Sunday lounge, swap and stop yourself spending a fortune when there’s a home entertainment kit waiting for you at the drop of a text.
Become an Entrepreneur
Let’s be honest, there was a LOT of damage done to your bank account over the past few weeks. From work parties, to Kris Kindle and the last minute splurge in a desperate attempt to finish the Christmas shopping, you’re going to need cash. FAST. Take out the iphone and start snapping the items that won’t offend anyone when they are missing (i.e. don’t break Granny’s heart by selling the jumper she worked hard to make). Upload them to an e-bay account and wait for the bids to rock in.
Stephen’s Day pints anyone?
Give A Helping Hand
So we’ve been spending the day with our family and loved ones, and realistically there’s a lot of people not quite as lucky as we are. Whether it’s a jumper you’ll never wear, the ninth box of biscuits that will be sitting in the press in July or a hot water bottle that plans to gather dust in your wardrobe, gather them into the boot of the car and drop them off to your local charity shop.
Between the homeless community and families relying on the help and support of non-profits at this time of year, you never know how your forgotten gift could make someone else’s Christmas.
