How hard am I supposed to try to be grateful for this present?

[jilln]

My dad always makes Xmas as difficult as possible, refusing to tell me what he wants and giving me lots of stuff I don't want, despite repeated requests to either not give gifts or just give donations to charities we each pick out.

Every single useless item in my house was a gift from him (crystal vase - do I EVER have flowers, and this is my third vase from him).

So this year I tried a new strategy - told him EXACTLY what I wanted in great detail. A solar bike light with certain specifications.

So he got me a solar bike light. Except only the part for the front of the bike, which is the least important part, and it's not really a bike light but a "solar emergency kit" with radio that comes with a bike mount as an afterthought and isn't terribly adjustable so it might not even light the road. He lives in a smaller place and that's the best he found, but if he would start BEFORE Christmas Eve maybe this wouldn't happen. He starts late every year because the arguing over presents (none/charity/what do you want/no, what do YOU want...) isn't done til the last minute.

I was trying really hard to like it anyway, and kind of liking the idea of the radio, but when I tried out the mount it broke immediately (one very thin cheap plastic piece). So now I have to make the uncomfortable trip to return this junk and I'll be forced to tell him I really don't want another instead of just dropping it all off at Goodwill like I usually do on my way out of town.

I said I didn't want any junk food, and he got me over 9 POUNDS of candy. I kid you not.

I know I should be grateful I get anything at all, but the whole thing has just become such a source of stress at this point...