To Return Or To Keep: 7 Women Reveal What They Did With Expensive Gifts After The Breakup

An old statement from Deepika Padukone’s ex-boyfriend Siddharth Mallya has caught everyone’s eyeballs, including mine. Siddharth once revealed to IBT that he gifted Deepika expensive diamonds while they were in a relationship, but, she never returned them after the breakup. While digging to find more scoop on this, the statement turned out to be a fictional piece by IBT. But by then, the piece had already got me thinking…..what should one ideally do with the gifts post-breakup? Especially, the expensive ones.

Gifting or receiving gifts is common in a relationship. It’s a way of showcasing our love to our partner but when things turn sour, those gifts turn into an emotional landmine. The aftermath of a breakup often leads people to a crossroads and poses a dilemma–to return, keep, or give those once-cherished gifts a fiery goodbye. I bet you all must have found yourself dancing on that tightrope as well because I certainly did.

I reached out to my female colleagues and asked them what they did with the gifts they received from their ex-partner, and their responses were not what I was expecting. Take a look:

1. It Still Holds Sentimental Value

“It was a gift from my ex on my 20th birthday. Despite the breakup, I chose to keep it. Gifts are not the first things that come to mind post-breakup, and this watch holds sentimental value from a time when we shared love through meaningful gestures. It’s a part of my life’s journey. PS – No strings attached!” – Mitali

2. Returning Gifts Is Too Immature

“I received a gift from my ex’s mother. It was already pretty much embarrassing to receive a gift from his mother, but I never used it. We broke up after a month of this, and no, I never thought of returning it back or giving anything in exchange. I don’t believe that gifts are supposed to be exchanged or one must feel the ‘obligation’ of returning a gift after a relationship has ended, that is too immature. Gifts must be exchanged out of love and only because of love.” – Ritika

3. His Gift Is Like A Momento

“Even after parting ways with my ex, who once gifted me a pricey fleece jacket, the thought of returning it never crossed my mind. Our separation was amicable and we had no hate for each other. It’s just that we realised a lack of long-term compatibility. Hence, holding onto that jacket seemed like a memento of all the good times we had.” – Anonymous

4. Returned The Gift As It Felt Wrong

‘My ex-boyfriend gifted me a phone on my birthday when we were dating. Right after we broke up, I asked him to take his gift back. He was reluctant at first and said that it was a present so I should keep it. However, I couldn’t. I met his cousin (who was a common friend) and gave the phone back to him. It would have been wrong to keep that phone and I’m so glad that I returned it back to him.” – Manya

5. Returned The Ultra-Expensive Ones

“My ex-boyfriend loved to gift me things, no matter how expensive or inexpensive they were. But once we broke up, I returned gifts that were ultra-expensive since I felt keeping those gifts was not the right thing to do. I also believed that it was his call as to what to do with those expensive items since he was the one who spent his hard-earned money, and he understood that. However, I did keep some gifts that I felt held some sentimental value.” – Anonymous

6. He Went To Great Lengths, So Kept It

“I kept a pair of sneakers that an ex gave to me because he had gone to great lengths to get them. Not just financially but, the fact that he got a friend to bring them from another country was a pretty big deal. I respected his efforts and decided keeping them was best.” – Anonymous

7. I Hide The Gifts So I Don’t Have To See Them Again

“I cherish gestures more than gifts. But there have been times when an ex-boyfriend has given me gifts and I have been grateful for that. However, after the relationship was over, I kept those gifts in a box and never went back to opening them. I don’t return gifts because I think that’s immature. Having said that, once the chapter is closed for me, the gifts go into a corner where they are not really seen again.” – Surbhi

Wow, the spectrum of responses has surely opened my eyes about post-breakup rituals.

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