annonymous gift

[mimififi]

Hi there
Today in the post, delivered by registered, next day guarenteed mail was a large gift to me in the form of vouchers. It had been sent to me through charity gift vouchers.

The problem is, I haven't the faintest idea who has sent them to me and I would really like to know as it is for such a large amount. it is not my birthday, or anniversary, I can't think of any good turns I've done for anyone, we are not in any particular financial peril. I did phone the company from whence they came, but they insisted that the giver was adamant they wanted to remain annonymous.

So, I now feel terrible about them and won't be able to spend them as I just don't understand what the gift is for. I have asked a few very close friends, but they seem just as baffled as I.

What should I do about these? How would you react?

many thanks from a puzzled,
mimi
XXXXXXXXXXxx

[spk]

You could always donate them back to charity? I personally would spend them, someone must like you lots !

[B00]

I'd spend 'em so quickly, ya head would spin, but i know you're a nicer person than me Mimi, so the sending them on to charity idea is a good one. Or maybe half of it?

By the sounds of it you're never going to know who sent them to you, now...give me a list of all your friends so that I might cultivate their friendship in the vein hope they'll send some to me too- I'm poor!

[suffragette]

I hope this isn't the beginning of a stalking campaign, mimififi.

When I started teaching in the early 90's I started receiving unexplained gifts at my place of work. Later, I began receiving deliveries at my home. After a number of peculiar incidents, I discovered it was one of the Dad's at the school and I wasn't the first person he had attached himself to in this manner

I really hope I'm wrong and everything is as innocent as you hope.

[noxlumos]

Hi Mimi, something as strange and, I found, slightly embarassing, happened to us a long time ago along similar lines. Our sons played football, and coming up for Christmas my eldest son found an envelope bearing our surname containing a lot of money tucked inside an unsigned Christmas card in the top of his bag. We were really flabberghasted and like you had no idea who it was from ( changing rooms were open so could have been anyone) and we all felt very uncomfortable about it. After a massive amount of detective work we managed to find out that a very kind and well meaning person had given it to us purely on the basis that we had a lot of children and they therefore ( without knowing anything else about us at all) assumed that we must be struggling financially.
It was a very kind gesture but totally misplaced as we were quite comfortably off, but I'm wondering as I know that you have a large family too whether someone has come to a similar conclusion despite it being inaccurate, as for some reason some people identify large families with grinding (if well hidden) poverty. Otherwise I have no idea unless they just wanted to do something nice for a total stranger like the Good Friday Network sometimes do?

[angeldraws]

Well, lucky you........but how wud you feel if you were the giver and wanted to remain anonymous so as not to embarrass the receiver but discovered that the receiver hadnt used the gift.....? Go on....someone likes you enough to do this for you, just appreciate the gift and spend it.....

[mimififi]

Thank you for all your replies you guys. I am still at complet sixes and sevens as this kind of thing has never happened before and I just don't deserve this gift; i have done nothing remarkable for it.

I am worried now about a stalker, but the envelope and address was to both me and hubby so hopefully it isn't that. I know what you mean about how the giver would feel but my biggest worry is that they have given the gift with a particular reason in their mind and that that reason might not be accurate and so they could have given it to someone more deserving.

It would be lovely to have a spend up, but I couldn't do it utterly guilt free. I might compromise and see if i can share the tokens amoung some people I know who might really really need them especially in the run up to Christmas (sorry to mention the C word)!

hope everyone has a nice weekend....
love
mimi
X

[Cheekystar]

why not put them on one side till you can work out where they came from, try ringing the company on different days / times of the day you might speak to somone who'll tell you, maybe share your worries of being stalked etc,

[trevHCS]

If it's to both of you then it's very unlikely to be a case of stalking as they won't want to acknowledge the other person in your partnership since their fantasy is with only one of them. Also it's much more likely they'd send gifts as they can then imagine the person keeping that with them which wouldn't apply in the case of vouchers.


If I'm understanding these correctly - the vouchers you received were probably obtained by cashing in vouchers bought from the charity? Eg:

- Person A buys large number of charity vouchers.

- Person B uses some of these to buy shop vouchers or whatever and sends them on to you. Maybe they did the same with other people they know.

Person A and B might or might not be the same person so this could go back down quite a long chain.


At one point you mentioned not deserving it and not having done anything. You don't necessarily have to have done something outstanding for this person, just been nice to them at some point. That in itself can mean an awful lot more to someone than some event you can pin down.

My advice is go spend them and be happy. I suspect that's what would give the biggest boost to whoever sent them - simply knowing they made you happy.

[mimififi]

Hi trev,
they are tesco vouchers and love2shop vouchers purchased at vouchers4charity.com. I have since spoken to vouchers 4 charity again and explained how awful I feel about recieving such a huge gift. THey contacted the giver who said that absolutely they wanted to remain annymous, but that they just felt they wanted to do this for my family and that they were given with good vibes and all that, and to please enjoy. They also said that they knew that I would react like this which is why it is annymous so I'm guessing the giver knows me well.

So, to come to the end of the tale, we will keep them safe for a rainy day. You never know what is round the corner. I do feel easier about it now as I feel as though I have communicated with the giver even if it is through a 3rd party.

It has had me thinking though; isn't it funny how we all wish everyday for lovely things and for life to be perfect and harmonious, and yet when lovely things happen, we can barely believe them and are looking for the catch.

Thanks for all your replies, I really appreciate it as usual. :-)