You probably do as I do after every Christmas: you go through the gifts you received and sort them into two piles: gifts that you will use go into the pile number one, and gifts that you have no use for go into pile number two.

It is my belief, hitherto unchallenged, that family members are the worst when it comes to giving wrong gifts. Aunts and uncles especially. You may count on them to give you an item of clothing that you would not be seen dead in, a 2000-page autobiography by some obscure former politician, or a decorative object that clashes not only with everything in your house, but with your life as such.

As you contemplate the pile of useless gifts, resist the urge to consign them to the darkest corner of your wardrobe. Rather take a photo of each and every one of them and post them all for sale on bidorbuy. Odd as it may seem, there are people out there whose tastes complement your aunts’ and uncles’ tastes wonderfully. Let them buy your unsuitable gifts. You may end up with enough cash to treat yourself to some luxury you really want.

That should improve your mood enough to banish from your mind all thoughts of giving an unsuitable gift in return, come next Christmas. Yes, revenge is a dish best served cold, but Christmas gifting retaliation is often a bad idea. It can start family feuds that escalate into irrational rifts and arguments. And since the uncle who caused it all may not even be aware of the impact of his gifting gaff, retaliation is actually worse than the original misdeed.

Oh, and do remember to leaf through that fat volume before you re-sell it on bidorbuy. Your uncle may have inserted a banknote somewhere between its pages, just to check whether you’ve read it.