What do you do with an adult who gifts excessively to everyone?

She is bipolar, and shops compulsively, therefore on any occasion she always overloads everyone with trinkets and stuff. She also makes beautiful craft items, but the overgifting makes us uncomfortable. ie) she gave us 53 gifts for our birthday, all individually wrapped. it took 2 people to carry the totes out to the car. She has been told it is excessive and 1 gift was more than enough.

What do you do with an adult who gifts excessively to everyone?
The problem is that when you are dealing with someone who is Bi Polar you are talking to a person who fails to understand logic in certain areas.They can be brilliant and quite normal in some regards but completely irrational in others and trying to explain to her the untoward manner of her giving will likely fall on deaf ears if not generate a hostile or at least negative response.


Bi Polar sufferers can be readily antagonized so don't criticize- rather suggest that 'so and so' whilst very thankful of her past generosity 'really could do with/appreciate' and then specify the type of modest gift you or others think suitable.


Encourage her to think of it as her own idea or allow her to choose style/color/size so that she has an input.


Bi Polars need guidance and help in determining norms and will not manage this by themselves-so someone needs to go shopping with her and gently steer her away from excess.


Good Luck
Reply:Tell her you appreciate the gestures but it makes the rest of you look bad.
Reply:I thought bearbrai had a good answer. If she just can't be controlled, though, then donate the excess to charity and it will be a win/win situation.
Reply:Regifting the excess to her and others at future occaisions.
Reply:Sounds like she is quite "strange". Is she having too much money?
Reply:Some people over compensate thinking the more they do...the more it shows they care. Maybe you could suggest that there may be something SPECIAL you want or need that she could buy or make for you. She may get the hint that unnecessary gifts you have no need or room for , could bless someone else she knows. Let her know you admire her generosity and that a special gift that shows she cares would be more useful.
Reply:start making disgusted faces when you open your gifts. perhaps she will get the hint that she is a bad gifter and she might buy less to hide her embarrassment.