Don't Tell Me I Can't ...Recycle My Presents!

Helen Fear kept on getting gifts that she didn’t like or want, so she got savvy

- Frances Leate

My friend tears open the shiny wrapping paper and a huge smile appears on her face as she registers what the gift is. ‘I love these lotions and bubble baths,’ she squeals, delighted. Seeing how thrilled she is not only makes me feel happy but also chuffed that I’ve managed to be so savvy. Because not only have I saved myself a shopping trip, I’ve also saved a perfectly decent gift from going to waste.

I first started re-gifting my unwanted presents a few years ago, after my 40th birthday. I’d received an endless stream of fancy toiletries, including from my husband Paul, then 44. But with twin daughters, Frida and Rae, then seven, to take care of, as well as my job as a journalist, I rarely had time to pamper myself. Of course, everyone meant well with their gifts and it’s the thought that counts, but I found myself with black sacks full of toiletry sets that I knew would sit collecting dust.