Mmm... thanks!

The Christmas gifts have been doled out to lots of oohs and aahs — and silent sighs.

You know it’s the thought that counts but, face it, there are some Christmas pressies — reindeer jumper; outsized bunny slippers, horse-and-cart ornament — that you really can do without.

American researchers found that only 10% of the people questioned for a survey on the issue actually liked the presents they’d received the previous Christmas.

In the States the accepted way to deal with an unwanted present is to ‘re-gift’ it — and it makes sense.

A badly chosen present may be a sign that the giver doesn’t really know you as well as you think — or care as much about you quite as much as you’d like to believe.

If you’re Irish, though, it’s definitely worth giving at least some consideration to the gifts you buy since we’re among the biggest spenders in Europe at Christmas.

Studies estimated that this year Irish people each forked out around €965 on Christmas, nearly twice that of other EU consumers — and over half of it was spent on gifts.

Re-gifting is a very practical idea for recycling unwanted gifts, says psychologist Dr Kate Byrne.

As mother to seven children, she does it as a matter of course.

“We get a lot of stuff at Christmas and I don’t see a problem with the idea of re-gifting.

“If one of my kids gets a present they don’t like I’ll either put it away to serve as a friend’s birthday party gift or pass it on as a gift to another young relative who might like it.

“I always explain why I’m doing this to the child — and the child never has a problem with it. We’ve always done this. It’s a matter of practicality and good home economics.”

She re-gifts in her professional life too.

“I’d have received gifts of chocolates and bubble bath for example. The chocolates go to the kids, but I can’t use bubble bath because it irritates my skin, so I’d generally pass the nice bubble bath on as a present — for example, to the children’s teachers.”

If you’d prefer to just return it to the shop in the hope of exchanging it for something else, make sure you have the receipt, says Dermot Jewell, chief executive of the Consumer’s Association of Ireland: “If you don’t have a gift receipt you don’t have rights,” he says, adding that even if you do have a receipt you may not be able to change it because, legally, shops don’t actually have to take something back.

However, he says, most of the bigger stores will, as long as an item’s not damaged and is accompanied by the receipt.

“Smaller shops may not take something back simply because they may not be able to re-sell it. It may, for example, be something they brought in specially for Christmas.”

However, if the item has not been worn, the packaging has not been torn, or, in the case of computer games, the seal is unbroken, most of the larger shops will facilitate you.

“Remember, having the receipt does not guarantee you a change but it does improve your chances — especially in the big shops.”

Other ways of disposing unwanted gifts are selling them on eBay — or simply donating them to a charity shop.

And while charity shops welcome most things, there are some items at which they draw the line, says Brendan Dempsey, vice president of the Cork Regional Council of the St Vincent de Paul, which has 160 shops nationwide.

“We’ll take any kind of clothes as long as they’re clean – men’s women’s or children’s. The better the condition the happier we are.”

Clothes in poor condition can be sent for recycling, so the society can still make money from them. Unwanted ornaments, pictures, pottery, bric-a-brac, household cutlery, books, non-perishable food such as dried food, breakfast cereals or tins, toys and even furniture are welcome.

“However it’s worth noting that most charity shops won’t take electrical goods.

“We take books of all kinds but not magazines or newspapers and we take unwanted toys, but not if they are damaged or have pieces missing.”

“We take good quality furniture and mattresses in some of our shops — but not items that are in a torn, stained or dirty condition. We pass the furniture on to people who need it and sell the surplus in the shops. ”

Not all of the St Vincent de Paul shops have room to store furniture, he says, but some have, so it’s always worth checking. For example, the Society is about to open a new shop in the Cork suburb of Ballincollig which will be big enough to take furniture.

Got something big that you want to dispose of? It’s a good idea to check with your local branch of the St Vincent de Paul – if you live within 15 or 20 miles, they will usually collect it.

* For more information visit www.svp.ie