Dear Prudence,
My best friend of many, many years recently bought me a watch as a gift. It was a really generous gesture. The thing is that I really dislike wearing watches. I haven’t worn one in over a decade, when I had to as part of my work uniform and because the job had me on the move sans cellphone. This dislike of watches is both from a comfort standpoint and a philosophical one. I just don’t like the way they feel, and I don’t like time ticking away on the end of my arm. What’s more, this one is stylistically not really me, either. He’s a great friend and very thoughtful in all things, including gift giving—I think he just saw it, thought it was cool for himself, and decided it’d be cool for me. While we both value honesty and frankness, it’s pretty crappy to tell someone that you probably won’t wear the gift they gave you, and he’s the type of guy who will certainly ask what I think about it and notice if I don’t wear it. We don’t live in the same city, but I don’t want to be underhanded and pretend, either. What to do?
—Watch Out