How to React to an unwanted gift

They say it’s the thought that counts.  So what do you do when you receive a present that isn’t quite what you’d been hoping for?

Look for one positive thing.

Every gift has at least one redeeming feature, so find something to comment on that you do like about the present.

Compliment the giver.

You may not love the gift, but you can show the giver that you appreciate them. Kathy Buchanan, etiquette expert and author of Charm School: The Modern Girl's Complete Handbook of Etiquette (Penguin, $24.95) advises, “If your Aunt Doris gives you a tissue box holder which you'd never use, give her a big hug and say, ‘You are the best aunty in the world.’”

Keep it simple.

Going over the top will arouse suspicion. You may also give unsuspecting relatives the wrong idea. Buchanan warns,  “If it is horrendous, don't go on and on about how wonderful it is, or you'll be getting more of the same next year.”

Twice as nice?

If you receive the same gift twice from different people, compliment their mutual good taste. And don’t forget the old fallback: “Now I have one for the car!”

Remember to say thank you.

A polite thank-you may be all that is required. No matter how cheap or expensive the present, the gift of good manners is priceless.