You could barely wait to tear into the pretty gift wrapping, but you took the time to save the colourful bow. You eagerly eye the huge box (it is not small so you can forget things like diamond earrings or the keys to a new Benz) and excitedly get to digging into it… only to spot the most hideous sweater, another pair of socks, glass paperweight or a dress that looks like your grandmother would have rejected it even when it was in style back when she was a teenager!

Fake it

How could your partner have gotten it so wrong?!

Having been around you, listened to your wishes, peeves, likes and dislikes,

they still chucked all that information out the window, did their own thing

when gift hunting for you and picked the worst possible gift ever. The question

is now: Do you let that disappointment show on our face or do you fake it, put

on a smile and thank them with as much warmth as you can muster.

Receiving a gift that is all wrong for you or

not truly representative of you and your personality can be very disappointing,

especially because it not only shows that you partner was not listening to you but

that you were totally misunderstood. Having said that, if the gift came from a

happy place filled with good intentions, you may have to suck it up and not fly

in the face of your mate’s enthusiasm. You can cap it off with a little white

lie about how nice it is. If you cannot go that far, just nod and keep smiling.

Don’t get angry

Whatever you do, do not get angry and throw a

tantrum. A gift is just that – a gift. It is not an entitlement or a right, so

you cursing out your mate not only makes you look silly, but also spoilt, and

there is nothing cute about that. Think of all the effort they put into it and

use that thought to offset some of the sting of the gift itself. You can even

ask them to share with you how they came up with the selection. A good story is

one that you can laugh about later down the road.

Men, please note: Kitchen supplies like oven mitten and dish towels are not acceptable Christmas gifts. Like seriously! Those are things for the home, not for your lady. Know the difference. She is not your maid. Christmas gifts should be personalised like a pair of earrings, the CD of their favourite singer or a book by their favourite author. Make it something that every time they see or touch it, it reminds them of how thoughtful you were.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of BUZZ or its employees.