I bet everyone has done it @ one time or another. Everyone I've asked @ work admitted to doing it AND the attitude is... "Why keep it if you do not want it? Let someone else put it to use!" Another one I got, "Well! I keep it for 6 months, then I put it in a garage sale." I am thinking, "What if the person who gave it to you shows up at your garage sale?" Anyway, I think it is funny that a lot of people do it. One of the parents gave me some cherry vanilla lotion/body cream/bubble bath set. I was showing my team teacher and she loved the smell of it SO I gave her the bubble bath one. My pug is on the body lotion, esp when he comes in from outside. Too strong a smell for my taste. Rebel1
I consider it like recycling! Better than throwing it away or hiding it in a closet. I give away a lot of gifts that I receive. Maybe not wrapping them up and using them next year, but more passing them along to someone who will use them.
I tend to put most of my unwanted gifts in the charity boxes at the grocery store (Goodwill, SalvationArmy, etc)
I think one reason re-gifting has become so commonplace is that too many people feel obligated to purchase gifts for a long list of people...sometimes people they don't even known well enough so they're able to make reasonable selections. Thus the generic, unwanted gifts. Of course not everyone finds themselves in this situation, but many do. If a recipient of one of these unwanted gifts knows someone who would enjoy it, re-gift away!
I think I am going to regift some cookies. My aunt makes us a huge bag every year. Actually one for me and one for BF. It's a gallon bag stuffed with cookies - probably 2-3 dozen in each bag. Now honestly - I don't want to sound ungrateful, but why the heck would you make that many cookies for one person? I think I am going to take them down to the firehall or something. Other than that, if I can't return it, there are a couple little things that might go on freecycle.
I do, and shamelessly. I agree with Justme, I get more gifts than I ever need. It is so nice of people to get me things. But I am not a saver. I do not handle clutter well. I don't need more than one coffee cup or lotion dispenser or salt shaker. So I will either throw it away or regift. Regifting is recycling.
I once received a beautiful crystal serving platter for Christmas....that had a Christmas card to people I didn't know shoved into the box. :lol: I still appreciated the gift. I use it every year.
Here is my regift of the year-I left home on the last day of school and completely forgot my student aide's gift. I felt terrible because he is really good as my aide and is a fabulous artist-he gave me a framed piece of his art, which was a poem he wrote on paper he made himself. Beautiful. And I left his gift at home on my counter. I could have waited until after break, but I just couldn't. So I took a gift I had received that I had left in my room (chocolates, soda, and other treats), and regifted. It happens.
I once got a gorgeous coffee table book as a Christmas gift, that was inscribed to the giver on the inside of the cover. The giver saw it at the same time I did, and it was a good laugh had by all, once she got over her discomfort.
Some gifts just really call out for another home. The item is too lovely and valuable - and at the same time, not my taste or I don't need it. On the other hand, some things are regifted because they are just unlovable. Those should be saved for a White Elephant party!
3 of the 4 boxes of chocolates I received for Christmas will be re-gifted--1 went to my mother-in-law and the other 2 will be put out in the staff room for all to enjoy.
I have regifted just once-to my sister. I had received from a colleague a day planner/calendar. I knew that I would never use it, I barely look at my pocket calendar in my purse! I knew my sister would love it, so I re-gifted it that same year. She loved it!
I think this is the real test: If it's something you would have bought for someone else, even if not for yourself, then it's OK to re-gift. If it's simply too ugly to use, then not so much. My family is pretty large and varied. So I can easily imagine buying something for one of my siblings that wouldn't be my taste. Re-gifting something like that is fine, as long as it's new, the quality is good and so on.
How about this? I ordered a bracelet and ring for myself this summer from a jewelry party. I got it and it was so small, so I decided to give it to my little sister. It is the spoon jewelry, and we both collect spoons, so it has a special meaning, even though I didn't originally buy it for her. lol. She is getting a trip to Disney this year (I hope) but I didn't tell her yet at Christmas, but that was at the back of my mind and she did not get a big gift from me this year. I regifted something I bought for myself.
I have regifted, in the spirit of I can not use this/or do not like it, but you might. I like to think of it as recycling also.
Last year we did a White Elephant party at our school. It was a last minute thing. We did it again this year, a couple of teachers used items that they received at a conference (metal water jug & a scarf) for their white elephant gift. Yes, these things must be planned.
My in laws regifted this year but it was the most thoughtful thing. My son's GF was coming to the family Christmas dinner and they've only met her once but they wanted her to enjoy opening something when everyone else was opening gifts. It was last minute when they heard she was coming so no time to shop. They wrapped a gift FIL had received - a crystal mouse, numbered for authenticity. She was really touched to have been remembered.
Me too. That's exactly what I do. I figure if I can't use it or won't use it, then better to give it to someone else who will!
I can't say I've ever re-gifted anything... I'm not opposed to it, but usually I get gift cards from most and then presents from my parents and boyfriend who do a great job picking them out
I've heard teachers on here mention that they donate some of the gifts they receive from students to nursing homes who use them as Bingo prizes. It's worth checking into if you have some extras. I'm at a MS and I mostly get edibles - yum!
I do not see anything wrong with re-gifting an item if I think it is something that the person will like. I would never wrap the gift and present it as a present, nor would I give away a "bad" item to someone just because I did not want to put any effort into a gift for him/her.
This isn't MY regifting story but it's still funny: My grandmother would collect things in her basement all year long and give them out as Christmas gifts. Sometimes the gifts she did not want would go in her basement closet with the other things. One year, my mom received the sweater that she had given my grandmother the year before!!! WHOOPS! I personally regift all the time... BUT because of the above story, I'm always careful about who I regift to!
My mom collects boxes - sometimes family members use that as an excuse to buy fancy gift boxes. We have an aunt (and cousin) who live in Las Vegas. So my mom is sending my 7 year old cousin jewelry (mostly costume jewelry my mom bought in a box lot at an auction that had a mix of costume and real jewelry) in one of the fancy gift boxes. So she is regifting the box, with something else inside
I got a regifted item this year. My BIL got a gift card from his boss to a store that he knew he would never go to. He gave it to me on xmas eve and told me where he got it. He figured I could use it more than he could. At least he was honest about it and didn't lead me to believe that he just happened to pick up a $100 gift card for me!
My son re-gifted this year. Lauren got all of the movie gift cards he has received in past years and has never used--almost $150 worth.
