Gifts - please please stop

A hard post but seeking views.

First off. A gift is a lovely thing. It's always best to consider that someone cares enough to get something at all - that's a nice positive thing and above all else should be appreciated. What follows is a first world rant, with a little tongue in cheek.

Something has been disturbing my force in the last few years, I am finding more and more generic Star Wars stuff being wrapped up and bunged my way, all with a cheeky smile and a wink and a comment which is generally "you will love this"

Off comes the paper and that sense of doom grips me as I see a Star Wars Logo appear and I find I absolutely ****ing hate the majority of what's been given to me. I am grateful for the gesture.

But I have no interest or indeed space for the stuff I keep getting given to me, which is branded with Star Wars. I feel no one gets that I love the films and the vintage figures, but don't feel compelled to stroll about in a Dart Vader T-Shirt every Saturday. Nor is that Grand Moff Tarkin POTF2 figure of any interest to me.

The vintage figures and the original 3 films is about where my love of a Star Wars always began and ended (generally) This year I even said to people. No Star Wars stuff please.

It did not work. I still got stuff I simply do not want / need / have space for. My examples of items received in the last two years are as follows and this is only a selection of the wider tat.

A Star Wars Travel Wallet ( I do not use Oyster in London )
Star Wars Galatic Atlas ( I am not 8 )
A Darth Vader Rougue One Sweatshirt ( seriously? )
A Star Wars Wallet - Storm Trooper design ( I have a Tommy Hilfiger Wallet - why would I want a ducking Star Wars one )
Star Wars Top Trumps ( this year marked the third time someone has gotten me the same pack. As I am an adult I do not play Top Trumps. I am not 8 )
An X-Wing T-Shirt ( why ? )
Star Wars Progoganda Book ( WTF ? - I am seriously not 8 )
A force awakens Comic ( I am still not 8 )
A Force Awakens Annual ( given to me in 2016 - a year after the film came out ! )
A Rogue One T-Shirt ( now this is cool - but it's still cheap and did not survive a wash before turning grey from black )

I understand I might one day find I get no presents at all and will look back on the above receipts with a wry sense of sentiment. But right now I am looking at a box of **** I don't want and wishing someone had bought be a Polo Ralph Lauren Polo Shirt, or even plundered eBay for a Hammerhead complete !

Anyone else have a similar experience/ feeling ?

Happy New Year.

Yep i'm def in this same boat, iv'e had to tell all the family the past couple of years ( especially this year ) please do NOT buy me anything Star Wars related. For starters my collection room is full, FULL, I hardly have an inch of space left for anything else and any precious space left that I do happen to have or create is going to be used for what I actually love and appreciate, i'm extremely picky about what I want to buy and display.

Secondly I hate anything that I don't like, I don't just buy something because it is SW, I buy it because I love it and want it in my collection as it actually means something to me. There is nothing worse than everybody you know buying you modern SW tat assuming you will absolutely love it just because you collect SW stuff.

When I was with my ex 10 years ago I was buying vintage figures at that time and used to watch all the films, and her dad knew I was SW mad, every single damn year he used to get me useless SW toys and modern crap that I completely hated. An R2D2 corded telephone was one of the ones he almost bought me the once from that 'Bid TV' channel, it was going a bit too far, so glad he never got it me because it was ****ing hideous! :lol:

Yes, I do exactly understand what you mean. Our friends and family in general do simply not understand what our interest in collecting is.
So they think: "cool, it's always simple to make a present to this guy. I don't have to think about it. Buy sth SW related and he will scream hooray."

At the time of the start of Rogue One, I posted similar words in our german collectors forum and was sure I would find most guys sharing my thoughts, but contrary to my expectations the most of them liked all that crap. :shock:

I have a small family, so you might think crap Star Wars gifts wouldn't be too much of a problem for me, but even I suffer this sort of thing from time to time. And it's not just Christmas or birthdays where unwanted Star Wars tat gets thrust my way. "Oh, I was at a boot fair the other day, I saw this and I thought of you!" someone will say with a beaming smile as they hand over a half-completed Jar Jar Binks Colouring Book that's been chewed by a dog. It sounds ungracious, but I struggle to even say thank you as I politely have to take it from them and start looking for the nearest bin.

