3rd grader cries after his teacher gifts him a new pencil case and pencils, says he doesn't know how to be grateful for it: 'It's just that I already have pencils. Is this your whole gift?'

There's a lot of theatrics involved when receiving a gift. Most of us are genuinely incredibly grateful when somebody thinks highly enough of us to get us a present, but our reactions can get over the top. I've been drilled from day 1 of being alive that no matter how you feel about a gift, whether you think it's dog ugly or already have it, you need to act like it's the greatest thing since sliced bread and thank the gifter profusely. At this point, I can barely tell if I actually like a gift the moment it's given because the performance of gratefulness is far more important than the gift itself.

Not everybody can hold back their disappointment when getting a gift they don't like. If you're expecting an Apple Watch from your husband and he gets you a whoopee cushion, it will probably show at least a little bit on your face.

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The young boy in this story is one of those people who wears his heart on his sleeve. When his 3rd-grade teacher got the whole class special pencils and pencil boxes for Christmas, he was overcome with emotion. His teacher soon discovered it wasn't the emotion she expected from him.
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My Christmas present made a student cry

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