When the Christmas List goes bad
Since the dawn of time, people LOVE receiving gifts. But what if we receive a gift we’d rather not get?
You’ve surely witnessed young boys plastering on a fake smile when given argyle socks.
Or maybe you are a teenaged girl who has received makeup that is the wrong shade. Sure, pumpkin pie might be festive to the season, but no girl wants to look like one!
Opening gifts in front of the giver is an art in itself. What is the best method to accomplishing this the task of receiving a gift better left for another while still maintaining decorum and proper manners?
I hit the hallways to see how our students react to this oh-too-common incident.
“I smile, say thank you, and try my best to act as sincerely as possible,” said Junior Holton Hester.
The common response seems to be to “fake it till you make it.”
“I’ll just say ‘thaaaaanks you shouldn’t haaave,’ and they never know I mean it literally!” said Senior Claire Bullington.
Other students have a not-so-subtle approach.
“I don’t pretend,” said Sophomore Sarah Gunn.
Honesty can work well when we add humor to the situation.
“I rummage through the box and when the person is like ‘oh there’s nothing else in the box’ i say “haha, no i’m looking for the receipt” and then i hit them with that dab and yeet,” said Sophomore Ben Jones.
I also asked some students what the worst gift they’ve ever been given was and I received a variety of responses.
“A tiny picture frame,” said Senior Jessica Friberg, “…I don’t have pictures that size.”
Senior Kam Stokes shared his terrifying testimony, “The worst gift I’ve ever received was a plain red t-shirt,” said Stokes, who said it was terrifying because “I was 8…I wanted toys!”
The worst gift I’ve personally ever received is body wash… out of date…and it smelled kind of funny.
It’s best to know your audience and the gift-giver well if you are going to use any of these straight-forward approaches. In cases where you don’t know them well, just suck it up, and smile through the pain.
Merry Christmas, and enjoy the best gift of all…Love through our savior’s birth.
