My husband does not have a snarky bone in his body, yet when he opened his fifth biography profiling the life of yet another presidential wanna-be I knew he was stifling a comment or two.
“You’re still collecting them, right?” my mother asked him hopefully, the Christmas tree twinkling behind her.
I know exactly how she arrived at this misperception: Jim is known as a political junkie and avid book collector. Our shelves are packed with weighty tomes about Harry S Truman, Henry Kissinger and Napoleon—successful politicians who shaped the times they lived in.
That said, self-published autobiographies penned by fringe pols have no place in my husband’s thoughtfully tended garden of literature.
Still, Jim smiled when my father snapped a photo of him cradling Steve Forbes’ latest work.
It was, after all, Christmas.
Gifts bomb. It happens. But what do you do with them once you’ve received them? It seems mean-spirited to put them in the trash when a loved one or good friend has spent time, energy and money carefully choosing them for you. Yet, do you really want to keep that tie-dyed teakettle cover on your countertop out of sentimentality for your 9-year-old niece? How about the putter that cracks jokes when you tap the golf ball? And what to do with those five-toed socks?
The best option is to repurpose the duds. And no, you don’t have to be familiar with a nail gun (or glue gun) to do it. The key is to look at the gift from a different perspective: Turn your item upside down and inside out, throw a cover over it, add something to it or subtract something else.
We’ve got a few ideas for you.
Utilizing Generic Presents
Everyone loves a box of holiday chocolates, except when you’ve spent the past four weeks eating cookies, pies and cakes. If even the mere thought of more sugar makes you pop a button, fold the goodies into chocolate fondue and serve the dish at your annual New Year’s Eve party with fruit. You say you have an assortment of Godivas in nine different flavors? Simply cook up mini-pots of fondue and have guests perform a taste test. If you absolutely cannot stand the thought, freeze and use in the summer as sundae sauce over ice cream.
Gift cards seem like a foolproof choice for everyone from teachers to bosses. But if you aren’t into retiling your bathtub, the $50 from Home Depot will languish in your wallet. Instead, help out a charity by donating it to Habitat for Humanity. Or, place it in a silent auction at your child’s school. You could even make it a door prize at the aforementioned Fondue Party.
Calendars are an impulse buy for many consumers waiting in long holiday checkout lines but they often go unused by recipients in this age of PDAs. That said, they can become a family keepsake when you utilize them to jot down milestones rather than the mundane. Hang a calendar in your family’s entryway and record the day that Baby first tried oatmeal, your toddler’s cute saying or Junior’s first homerun. You’ll be keeping a journal of your family’s life without spending time parsing sentences.
Creative Takes on the Aficionado’s Castoffs
People who love to cook appreciate families—families who figure they can’t go wrong putting a lemon squeezer or garlic press in Julia Child’s stocking. Of course, any real chef will already have these kitchen gadgets—probably the $300 gourmet versions. Still, you can make use of the extras. Bring the holidays into your kitchen by erecting a small Christmas tree on your countertop and dressing it up with silver whisks, measuring spoons and melon ballers. No room for a tree in your RV? Mount a green wreath above the oven and embellish it with lace ribbons woven through brass cookie cutters for a festive display.
As I mentioned, we’ve received our fair share of boring books over the past decade, which I recycle to decorate the house. Lend interest to your buffet by stacking novels on top of one another then draping a tablecloth over them. Thus you’ve created the perfect platform for otherwise unseen treasures. If the books have beautiful spines, I leave them naked and load them up with candles or live plants in the living room.
Maybe you’re a vinophile who won’t touch a wine that hasn’t been lovingly enshrined in a temperature-regulated vault. Or, perhaps you’re a tea-toteler whose favorite spirit comes cold in a red and white aluminum can. The solution to reusing gifted wine is to cook with it. Try a hearty pot roast, throw a few splashes into the minestrone or use that Shiraz to make a tasty sauce. Even some easy-to-make salad dressings require wine. (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/105971)
Adding Flare to Traditional Gifts
Most men I know don’t really enjoy wearing neckties to work, yet such accessories have become a staple of holiday gift giving. If you find that your collection rivals that of a department store, search the Yellow Pages for a professional quilter. Such hobbyists may be able to recycle the patterned material and turn the swatches into an heirloom piece you’d actually display. Imagine how thrilled Aunt Tootsie would be to see her gift become cherished artwork.
Toys that blare music when touched are great fun—for about 72 hours. Then, parental nerves are tested. If you’re lucky, your children will eventually tire of such treasures and when they do, you can spirit them away to the local hospital where auditory screening takes place. Noisy playthings—in combination with more sophisticated equipment—can be used to stimulate babies and toddlers during hearing tests.
Everyone loves holiday music, but most families only need so many versions of Rod Stewart crooning “Silent Night.” If you’re ready to part with your CDs, string them together with fishing wire to make sun catchers. Come spring, hang them above your stoop to deter messy birds from building nests above your welcome mat.
Giving gifts to loved ones makes the holidays extra special—graciously receiving them take aplomb. Now when you tell Uncle Bert you’re thankful, you’ll actually mean it.
Julie Blair Riekse is a freelance writer who lives with her family outside of Dallas, Texas. She especially enjoys receiving unique photo gifts like those made by FunnyBit Studios.
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