Hi, I’m Pat and I’m here to help you with presents you can’t return.  Sometimes we don’t like what we get.  We want to return it to the shop. Unfortunately, we can’t return every gift. We need a receipt for that.  What if you don’t have a receipt? What if the gift–giver doesn’t have the receipt either? 

Don’t worry! I can help you.

What’s your first option? A gift exchange party! We all get presents we don’t like. It happens. We can turn it into something good. Invite your friends to a gift exchange party. Put your presents under the tree. Now, each person can exchange their gift for something new! You really don’t like socks! But your best friend loves them. Maybe your friend got a book. They don’t like it, but that’s the exact book you want. You can exchange the presents so you’re both happy.

What’s your second option? You can sell the present you don’t like. Ask your mom or dad for help. Take pictures of the present and upload them online. Maybe the present isn’t right for you but it can make someone else happy. You can earn some money, too!

What’s your third option? You can donate your present. The Christmas season is full of donations. You can help them. Look for organisations that collect presents to give them to people in need. This way, everyone’s happy!

What’s your final option? You can simply keep the present. Why? There are two reasons. One: the present can be useful. For example, maybe you’re not a fan of warm socks or funny jumpers, but they’re good gifts. You can still wear them. They can keep you warm in winter. Two: some gift–givers might be sensitive and may think you don’t like them only because you didn’t like the present they gave you. They don’t want you to give away the gift. In that case, the right thing to do is to keep it.

No matter what you decide, I hope my ideas will help!