Ask Dali Mama

DEAR DALI MAMA:

Is it okay to donate presents you just received that you don’t really want or need? My family gave us tons of presents but none of them really suit are tastes or needs or space in our apartment, for that matter. My wife wants to donate them all but I feel like we should hang onto them, at least for a little while. What do you think?

–Torn (Canada)

DEAR TORN:

If you really don’t want to use them or can’t use the presents, I suggest donating them to your favorite nonprofit organization or place of worship and letting those gifts that were given to you in love be free to go out into the world and spread the love and benefit those who absolutely need them. Of course, if it’s a unique handmade item, hopefully your Aunt Martha will not recognize the hand-knitted beret your she made. But if you live in a small town and they see that item on someone else, you can lovingly and truthfully explain you just didn’t have the space/it didn’t fit/you don’t really wear hats, etc., and explain that you didn’t know what to do because you wanted to keep it for a while because the gift was given in love but that you ultimately decided that the best way you could honor that gift was to share it now with someone in need.

Keeping something you cannot or will not use ultimately does you no good nor does it do any good for the kind person who gave you the gift.