thoughtless gift


My 8 year old daughter received 2 cheap, thoughtless gifts from one of her best friends. Not only that, one of the gifts was a necklace the friend made at our house with our beads! It is obvious no thought or money was put into this gift, not that a gift has to cost much. But as they say, "it's the thought that counts", and there wasn't much at all. In fact, it really looks like a hand me down. I could understand that too if money was truly an issue, but it is not. So, here is my problem, we see these people everyday and I really would like to say something. Do I say something because this does upset me, or do I just chalk it up to bad taste.

Thank you

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It's the thought that counts ...
by: Miss P Etiquette

Dear Mom,

The proper response from the gift recipient is the same whether the gift is to your liking or not. You thank the gift giver politely, find something nice to say, no matter how minuscule and move on.

There is never a time when proper and/or practical etiquette would allow any other response. A collateral advantage of this response is your letting go of your resentment and, therefore, preventing you from damaging your relationship with your friends. An attitude of judgement is the antithesis of good manners.

I hope you find this useful information.

Kind regards,

Miss Practical Etiquette

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