Thinking charitably (and what is a gift exchange if not charitable), the other family may have picked out the secondhand gift as something your son would like, a unique, even considerate gesture. But maybe they’re just inconsiderate gift-givers. Such is the risk we take when giving and receiving gifts.

This is a small problem, but I’m not sure how to handle it. Our entire family of 10 exchanges gifts for Christmas. One family just gave my son something that looks cheap and probably purchased at a secondhand store (and this isn’t the first time).

"One family just gave my son something that looks cheap and probably purchased at a secondhand store (and this isn’t the first time)."