8 (polite) ways to respond to a Christmas present you don’t like

Whether it be a hideous jumper or a bottle of alcohol you just can’t stand the taste of, we’ve all received a Christmas present that we simply don’t like.

But how do we respond politely to the person who buys us an unwanted gift? Alongside smiling and acting casually, the team at WeThrift recommend the following replies – here’s to not offending anyone or lying (too much) this festive season!

“That’s so thoughtful!”
Regardless how you feel about the present, the person did go out of their way to pick the item especially for you. And so, there is no denying that the gift is thoughtful, even if it is better suited to someone else.

“You shouldn’t have!”
Yes, they really shouldn’t have! The beauty of this response is that you’re probably conveying some truth here – they just don’t know that you’re actually being serious…

“This is so unique!”
This one goes out to all the ugly jumpers! The word ‘unique’ is quite ambiguous in the sense it can be interpreted as original, which is a lovely thing to say about a gift you don’t like!

“I’m so overwhelmed!”
When in doubt, play the shocked card. Chances are you are in fact overwhelmed at the present because it does not match you or your personality.

“You are too kind!”
Buying gifts for one another is a lovely act of kindness. So, if you’re unsure of how to respond to a gift, simply expressing appreciation for what they’ve done for you will be good enough.

“Wow! Where did you get it from?”
When you’ve received a horrible gift and all eyes are on you, perhaps divert the situation by asking the person who got you the item a couple of questions about it (in an enthusiastic way of course). Something as simple as asking where they got the present from is going to spark a conversation and this will take the attention away from your true impression of it.

“This is adorable!”
If cute and cuddly is just not your vibe, you could communicate this politely by throwing recognition at how ‘adorable’ the gift is. After all, adorable is a positive adjective!

“I like the colour of this!”
In some cases, it may just be that you do like certain aspects of the gift, not just all of it! For instance, you could like the colour of a dress but simply hate its material. If this is you on Christmas Day, just focus on what stands out about the gift to you and comment on this – it’s all about the little positives after all!