The curse of homemade gifts
 

My mom likes to make stuff. When we don't tell her what to buy us for birthdays or anniversaries, she makes us things - horrible things.

Right now I have two such gifts in my closet. They're both in picture frames. One is sewn, the other involves colored sand, glitter, and those tiny fabric roses. One is burgundy and harvest gold, the other is neon green, pink, and royal blue.

It's sad, really, because I know she does these things out of pure love. I know it took her forever to make them. But they're truly ugly, awful things, and neither will ever be hung from my walls.

When she gave me the second one she said something like "you could hang it on the wall, or you could just put it in your closet, I know it might end up there." She laughed while she said it but I could tell she was really saying "It's ok that you hate it and you'll bury it away so no one can see it." I do my best to pretend I like the gifts but it's really, really hard.

I've had other awful gifts from my parents - bad DVDs, tacky items my mom got at the Salvation Army - and those I have no problem tossing. But can I throw out the homemade stuff? Am I cursed to keeping it in a box hidden away? Do I really have to move them to my swanky new digs?

Just pull 'em out when they visit. Then back into the closet with them.

There's a 24" bronze dolphin (from Ralphie's dad) that gets that treatment.

:)

I highly recommend this as well.

I've received some um...... interesting stuff over the years, but mostly from friends. The "best" was this puffy fabric and lace covered "jewelry box" with my name in puffy fabirc paint written on the top. It was at that point that I just about seized my friend's glue gun for life. I know she tried her best, but man........ it was quite the monstrosity. So, it stayed in my dresser drawer to store stuff, and then I'd sit it out on top whenever she came over.

You could always pass it at the next white elephant gift exchange :)

What if it's in the box that gets "lost" in the move?

Mine fell OFF the moving truck! ;)

It took about 25 years to convince most of the people in my life that I honestly don't enjoy receiving gifts, but they finally caught on that it wasn't false modesty and now I don't have to deal with crappy handmade gifts or crappy store bought gifts.

Let me ask you this: would that ugly handmade gift give you a good memory or a laugh in fifty years after your mother has passed away, connecting you to who she was and how she loved you in her own, tasteless kind of way? If you think that, even then, it'll just be an ugly thing you held on to that doesn't help you remember her, then you might consider pitching it.

Or, as the others are cleverly advising, do the swap-out.

Toss it!


:evil:

I'm trying to be ruthless, including with my own stuff, with what we keep. I'm a packrat by nature, but the clutter's really gotten to me, so while I have some forced motivation, I'm cutting to the bone.

Well, I'm fortunate. My mother crochets afghans, so even though I don't need them, I don't refuse them. I have given several away to friends who have loved them. I only wish the one my mother crocheted with her mother did not wear out completely. I'm a sentimental one, I am.