As for Christmas and birthdays, I generally have them pretty well trained these days, and always, but ALWAYS ask them what they would like as a present, so I can instantly return the favour by telling them what I would like. For years my brother was terrible for buying me gifts I simply didn't want (to be fair, they weren't all Star Wars ones), so I had to be upfront about it and tell him straight that I simply didn't want what he had given me. I had asked him what he wanted to ensure he received a present he actually liked, so please could he extend me the same courtesy and not give me a Darth Maul bubble bath, that came my way one Christmas instead.

He's much better these days, but old habits die hard it seems, and even though this year he did indeed buy me the 2 blu-rays I said I wanted, tucked into the wrapping paper alongside them was this...

I just tell everyone now that I only collect vintage stuff, with two kids under 8 I've got more stock in my house than the average Toys 'R' Us. People think their is a lot of plastic in the sea now, if my house ever got flooded and everything washed into the sea the local beach would be like Lego Land the next day. If I ever get a collection room I'm going to have a big dustbin full of all the tat I've been given down the years. When people look around it I'll say here you go take something out of their and give it to someone who loves Star Wars.

yup know where your coming from, this year I got socks, cups and a frikking lava lamp ffs, my missus kicks off, that **** aint getting put anywhere and I end up usually taking stuff to charity shops just to get rid. People know i collect vintage so boom anything with a logo is a good present :S

"He likes SW, he'll love this turd with a SW logo on it!" :roll:


Yeah, been there. I had to tell people to stop buying me SW stuff. I still get the odd bit. Normally followed by, "I know you didn't want SW stuff but I thought this was really good." As I open an Episode 1 Anakin figure. Why they then think that means I will like it I dunno. You like it, you bought it, YOU KEEP IT!!!!!

But you're right, it's hard to say all this without sounding ungrateful and like a bit of a wanker, but then I normally sound like a wanker anyway.....

weasel said:

" As I open an Episode 1 Anakin figure.

Click to expand...

Classic present for you. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Darth vader soap on a rope :roll: and two boxes of Star Wars Christmas crackers :shock:

I don't mind though as its just fun stuff... the crackers were unceremoniously ripped open and pulled at dinner and the soap.. well I dunno, it'll sit on a shelf for a bit I guess.

If it had all been expensive stuff I'd be more angry I guess...

weasel said:

But you're right, it's hard to say all this without sounding ungrateful and like a bit of a wanker, but then I normally sound like a wanker anyway.....

Click to expand...

You hit the nail on the head, nowadays no one buys me anything, it's better to sound ungrateful/a wanker once than to go though this manufacturered marketing bullshit every time.
Doesn't anyone remember the true meaning of Christmas anymore?
Don't get me wrong, I not a deeply religious nut, just fed up with mass marketing that has over taken Christmas/Easter and any other time that someone can see a reason to sell me a load of crap that nobody really wants...and don't get me started on the whole card giving thing... :roll:
Sorry rant over...until the next marketing opportunity comes around. :roll:

The thing that sent me over the edge today was receiving a Rouge One sweatshirt and a stormtrooper wallet via Special Delivery this morning. What the feck is the point in that ?

A) it's too late for Christmas, why post Special Delivery I only live 10 minutes drive away. I have no pressing need to wrap my cold body in a poly cotton blend sweatshirt with a piss poor logo on the front.

B) the real value of the items is less than the cost of the special delivery. So why the rush ?

C) what part of "No Star Wars tat this year" makes no sense and enables someone to go buy this junk ?


This ****. Added to other tat I received this year has been in my kitchen all day and I am thinking. "Do I bin it, do I give it away ( who the hell would want it ) do I take to charity ?"

Then ten minutes ago - via text "did your presents arrive ?"

My reply, through gritted teeth. "yes. Thank you, arrived today"

Next text "I hope you loved your presents !"

Every part of me wished I replied with - "**** you. Is this what you think of me ? I told you NO STAR WARS JUNK THIS YEAR. And you buy me this bollocks ? I don't need gifts. I am 41 years old. I am never going out in a Darth Vader sweatshirt and hoping to use my stormtrooper wallet in the Supermarket"


Of course I did not reply with that. I did the honourable thing and said nothing and just deleted the text. I need to decorate tomorrow. I'll maybe use the Rouge One sweatshirt for that ! The Wallet. Well recycling is on Tuesday....

