I have no regrets - What to do with unwanted Christmas presents

I have no regrets - What to do with unwanted Christmas presents Most of us have received at least one Christms present that missed the mark - a jumper that doesn't fit, a hideous ornament or a perfume you don't like. Dawn-Maria France is an advocate for regifting and says it's the perfect way to declutter her home Not every present is greeted with delight - so instead of banishing them to the back of a cupboard, how can you get rid of them without causing offence? 1. Regift For Dawn-Maria France from North Yorkshire, the solution to unwanted gifts is simple - pass them on to someone else. She says right after Christmas is the perfect time. She never feels any guilt for doing so and believes it is a more sustainable way of celebrating the festive season. "One year I was given some garden seeds that I had no use for," she says. Rather than letting them go to waste, Dawn-Maria re-gifted them to a green-fingered friend. "It's a budget-friendly way to manage spending, especially during the cost-of-living crisis, and it's helped me declutter my home," she adds. The habit could also help tackle a much bigger problem. Each year, an estimated £42m worth of unwanted presents are thrown away in the UK, with some ending up in landfill. Dawn-Maria re-wrapped her garden seeds adding a personalised note hinting that it was a regift. "I was given this but I knew you'd love it," she wrote. "It promotes sustainability," she says. "I have no regrets about regifting". 2. Hide the evidence So how do you regift without causing offence? "Don't get caught out," warns Louise Minchin, who presents the BBC's Rip Off Britain programme, advising regifters to remove any labels or notes that might be addressed to someone else. Before re-wrapping she recommends inspecting the gift carefully to make sure no seals have been broken or show signs of wear. If it's been opened or is part of an incomplete set, it's a clear giveaway the item isn't new. "I've been caught out," admits BBC Radio 2's Reverend Kate Bottley who forgot to check there wasn't a card inside a gift she passed on. "They opened it and I said 'Oh no, I'm so sorry,'" she recalls. It's enough to make both parties cringe. The BBC's Morning Live regular Dr Oscar remembers being handed a box of chocolates with the message "Dear Mrs Smith, Thanks for being my teacher this year". It didn't stop him regifting though, "I just took the label off for the next one," he says. Etiquette expert Antoinette Akanji's has another golden rule: regift outside your social circle. "If your aunt has given you a jumper that you didn't like, do not regift this to your cousin," she says. "She may see your cousin wearing it and this could provoke an awkward conversation." "You need to ensure that the original giver and the new recipient aren't likely to cross paths." 3. Resell Kirsty Quinn,...

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