1. Last year Aunt E sent Zoe a gift voucher for a shop which has no branches in our town. We have no car and no reason to go anywhere near the branches in any other nearby town. We finally passed it to someone else with instructions to buy something, for fear it would expire.
This year she's sent another voucher for the same shop. It's a generous amount, so we don't want to appear ungrateful. How do we ask for something else next year?
2. Everyone's coming over to our house on Boxing Day. Parents in law have an annoying habit of saving up all their Christmas presents and bringing them with them to open in front of us, even when they're from people we don't even know. I'd rather limit the presents to ones from people who are actually there. How do I ask them 'please don't bring random people's presents' without appearing rude?