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Does anybody out there also have a closet full of unloved gifts received with abundant good wishes? I see a lot of hands go up.
It’s about time for a winter clean-up as I am running out of space for my new collection. Now please don’t get me wrong, every gift received is appreciated, valued, admired and reciprocated in equal measure but more often than not it gets stashed away when it doesn’t quite fit into our humble home.
Oh yeah, it’s a home overflowing with decades of accumulated ‘emotional’ treasures; from travel souvenirs and home décor to family heirlooms, sentimental collectibles and giveaways (that somehow never got given), marked down items that screamed to be picked up, some in their original packaging and plenty of keepsakes.
Hence, knick-knacks crammed on side tables and in room corners vying for attention get moved to my curated closet of ‘You shouldn’t have’ (YSH), which is what we so often say to generous friends while graciously accepting gifts.
Here’s a sample list of items that have already made their way to the closet:
An attractive Chinese table water fountain from dear friends who have since moved out of the country, so I can speak without fear of being called out. I guess it was given with good intentions to make our surroundings ‘Feng Shui’ fit, creating a quiet corner of peace and harmony in the living room. Alas! It did quite the contrary. The roar of water crashing against the fibreglass rocks forced us to holler to be heard. Peace indeed! So it was moved to the YSH closet. Then there’s the gorgeous silk table runner from Thailand in a rich maroon colour. Stunning! It just fell short (literally) of our table size and colour theme.
Ah! The exquisite box of Italian wine glasses – hand blown, delicate with a pencil-thin stem. Every time I breathe, the top-heavy glass does a nervous little jig. Phew! My pulse rate went wild just imagining the drink swirling, tangoing and landing with a splash on my Persian carpet. Not for the faint-hearted.
A ‘check-to-chuck’ has become the need of the hour to make way for current memories (read: empty spaces). So now it’s my go-to place for ‘regifting’ and shall soon be renamed the ‘white elephant’ closet.
It’s hard to relinquish the emotions tied to ‘white elephants’ but it is budget- and environment-friendly and perhaps offers a chance for the gifts to get a fresh lease of love. Who knows? The water fountain may bring peace to someone else’s living room; the table runner may not get the short shrift (literally) on an appropriately sized table, and the wine glasses?
Many years ago, some GCC newspapers carried an exclusive classified column titled ‘Unwanted gifts for sale’. Whoa! As a newlywed setting up home in Bahrain, I loved receiving little surprises and proudly displayed every single item. So, to me, that column felt so wrong. But today? I get it.
With age comes wisdom that less is indeed more and that our real treasures are the priceless, evergreen memories gift-wrapped in our hearts and not the pricey things accumulated in our homes. Ah! The perks of ageing!
Folks, the next time you visit us please come laden only with love and good wishes; there’s plenty of room for that and hey, no gift wrapping required.
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