How to: accept gifts with grace

I first wrote a version of this post last year on rachaelblogs and it’s proved so popular I thought I’d repost over here.

I just love giving gifts. I’m a hopeless secret keeper though, once I’ve bought a gift I just can’t wait for the recipient to receive it – which makes the run up to Christmas and birthdays a pain (literally).  I first posted this blog post because of my (then) addiction to freecycle. I loved the way that you could pass on unwanted items and give them a new lease of life. But the more I was giving stuff away, the more I noticed that people weren’t in the habit of saying thank you. At least 4 people walked away with goods (not crap either) and didn’t even say a quick thanks. Just took the stuff and left. I’ll be honest, it left a bad taste in my mouth. I found that the act of giving was soon replaced with the frustration of people and their bad manners.

Accepting gifts isn’t an easy thing – I get that. It can be a minefield but here are just a few tips to help you accept gifts with grace…

Image via Pinterest

Simply – say thank you. You don’t have to deliver an Oscar worthy speech but just the words “Thank You” can go a long way. We live in an age of technology and communication – this makes the thank you a lot easier. By text, email or phone – to me a thank you is a thank you – however it’s delivered.

Don’t see gift giving as a competition – You can’t ever really “outgift” someone. Yeah you can spend more money, get someone thing bigger and better but if the sentiment isn’t behind your decision to buy a particular gift then its not worth buying. Mindful giving – that’s where it’s at. Continue reading “How to: accept gifts with grace”