The Etiquette of Gift-Getting
Hi Amy,
Thank God for your column! I need a fashion critic and a Dear Abby all rolled into one, and at least in the corner of the Internet that I frequent, you’re it! Recently, I had a birthday, and two of my good friends bought me a purse and a pair of earrings. The purse is cute, and so are the earrings, but the thing is? I’m not really an accessories kind of girl. Some of your readers may not believe this, but I even wear the same pair of shoes every day! Shocking, I know! And, until my birthday, I had one pair of earrings that I’d wear occasionally (probably less than once a month), and I had one purse that I used about 364 of the last 365 days. The purse I love. It’s just the right size for all my stuff, and it’s easy to find things in. I bought it a year ago at Banana Republic, and it looks like this:
In my non-accessorizer opinion, it’s casual enough not to look ridiculous when I’m wearing jeans and a t-shirt (which is most of the time), and it’s nice enough to use when I go out to a nice dinner with my boyfriend (nice for us being somewhere between the Olive Garden and a place where people know the name of the chef.) Of course, I could be completely wrong, and I think that’s part of the problem, because I’m thinking, why would you give a purse to a girl who’s not that into accessories? Oh! Maybe because her purse is ugly and/or out of style! So I guess that’s part one of my question – is it really that bad? Or maybe it’s a number-of-purses problem – Is it just as awkward for people to see me with the same purse every day as it would be if they repeatedly saw me with spinach between my teeth? Give it to me straight, I can handle it!
Part two of my dilemma is that the friends I mentioned are actually my roommates. So they KNOW if I am using the new purse or wearing the new earrings. When I am, they get super excited (literally, “You’re wearing the earrings!!! Yay!!!”) So, am I obliged to keep using the gifts? Because I don’t want them to think that I don’t like the presents – I do like them, they’re very cute! They’re just not really my thing.
Thanks so much,
Pursed Lips
Wow, so much drama involved in a simple purse question! Let me see if I can avoid tangents long enough to cover everything here.
1) There is nothing wrong with your bag. It’s very cute and stylish and casual, but since it doesn’t sound like you’re pairing it with cocktail dresses on a regular basis…no problem there. It’s hard to tell for sure from the photo, but I guess my only thing would be that it is a very…brown brown. Great for wearing with earth tones and other brown-friendly shades, but NOT the sort of brown that looks equally appropriate with black. But again, if you don’t wear much black and your go-to shoes are brown…no problem there either. Unless there are visible threads coming loose or deep cracks in the strap or other signs of wear and tear, you can go ahead and use it another 364 days.
2) I think you’re misinterpreting your roommate’s intentions here. You have one purse and don’t wear earrings — you see it as just not your thing. They probably see it as you just don’t like to spend your own money on that sort of thing, so they would treat you to something nice and new that you wouldn’t otherwise buy for yourself. Is the new purse black, or dressier than the one you carry now? If so, I’d bet they were just trying to help you have more options, not knowing that having options would throw you into this tailspin of handbag angst. I don’t know your friends, obviously, but I really doubt this is the passive aggressive style critique that you’re concerned about.
Politeness is the way to go
So. Now what? Since I believe their gift-giving intentions were good, I also believe you owe them some gift-recipient politeness. If you don’t like swapping out handbags to match outfits, that’s fine. (I don’t mind it, mostly because it’s the only way I can avoid the Black Hole effect, where one bag gets full of unnecessary junk and old receipts and mint wrappers and you pull your keys out and three crushed tampons fall out. Swapping colors and styles occasionally forces me to streamline — keys, cellphone, wallet, comb, mirror, lipstick — and toss all the extra stuff I end up stuffing in there. And….end tangent.) But if the new bag isn’t significantly different than your current one, you can explain that you’d rather save it for when your current bag wears out. (Just promise to not let Purse Love blind you to wear and tear. I do that with favorite pairs of shoes.) (What? You mean these seven-year-old macrame platforms from Old Navy don’t still look amazing? WHAT?)
Just wear the earrings. Seriously.
You know it makes them happy so…just wear them.
My mother-in-law gives me amazing jewelry every year for my birthday — it’s all gorgeous stuff, handmade and funky and unique. But I have terrible luck with losing or breaking jewelry so I don’t wear much unless it’s a special occasion (i.e. no grabby toddlers in the vicinity). My diamond studs, wedding rings and…that’s it, 99% of the time. But whenever she comes to visit, I am sure to put on one of the things she’s given me. Because even though it might not be the sort of thing I wear every day, I really appreciate the time and care she puts into picking it out for me.
I love seeing friends and family wearing or using the gifts I’ve gotten them, so I tend to believe that being a polite gift recipient doesn’t always begin and end with the thank-you note. It’s one thing to receive something you absolutely hate but are too timid to say something (Dear World, Please Include Gift Receipts For Every Single Gift All The Time, Sincerely Yours, Amy), but for something you like but just aren’t that into, I would opt for Sucking It Up and wearing the earrings occasionally. It’s not an obligation, it’s just a nice thing to do. Then drop hints before your next birthday about the sort of gift that really would be “your thing.” Mwa ha ha.
