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Gift giving is supposed to be simple, but sometimes good intentions and practical concerns just don’t line up.

One man recently received a thoughtful laptop protection set from his girlfriend, hard shell, leather cover, keyboard cover, screen protector — the works.

The problem was that he knew these accessories had a reputation for trapping heat, damaging hinges, and even cracking screens.

Now he’s stuck between using something that might wreck his new machine and worrying that turning it down will come across as ungrateful.

Keep reading for the full story.

WIBTA if I don’t use the Macbook cover that my girlfriend bought for me

So my girlfriend (F26) gifted me (M25) a cover for my recently purchased MacBook Neo.

It includes the whole shebang. A plastic hard shell cover, a black leather cover, a cover for the keyboard, and even a screen protector.

From the start, he wasn’t too sure about the accessories.

Thing is, I have avoided buying any of these since the beginning because I’ve heard how these things could actually break the MacBook.

The plastic and leather cover could trap heat, making the MacBook overheat. The keyboard cover could make the MacBook Neo not close properly, breaking the hinge. And there are even cases where the keyboard covers and the screen protectors themselves could break the screen.

He really appreciates the gift and he doesn’t want to come off ungrateful.

I really love my girlfriend. I think she’s the most decent and caring person that I know, and I really truly appreciate the gift that she gave me.

I feel guilty if I don’t use the gifts that she gave me.

WIBTA if I don’t use the MacBook cover?

There’s a fine line here between honesty and gratitude.

Redditors chime in with their thoughts.

This commenter suggests a compromise.

Your taste in gifts is something worth being honest about.

In the grand scheme of things, this really isn’t that big of a deal.

If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about a woman who got family pushback after gifting jewelry to her stepdaughter.

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This user provides a potential script.

At the end of the day, his girlfriend wasn’t wrong for getting him the gift and he wasn’t wrong for declining to use it.

It’s clear this gift idea came out of genuine care. His girlfriend likely just wasn’t aware of the potential dangers of these accessories, and if she had, she wouldn’t have purchased them.

His heart is in the right place to protect his girlfriend’s feelings, but all things considered, this is a pretty low-stakes issue.

Some gifts just miss the mark, and that’s okay.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.