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How to politely decline a gift?
| I've spoken about this with my sister previously and she said that it's a good thing to "learn how to accept things with gratitude." I've become better at accepting smaller gifts and also give gifts in turn many times. But I don't know how to accept a large gift without seeing either ungrateful or making my friend seem uncomfortable in the process.
I'd really like some advice as silly as this problem might sound.
| Wrong question. You should have asked how you can get YOURSELF to ACCEPT the gift, because that's what you should be doing.
G/u/rl, just take the gift, say thank you, and then don't even think about it. Don't. Even. Think about it. It's a gift.
When I give someone a gift, it's the act of giving that I care about. If you deny me that, I'll feel more awful than if you accept the gift and then forget about it.
| If you really feel bad about it, consider gifting them something in return!
| >>706998
I agree. If you ever decline the gift, even politely, there's a high chance that your friend would feel bad about it. It shows that you're ungrateful for the other person's efforts.
Simply accept it and thank them! You could also give them something in return. You don't have to feel bad--your friend has great intentions! The act of wholeheartedly giving is a wonderful thing.
| I'm not sure why would you need to decline the gift. I thought its like a white elephant problem but it's a video game. If you're worried about their finances, don't. It's their decision to spend a large sum of money on a gift, it's not your problem to think about.
| As far as I've experienced, the only reasonable way to reject a gift is if there's no room for it where you live, which then sometimes requires proof of you being a fucking slob, or if it's food and you're allergic. Also, if you're expected to do something with the gift, you should do it at least once.
Other than that, the only way to deal with it is to ask for no gifts in advance. I tend to try to bring up that I live rather ascetically and appreciate edible gifts most...
| before that relationship is strong enough for gifts. I've also kept my birthday as much of a secret as possible for a while. Eventually, though, I get given physical gifts; from there, I tend to simply put them to use once or twice, keep them around for six months, then quietly dispose of them.
I also have a hard time accepting gifts. Compliments are even harder. But, for those things, you just have to say thank you and keep moving.
| Like the others said, don't decline gifts. Declining gifts will just hurt the other person. It's their choice whether or not they want to give you a gift, and you're not the only person who gains from accepting a gift.
Showing your appreciation and gratitude for someone through giving them a gift is an enjoyable experience. It makes then happy to see you happy. Especially when that gift is something they've thought about for a while and worked to give you.
So don't be ungrateful.
| >>707023
I do not suggest doing like this g/u/rl and disposing of the gifts. Throwing away something that someone worked to give you and gifted you out of kindness is very disrespectful and even worse than declining the gifts in my opinion, as it makes the effort, thought, time and money put into that gift completely wasted.
Though what you do is ultimately your child.
| *choice
| Hey, op here. I wanted to say thanks to everyone. I took what you guys all said into account and spoke with my friend, I accepted the gift and thanked him properly. I also made him promise to watch me play it soon too. And I'm planning on figuring out a nice gift for him as well.
Thank you all! c:
| Great job, op! Keep it up!
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| So, I have some really good friends, very kind and always fun to hang with. My friends can also be generous and giving even if they don't have much money themselves. I'm thankful for them.
However, I also have problems accepting gifts given how I was raised that I shouldn't be greedy or expect things of others. Which brings me to my current problem, one gave me a gift on steam that was more on the pricey side. I'm thankful, but I don't know how to say I'd rather not take it.