Rubbish Gifts

The best thing about being known as a bit of a womble is the rubbish gifts you get. As in gifts of things that would otherwise be thrown away rather than gifts that are just a bit pants.

This week we had a super sad but also super yummy goodbye meal with our mates Rich and Emily.

Rich and Emily moved to Brockley only a month before us and they’ve become firm friends as well as neighbours. They looked after Raz when we went on holiday and gave us bonefide excuses for going out to try new  local cafes and pubs. Lately we’ve started a monday tradition making the most of our local pub’s “2 courses for a tenner” offer. Well I say traditon, we’ve been twice but it felt so grown up and tasted so good we were totally planning on making it a tradition…Until they went and moved away that was!

Thats right, our new bff’s are flouncing off to Oz for a year leaving us with nothing but happy memories and Monday nights at the pub missing their giggles.

Or so we thought.

Emily turned up at the pub bearing gifts a plenty. With a flight the next morning and a flat still to clean she bought me the stuff that was too nice to bin but too manky to give to charity.

You know the stuff, half used body products, open bottles and random bits of craft supplies.  Its the stuff you can’t bear to bin but feel embarrassed to give away.

The thing is many of us feel embarrassed about giving rubbish gifts but we totally shouldn’t. Given thoughtfully they can make three people happy.

1) The giver for getting rid of some clutter,
2) the reciever for getting something  they actually quite like
3) your local charity shop for not getting a bag full of crap they can’t sell and have pay to dispose of.

When I looked deeper into the stash I realised that Emily had thought really hard about the rubbish she had given me.

Curl cream and deep conditioner – we both have unruly curly hair and, since I’m avoiding extra plastic, hair products are a luxury I no longer get to enjoy. For once my hair looks quire nice!

Ribbons and wrapping paper some of which I even recognised from a gift I gave to her. How cool to know that one ribbon has decorated two presents already and has come back to me again to decorate another.

Some pretty balls of wool and some downright lovely bamboo knitting needles. We had one slightly unsuccessful knitted make it monday together and Em knows I love knitting. However I may just keep the needles safe for her until she returns. They are just a bit too nice to steal forever.

An open but almost full bottle of Baileys. Need I say more – we all know my love of cocktails! Actually  I just noticed that its an unopened bottle! That’s not a rubbish gift! That’s just an ace gift.

Also a tiny wee wooden Christmas tree decoration. I’m a massive Christmas tree fan and love my eclectic old skool tree decorations. This one will fit so well on our tree this year.

Thanks Emily and Rich. You may have left us but the rubbish gifts you left with us will cheer us up in your absence.

So have you ever given or received a rubbish gift? Or have you been too embarrassed to gift something and regretted it later? Ooooor have you ever got a gift that you wish had just been binned. :s

I’d love to hear what rubbish gets people going?