What Would You Do
What Would You Do-
Hello bright lights! I hope your new year is off to a great start. I’ll just dive into today’s post aptly titled “What Would You Do.” Before the holidays I looked all over for a blogger who was having a gift exchange. I love participating and I hadn’t done it for a couple of years. I was just about to give up when I came across the Christmas in the Country, a “Christmas in the Country Farm/Aggie Blogger gift exchange”. It is a gift exchange for farmers and agricultural bloggers hosted by, Laurie from Country LINKed, Lara from My Other More Exciting Self and Kirby from 15009 Farmhouse. I know I am not a farmer, my hubby is though; you know his garden is always fantastic! I signed up and crossed my fingers they would let me participate. I received a lovely welcome and shortly after that I received the name of the blogger who would receive my gift. Stacy from The Back Road Life was my recipient and some clues about her favorite things was shared.
I visited her blog and also found out that she liked to crochet and her favorite colors are mason jar blue and sage green. I knew right away what I wanted to get. I asked my daughter to take me to Joannes. I grabbed my store coupon and we were on our way. I bought a crochet bag (please note the color, yes, I was so happy, perfect) and a package of hooks and I added some warm socks too. The socks are perfect for keeping toes warm while crocheting something wonderful. I packed it all up with a Christmas card and sent it to Stacy. I look forward to reading her post. I sure hope she liked it ( I wish I would have taken a better photo).
I waited patiently for my package to arrive. When the package arrived I was so excited….Okay my friends, this is the “what would you do” portion of the post. I really struggled with whether or not I should even share this. But, the hostesses of the gift exchange asked that we all post.
I will keep my gift giver anonymous. So….inside the box I found just a pinch measuring spoons, a note pad, cute little spatulas and.. a dirty snowman ornament ( it cleaned up nicely though)photo is after it was cleaned and.. okay here it is….. a nearly empty bag of tea with dog or cat hair inside! The bag looked like it was years old too. I decided to leave out the photo of the mangled bag of tea. But, here are the other gifts I received.
You can imagine what a disappointment it was to receive a nearly empty bag of mangled, hairy, tea. I contacted the hostess of the gift exchange and she contacted my gift giver. She found out after she had already mailed the box, that her dog had gotten into the bag of tea, which may have contributed to the hair and the nearly empty bag. I contacted the hostess of the gift exchange again and asked what she would like me to do, should I still post? I explained that I didn’t want to seem ungrateful, or make anyone feel badly. I really found myself in a bit of a quandary regarding the gift. The hostess responded and she did want me to post.
What Would You Do if you received this “gift”?
I am happy to announce the winner of the Tidy Up giveaway
please join me in congratulating Candice.
I look forward to sharing my new giveaway with you this Friday. Did you see my Look Back post? I shared a clue to the giveaway and a free printable too. I also extended an invitation to be a co hostess for the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop. I would love to have you join us.
Hello Sweet Friend – I am working all week long on blogging projects! I’m updating some things on both blogs, including all the events at Katherine’s Corner, and this afternoon I’m taking some time from “work” to visit a few of our blogging friends from this week’s hop. I miss connecting with other bloggers when life calls me away! Looking forward to a good 2016 with lots of opportunities to connect with special friends like YOU. Love, Nina xoxo
I tend to think it may have been an older person who couldn’t see clearly….or maybe not too old but needing glasses….or financially unable to do what others are able to do….but still wanting to be a part. I think it’s more important to be gracious, especially if you don’t know the person’s circumstances. This might have been the widow’s mite. I had a similar gift exchange problem once…only mine was just the opposite. I gave “too nice of a gift” and had someone making snippity remarks behind my back and little comments online about making others “feel badly by giving too much’. I think I had made a tiny wreath and found some holiday socks and a holiday candle……………so when the next exchange came along, as fate would have it, I just happened to get the snippity girl’s name and I made sure I didn’t ‘make that mistake again!’ ………it backfired, I’m afraid, on the loud mouth. 😉 That was many years ago…. I was just having fun and enjoying the chance to bless someone. I think it was ok for you to share this experience if for no other reason than for me to be able to share this long ago experience of mine! Bless you and Happy New Year!!!
