Dear Eric: My husband and I just celebrated our first anniversary, and we cutely decided to give each other a gift in keeping with the antiquated anniversary gift themes. The first year is paper or clocks. Smartly and thoughtfully, my husband gifted me a clock made of paper he had seen me looking at in a museum gift shop. But this thing is huge, and it makes noise! We live in a tiny apartment!

There was a different paper clock in that same shop that I spent a lot more time watching that was small, silent, and super cool. He noted that he’d kept the receipt if I didn’t like the gift, but I don’t want to appear ungrateful. Should I suggest an exchange, or am I breaking too many gift-giving boundaries and being unappreciative?

– Torn Paper

Dear Torn: No need to paper over your displeasure. Go back to the museum, recycle the big clock, and you can happily wrap this whole thing up.

It’s great that your husband already offered to make an exchange because that indicates an awareness that, though the sentiment was appreciated, the gift wasn’t quite right.

He wants you to be happy, you want to be happy, the museum wants to keep the money. So, if you would appreciate the smaller clock, everyone wins if you trade in the original gift for a new one. Clear communication and the ability to revise is a great gift to give each other as the clock (silently) ticks into your second married year.

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