:lol: :lol: :lol:

This thread is pure nightmare material!

Agree I got the following

The M&S Star Wars Bubblebath set, seriously!!!, Also a Posh Paws i'm a 30 year old male not a little girl talk about insulting!!!, 3 more bloody mugs 2 books on TFA and TLJ and everyone nows my opinion on those films. Also a 12ich figure of Ezra ok don't mind rebels but WTF am i going todo with this?

theforceuk said:

weasel said:

" As I open an Episode 1 Anakin figure.

Click to expand...

Classic present for you. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Click to expand...

Handed straight to my nephew who gave it to the dog. Even a 2 year old knows what to do with an Anakin figure.

glad to hear its not just me, this year was a bumper haul of star wars branded ****, lava lamp, 4 mugs, pencils ( for Christ sake i'm not 7) a razor, several boxes of toiletries, Lego, socks, several t shirts which are oddly horrific considering the awesome artwork i see on everything else!

ok so i dont mind the Lego but everything else is completely unrelated to star wars until a marketing team slapped yodas outline and a logo on it and doubled the price, i really wish my family hadn't spent so much on random crap. completely agree with the not wanting to be ungrateful but it comes to a point when you want to sob...

especially as i wrote a list of the twenty odd loose figures i need to complete my run and left it lying round the house for weeks in November, and my partner heavily implied she had been bidding on vintage on eBay ( she asked if i needed the solid or removable arms version of Threepio out of the blue with no explanation). id gladly trade the whole lot for just a couple of needed\wanted items or even a knackered mini rig as at least it would show that my friends/family think before opening their wallets.

actually, im not going to lie, the Lego is pretty awesome. i see a new focus.....

Gotta be honest I actually find it a little disrespectful when you specifically tell someone not to buy anything Star Wars and explain why in great detail, and then they go straight out and buy you Star Wars stuff.

That to me says either 1. they didn't listen, 2. they did listen but they think your opinion doesn't matter and assume they 'know best' what you'll like, 3. buy it anyway to try and change your mind and force you to like it.

Most people really do have the best intentions when they buy these horrid things and I love them for trying, but I just find it a slight bit disrespectful and insulting to my intelligence. If somebody told me "please do not buy me any chocolate", or no alcohol, i'd never go out the next week and buy them ****ing Tennents Super, I respect what they tell me specifically not to do.

I just don't get people!

I got 3 things - Star Wars Lego, an X-Wing drone, and a lightsabre pizza slicer! None of which I would have bought myself, but I think that's the whole point of Christmas. As an adult I buy everything I want myself anyway so sometimes it's nice to get something you wouldn't normally buy.

TrooperWill said:

the Lego is pretty awesome. i see a new focus.....

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And so it starts...it's very addictive, can't get enough of it!

Yep, I've had the same with Star Wars stuff. I've also had 12 years of Doctor Who crap since the new series started in 2005. For me Star Wars is the vintage toy line and the films, and that's it, so any other merchandise (apart from some of the non-fiction books) really isn't of interest. I didn't do too bad this year, just an unsolicited Doctor Who origami book. No, seriously, such a thing exists.

My wife and her family are into buying lots of small presents for each other, which tends to me lots of tat (well, I think it's tat anyway). They've got wise to the fact this isn't my thing and the wife asks me for a list which she passes round the family; however, my father-in-law couldn't resist buying me a wooden toy, pretty much because it's something he'd like. But you can't be rude to an 80 year-old so you just say thanks.

I'm actually toying with asking my friends/family who buy me tat to donate to my favourite charity instead; they might as well because that's where most of their presents end up, and I'd rather they got all the money that was spent rather than the fraction they can raise from reselling the tat.

Reading that back I sound like a right miserable bugger! :lol: I just hate to see people wasting their money on stuff I don't want.

Today. Another late present has been opened.

To my horror it is a classic Star Wars mug with 70's vintage sweets inside. I would have already thrown it in the bin if my bin were not already full !