I can’t understand anyone doing that. I am so sorry you received something so -well – thoughtless. I’ve been in financial straits before but I still took care when giving gifts that they weren’t damaged and dingy and unusable. Hopefully that never happens to you again. You deserve more consideration than that, absolutely.
I’m so sorry you had this experience you are such a sweetheart. I too, would be disappointed and you did the right thing about notifying the hostess. It’s possible that the giver was doing the best she could, but in any event it’s a good idea to make sure your packages are in good shape before you send them out. It’s also a good idea not to participate if the event is beyond your means. Wishing you the best!
This is an amazing idea! Thanks for sharing. Hi, I’m Anita visiting from Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop.
Oh my dear, sweet-Katherine! The fact that you struggled so much on whether you should keep your commitment to the exchange, or not, should show your readers the genuinely kind and decent person that you truly are. No one but the giver of that gift could possibly know why it was sent the way it was. You have such a big heart, my friend-and I believe with all of mine that you handled this situation the best (and only) way you could. And you did it with grace and honesty-which is what all who read your blog would expect! Wishing you an amazing 2016!!
I’m so sorry you received an exchange below standards. I’m not sure what I would do. Involved with an exchange once, I knew I’d never do it again. It’s a gamble for sure. I didn’t post the disappointment. I skipped it. You are brave to share your experience, and I must admit, proud. You stood up to an injustice. Please know that your efforts were at best. That’s what counts.
I agree with the comment from Juggling real food. its water under the bridge now, just enjoy what you can out of it and let it go.
Katie, I am truly sorry that you had a less-than-stellar experience with the gift exchange. Our hope (as co-hosts) is that everyone will have a wonderful time, researching their Secret Santa bloggers, giving and receiving thoughtful gifts, and getting to know so many other country (and country-at-heart) bloggers through this entire exchange. I feel sad that it didn’t work out for you in this way. I want to thank you for participating and sharing your gift for Stacy as well – it looks lovely! I hope you have a wonderful start to 2016!
Lara
I like what you did….talked about it. Maybe it will help others that want to be part of an exchange or swap. I’ve never tried to do one but I see that some people really go all out while others….well, send things you can’t show photos of! You are such a sweet lady to handle this with grace. You sent me a bag a few years ago (it was part of a giveaway you had) and it’s still one of my very favs! Sweet hugs, Diane
Hi Katherine-
I was so sorry to read your post and learn that you were still very disappointed with the exchange. You see, the anonymous blogger who had your name never knew that her dog had gotten into her package. She only learned this after speaking with her husband after we contacted her. She did this because she was so confused as to how their was dog hair. That’s when her husband said that he had found the dog with something from the box and he just tossed it back in the box. I dont know about you bust it kinda sounds like something my hubby would do too. He had no idea this package was going to someone and the anonymous blogger certainly had no idea this had happened. I was hoping that this would spark a fun friendship or at least get more of a laugh “my dog ate my gift exchange” type thing…. But as I said earlier in the comment I was sorry to read that you were still disappointed.
We do thank you for participating in the gift exchange. Jamie and Laurie work on this all year and Lara and i have been helping them since October. There is definitely a lot that goes into it and we just try our best to make sure everyone had a fun time.
I hope you and your family had a great Chrismtas and a happy new year.
gosh, a very difficult one here. I understand if she had financial trouble, maybe she shouldn’t have joined in on the exchange. I always found when I used to exchange at work, the gifts I received were pretty lousy. You don’t have to spend lots of money to get something nice for someone. I think you did the right thing. I think keeping the person’s name/blog out of your post was smart. I always spend more at these exchanges than I am supposed to, which isn’t good either. I think you did your best, and we have to feel some sorrow for the lady. You never know how bad some other people have it. Hope you had a lovely holiday, minus this exchange!
Ugh. Gift exchanges. I had my first bad gift exchange experience when I was in kindergarten. Yep, I was 5 and I still remember my disappointment to this day. We had a price limit, but apparently some parents didn’t follow it which resulted in one girl getting an awesome Barbie doll and I got a set of Jacks. 🙁 I was so disappointed. It looks like your gift giver gave you regifted gifts or maybe things she already had around the house. Not that I’ve never done that, I have, but I would certainly make sure everything was clean and hair free. I guess these things are hit and miss when you’re dealing with strangers (and maybe even when you’re not).
