[geog272]

So, as per our usual custom, my father asked me what I want for Christmas this year -- I asked for a $50 indoor TV antennae to pick up a couple of local tv channels and a gift certificate to Sherwin Williams (every square inch of the fixer upper farm house we just bought needs to be painted).

And... a big box arrived from Amazon the other day... he got us a 32" LED Smart TV.

Oh, I know this would excite many people! But I honestly hate the thing.

I could say it's because we don't watch much TV (it's true - we're not sports fans, and are too cheap to purchase cable or netflix. A few local channels via antennae is really all we need to be happy).

I could also argue that it's way too big for our teeny tiny living room (also true -- I mean you can physically get it in there, but it will look ridiculous).

But mostly, it just feels like decadent excess. Now, I don't want to offend anyone with a big TV -- hey, most of the country would think what I spend to keep my horse is decadent excess! But to me, I have a thing about electronics. I like as few as possible, and like to wear them out and use them up. My last cell phone I had for 5 years. We have a perfectly respectable non-smart 3 year old 17" flatscreen TV that I had no intention of replacing for... a decade, probably! My father, of course, is the downright opposite -- he and his wife each have an i-phone, i-pod, i-pad, kindle, apple TV unit, and, probably, this very same TV.

I can't help thinking how much house paint I could buy if I returned this TV. But, it is a Christmas gift of course. At this point I am thinking I have to keep it, but as a compromise will install it up in our bedroom. I've never had a TV in the bedroom, but that will keep it out of the way, and I can still bring it down to the living room when my father visits (which is very infrequent -- maybe once every few years).

Thoughts? Has anyone ever rejected a Christmas gift?

[MistyBlue]

A return is not the same as rejecting a gift. Rejecting a gift would be handing it back to the giver as unacceptable and putting the onus on the giver to either find a different gift or decide the person isn;t worth the consideration after all.

I'm sure your father meant well and from how you've posted I'm sure you know that also. Many people just aren't overly gift-savvy and just assume because they'd love a certain gift it's also the best thing to give someone else. It's done with a big heart.

Also consider he might not have wanted to get you something useful and thinks gifts should be something decadent as opposed to needed. Or wanted to surprise you by not getting something you already mentioned. He probably heard "tv antennae" and thought, "They like TV, I'll get them a great TV!"

You can politely say to your dad, "Wow, thanks so much for that TV! You went way overboard, so generous! Dad, would you mind horribly if we swapped that for something else? I don't have anywhere to put that really and I'd hate for such a fantastic gift to not get any use." Then exchange it for something useful where he bought it. It's not really polite to return it for cash and use that elsewhere.

I do hear you on the preferring to redecorate thing...I'd prefer the same. But what we prefer during gift giving season doesn't count as much as the givers' feelings. A return/exchange isn't rude, a rejection of gift for cash is.

[clanter]

A 32 inch TV would be compared to the old 9" portable TV as it appears now the current "standard/common" size is 60 inch


just leave it the box and sell it

[lcw579]

Move your small tv to the bedroom and keep the big one downstairs. Screen size never mattered to me either but you get used to the bigger picture. 32" doesn't take up that much room - we have a tiny family room too. You'll be happy you have it eventually, you'll see. We
only recently added Netflix so I know all about adjusting rabbit ears and hoping for the best.

Your dad was being very thoughtful. Give his gift a chance before you banish it out of sight. Check out the worst gift thread to see what ypu could have been subjected to.

[cyriz's mom]

Not to belittle his gift, but given the cost of paint and the prices I've seen on LED TVs, it might not be as much paint as you think! Of course, I don't know how much paint you need!

Return it and get what you need or use it and enjoy, the choice is yours. In either case, thank him for his generosity.

[GoForAGallop]

Hey, if it truly did come from Amazon, they have a very generous policy for returning gifts. You can look it up by who purchased it for you, and get the refund, without them ever knowing or without having to ask for the receipt. That will solve all your problems.

[MeghanDACVA]

I have had a similar thing happen. My father gave me about 9 yrds of stretch denim material many many years ago. Why? So I could make my own jeans!! I just said thank you, etc. (I had no way to return it)

Parents are tough like this I have found. DH has learned his lessons with me about this though. Don't buy me things I don't ask for since he knows I would rather have the money spent on horsey things I need/want. But even he had a long learning curve to that one.

MistyBlue and GoForAGallop have the right answers, IMHO.

[Come Shine]

Lol. My Dad picks out his own gifts, buys them and brings them home. My Mother pays him for them and wraps them. He opens them X-Mas morning and still inevitably returns something because it's not what he wanted. Happens every year. We all just laugh.

My ex-bf returned some gloves that I had spent a long time picking out for him. That hurt my feelings.

Only you know your Dad. Do you think he would be o-kay if you asked about exchanging it for something more practical or would he be hurt?

[RedMare01]

I didn't think you could even pick up tv channels by antenna anymore? Aren't they all digital?

[JanM]

Red Mare-I found out the other day, that you can get local channels by antenna, and many new tv's like the OP's gift have built in antennas to do this. Also, many local channels have extra sub-channels that you can only get on the local cable or via antenna.

[Pasde2]

If you're a member of either USEF or your local Farm Bureau, a Sherwin-Williams discount is one of the member perks. The USEF discount is usually larger, though - up to 40% IIRC.

[danceronice]

You might also consider, your three-year-old flatscreen may not last as long as you think. Newer tech seems to die faster. (I'm still on an old 'box' tv, though the built-in DVD died, and now the built-in VCR is going, and the colors are starting to be not so good...it's coming up on 10 years old. My parents' flatscreen is more like 3 and it's starting to have issues.) You might have to replace it sooner than you think anyway.

And worst comes to worse, sell it on Craigslist new in-box and use that to get an antenna (I guess...I can't get anything except by satellite, and honestly, there's nothing that ISN'T a satellite channel I would find worth the effort.)

[geog272]

Thanks everyone for your responses. It's funny how gift giving and receiving can be so touchy, isn't it?

GoForAGallop, I didn't know you could do that with Amazon -- very handy -- yet, I think I would end up feeling guilty for not telling him.

I think I decided to keep it... although, I'm still not 100% committed to having it in the living room!

[geog272]

P.S. I can't believe 60" is the new norm. Good grief!

[FLeventer]

I rejected a gift once. I am always good at thannking people forr thier gifts no matter what it is. This one though I could nnot do.

I gave a friend a bottle of perfume for christmas the year before that they had asked for. The next year at christmas I opened a box from them to find the perfume I gave her gifted to me. I would usually brush it off, but 1/4 of it was used and there was no original box. I called her our on it and she said she forgot I gave it to her. I was a bit annnoyed by that.

Your situation is tough but like others have said either return it through amazon or keep it. 32" is a basic TV even though it seems big. I dont really watch TV and I have no cable not even basic, but my BF has his 62" TV on the wall in our loft.

[Heinz 57]

I'm glad you're considering keeping it... IMHO, if he's anything like my dad, it would hurt his feelings for you to return it. Put it in the bedroom, enjoy watching movies with hubby curled up in bed. We have a 32" in our room, which isn't big by any means, and use it all the time.