You don’t always know until you open the box as to whether you are going to love the gift it contains or plan to pass it on to one of your friends at the next white elephant swap. Once you open that beautifully decorated box with the red velvet ribbon and the gift it contains is revealed the suspense is over.

What is left is how you respond to the gift?

There are several avenues you take when the gift you have been given is far and away not something you will love and cherish forever.

If you are at the gift giver’s home, you can smile and secretly plot where you are going to hide the gift in their home. There is a chance they will forget they gave you the gift and when they find it they will slap themselves in the head and say, “Oh! That is where that gift was.” (I have a sister that tried this several times. It never worked. Mom always found the gift later on and remembered she had given it to her.)

You could be rude about it and ask if there is anyone else present that would like to trade with you or have this gift as a future birthday present. (This is best done behind a closed door after the gift exchange unless you want to crush the joy the giver has in giving the gift.)

You can honestly thank the giver for the wonderful electric toothbrush or sweater with glittering poinsettias and remember that if you drop it off at Goodwill by the end of the year it is a tax deduction.

There is the option of thanking the giver and only displaying the crystallized Lucite soap dish and hand towel with golden embroidered fleur de lis in your bathroom when your boyfriend comes to visit.

Each of these options has its flaws and there is a chance they could figure out what their gift wasn’t well received. If you give it away, the giver might ask to see it at a later time. If you keep it and only put in out with they are at your house, you could forget where it is. Then what do you say? It was hidden by JDaniel and he doesn’t remember where he hid it. That will only work once if you are lucky.

There is really only one sure way to receive a gift and have the giver know it is well received even if you dislike it a lot. You have to remember the heart of the giver. They may truly love what they are giving you. It is very possible they fell in love with this gift and if they loved they knew you would too. Remembering that they selected this gift out of love can really help you truly be thankful for a ceramic knife from your dad or the sleep positioning headrest from your mother.

Many teachers and mothers around the world have learned this lesson after years of practice. I hope you don’t have to do this much this year, but if you do please remember the heart of the giver. Your heartfelt thanks will be well received.