I have a similar situation with a slight twist. Several years ago we decided not to buy adults christmas or birthday gifts anymore (my gift list was around 30 people) because of the huge expense and it's really all about the kids anyway, right? So I have one aunt who will not comply. Every christmas she sends along a gift. This year I got a little tranquility fountain, which I fully expect to cause me to have to pee constantly and also to quickly become a cat drinking fountain. My sister got a plug-in air freshner to which she is allergic (I've had that gift in the past). We have asked her many times to stop going to the expense for us and use the money on herself, but she will not listen. So now we just take the gifts and either give them away or donate them to Goodwill. This year my sister and I decided not to send a Thank You note ( a big deal with this aunt) to see if that is a better hint for her.