I know I’m not alone when I say that I’ve felt guilty about some gifts in the past.
The guilt arrives because the gift is not really your style or something you want/ need but you appreciate the sentiment nonetheless.
In The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo says something quite revolutionary about gifts:
The purpose of a present is all about the moment when you received it. You don’t have to keep it, store it or use it if you don’t like it.
In that moment when the person gifted it to you, you felt something (joy, gratitude, appreciation) and that emotion is the sole purpose of a gift.
Isn’t that freeing?
What it means is that you can let it go. It’s fulfilled its purpose in your life and there’s no need to feel guilty about keeping/ not keeping it.
That gift has also taught you what you don’t like or need.
I’ve said to friends before, “don’t feel like you have to keep it” about items I’ve gifted them. The last thing I want is for people to hang onto stuff they hate just because of some sense of obligation to me/ our friendship.
Of course, if someone will enjoy something, then that will delight me too.
In the past, I’ve felt easier about letting go of things (not necessarily gifts) once I have a picture of the item(s).
Here’s something that may shock some: I don’t keep all my kids’ gifts (letters, drawings, art, etc). I stopped before I read the book while still feeling a verrrrry slight sense of guilt, but now I completely appreciate the gift in the moment, and then only if it truly sparks joy, do I keep it.
Do you keep gifts out of a sense of obligation?
Related: Do you still have your wedding dress?