Wadd’ya mean you never signed up for an empty bag of mangled, hairy tea?! It made me smile. If it had been me that drew your name I would have done my research and known that you are let’s just say a huge figure in the Blogging world, and I would have upped my game. So I’m thinking there is more to this post than ‘the dog ate my homework’ response….
Do know what you will get out of this is a great blog post, we will all chip in with sympathy, horror and outrage at the unfairness in the exchange, others will be shocked, worried and concerned about the sender.
Of course you know dear Katherine, that the follow-up post is a visit, where of course you will be welcomed with the best china, a delicious cake and be given a beautiful crochet scarf in your favourite colours 🙂
Happy New Year, Katherine!
Wren x
First, I would not have written about this. I probably would have told a few friends or maybe not even that. If the person who sent you these gifts read this, she would feel so bad.
I think there are several possibilities for how this might have happened but your other friends have already listed those. One that was not mentioned was poor vision. If the snowman was dirty/dusty and the tea bag was mangled, perhaps the giver couldn’t see that well. (Think of cataracts or macular degeneration.)
The gift you sent was lovely and I’m sure the recipient enjoyed it.
Several times I participated in Secret Pal exchanges. My person moved one year, one year I just never got anything, and the third year the person was fired. Seriously. I decided I just wasn’t meant to participate!
I hope you will have better luck next time.
Perhaps we should have a gift exchange here this year. I did ask the hostess about fulfilling my commitment and sharing the post. She actually encouraged me to do so..It was a difficult decision. But, it was important to me to honor my responsibilities as a participant. I would never include the givers name or blog address I wouldn’t want her to feel bad.
Bug hugs and God Bless
The gift you sent was very sweet and thoughtful. I would chalk up the gift you received as experience! It is hard to figure this one out, but know you did the right thing! Have a wonderful New Year and stay happy!!
That is a tough one. Weird she would send it anyway. Didn’t look like a lot of thought went into your gifts, either. Nice of you to keep your giver anonymous.
The gift you sent was perfect for the recipient!
I too am sorry that you had a bad experience with the gift exchange, I wonder if when she signed up she had never done this before and didnt know what was appropriate or maybe the gift you received was all she could afford, however, I think a note to explain would have been in order. Your gift was wonderful and would be awesome to receive. You are truly a sweetheart Katherine, and so thoughtful. Be blessed my friend! Happy New Year to you and your family!
Hugs
Karren
Gifts can never live up to expectations. I see that with my children and I see it within my own heart year after year. I suppose you could look at this like a gift from your young children or grandchildren…..find some piece of it that you know comes from the heart. The tea was important….it shows the gift giver understood that tea is a big part of who you are. Then, enjoy the gifts that are enjoyable.
Miss Erlene pretty much sums it up…exchanges seem to always be tricky. I’m sorry this happened to you. Years ago I was a member of a County Extension Home Economics Club (yikes, I’m dating myself!) and we had secret sisters. The one I had was a dud and it wasn’t because of finances, rather indifference. If I cannot participate in a project (exchange) fully, I decline. BTW, I loved your gift you selected and I don’t even crochet. Hugs for you and a special treat for Izzy…my dogs always make me feel better. Thanks for all your hard work on your blog posts.
I feel bad too that you had to experience this let down. The first thing that came to my mind is the Giver must really be having a little Rough time lately financially . They probably did the best they couid..(The tea bag and the dog hair ?) Well I really can’t figure that one out yet! God Bless You Katherine. You are such a Genuine Sweetheart! I hope You & Your Family Have Wonderful New Year~ :0)
Thank you Cathy, so true my sweet friend. I actually mentioned in my original email to the hostess that my giver may be experiencing some financial challenges and that I was not ungrateful for the gifts. But, felt the tea and dirty ornament should have been left out of my package. It was such a difficult position to be in.
Thank you Cathy for your friendship. Wishing you a beautiful day ahead and I am sending hugs to you,God bless xo
Exchanges are so tricky and there are always those that may not reciprocate or put much thought into what is sent.
Good morning Erlene, so true my friend. I think I will still seek out exchanges in the future hoping this is a one time event. xo
I am so sorry that happened to you and just hearing that made me tear up. Sending so much love and extra hugs this morning after reading what you went through here. xoxo
Hello Janine happy 2016! I adore you, thank you for being such a wonderful friend. I hope today brings you only good things xo