by Cheryl Bowman

Created on: January 04, 2009

So you want to know what to do with those holiday gifts that you don't want? Every year, you get at least one or two gifts that don't match the decor in your home, gifts you like, but have no place to put them, gifts that are practical, but you will never use - and of course, gifts that you have no idea why anyone in the world would buy in the first place.

There are a number of things you can do with a gift you don't want:

1. Donate the gifts to a charity such as the Salvation Army or Goodwill. There are people who do not care if something matches or not, do not care if that coat is the ugliest thing in the world - they will use the gift because that is all they can afford.

2. Donate the gifts to an animal rescue or shelter. Many animal rescues and shelters can use things you wouldn't think they can use. Lots of places run yard sales to raise money for their shelters. ValricoCanineRescue.org is running a drive for items for a yard sale now. Elmira's Wildlife Sanctuary is always looking for yard sale stuff. Those are only two, both located in Florida. Check your state or county for shelters and give them a call.

3. Regift the gift. When you regift, remember who gave you the gift in the first place, so they don't get it back - unless of course, your family and friends have a regifiting party where the gift giver knows that she may get her gift back.

4. Sell the gifts at your own yard sale. Plan ahead for this one - if you have enough stuff, have your own yard sale. If not, get together with your neighbors to have a neighborhood yard sale. A neighborhood sale brings in more people since there is a bigger variety of items for people to browse through.

5. Sell the holiday gifts you don't want on consignment. There are many consignment shops in cities around the United States. Check the yellow pages in your area or google 'consignment shops' in your area for a listing of consignment shops. You may have to call a few, though, as some specialize in certain items, such as clothing only.

6. Make a gift box of unwanted holiday gifts and other items for a local family who has fallen on hard times. They will appreciate anything they get if there was a recent fire, or if the wage-earner or both wage earners, if there are two, lost their jobs. Even if it is only adults and no children, they will be grateful for things they cannot buy because they are laid off.

Keep in mind that even when dealing with holiday gifts you don't want that everything has a place, even if it is not in your home. There is always someone out there in your corner of the world who can use something you do not want. It may take a bit of footwork to find them, but they are out there.

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