This is the gray area, and what I have figured out it seems to more be a tradition of your fathers. On my mission, one of my companions had his grandma send him money, not even for birthday or anything special, just sent him money. He would always pay tithing to what ever ward he was serving at the time. Come to find out his family pretty much always paid tithing on any "gifts."
My family on the other hand, we mostly paid tithing on money you earned! Any interest you collected. But gifts where never part of it. We got allowance (every month for how old you were) and were encouraged to save our money (give it to our dad, and he would figure out interest) then when tithing settlement came, my dad would say here is how much interest you have earned for the year, here is how much tithing you owe. We would fill out the tithing slip and do it all. (Even though really all the money came from my dad)
But I never paid tithing on allowance, any money I got for my mission, or now my dad just gives all us kids $100 for each birthday and Christmas. Never really even though of paying tithing on it.
Back to my mission. I told my Mission President that my companion was paying tithing (Probably more thinking he was in error) I asked my mission president if I should pay tithing on gifts.
He left it open ended. He said with Money its easy to figure out what 10% is, and so we kind of think we should do that. But what if you get a shirt, or golf balls. You can't really pay 10% of other things you get. So he pretty much just left it open. If you feel you want to pay tithing on gift money you can. If you don't want it, thats fine. Its not money you have earned. It just kind of ends up being how I was raised. I don't have the mind set that when somebody gives me a dollar I don't go pay tithing on it. I know if I go and work for the dollar I need to pay tithing on it.
Its just personal Preference.
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