Now that the presents have been opened, and the appropriate words have been said, it’s time for the immortal question:
Can you give someone else a gift you were given, but you don’t want? If so, what are the restrictions?
There was a discussion about this on one of the morning news programs, but the only person saying no to this was a woman who works for an organization of retailers. IMHO, of course you can. The only thing is, make sure you don’t give it back to the person who gave it to you, or give it to someone at something that person’ll be at, say a group gift exchange. Actually, to be on the safe side, when I do give someone a gift which was a gift to me, I usually try to make sure I give it to someone in a completely different circle of friends. Also, the usual stuff applies – make sure it’s something the person you’re giving it to actually might like and that it doesn’t go against any restrictions they have, aka, don’t give a devout Christian a pentagram; don’t give a diabetic sugar candy, etc.
Also, I promise none of the gifts I gave this year were recycled ones!
Ah, the timeless tradition of re-gifting. Some folks think this is dreadfully tacky, daahling, but I don’t see a thing wrong with it. Actually, it’s a major bone of contention on the wedding planning board I visit, right up there with the open bar/ cash bar issue.
The way I see it, if something is brand-new, still in the original packaging, and the original giver will never know (and thus get their feelings hurt), it makes a lot more sense for a gift to be passed along to someone who will use and appreciate it than for it to gather dust in my closet.
One of my cousins got so much stuff she didn’t like/wouldn’t use/had no room for at her wedding that she was able to closet-shop for wedding gifts for other people for nearly 5 years. The bad part was that her mother would stand there saying, “Oh, no, not that, it’s too nice for them. How about this instead?”
The slow-cooker that was too nice to give to anyone eventually was given to her mother. I keep forgetting to ask Al if she waited till Christmas to do so.
I was discussing returning items at a family gathering this Christmas (we have a number of people who’ve worked retail sales), and one cited item was a returned small appliance that was found to have inside an envelope with a signed personal check and best wishes on a wedding.
I would not use something for a while and then regift it, but if it’s something that you truly think someone else would appreciate and which you do not, then by all means go ahead. Of course, there has to be no (forseeable) chance that someone would recognize the gift as having been a regifting.
I know it’s the thought that counts, but I hate seeing gifts lying around that I simply would never use. It’s either regifting (which I’ve done only extremely rarely) or giving it to Goodwill or a similar donation center.
Why not, especially if the gift is from someone you aren’t close to, and goes to someone who might actually appreciate it?
This year I re-gifted a lovely scarf which had been given to me by a boss who later fired me (I think he was shtupping a co-worker - long story - but let’s say I have no desire ever to use the scarf, even though it’s really very nice and tasteful). I gave it to my stepmother, and she’s still gushing over it. Everyone’s happy, the recipient is none the wiser! and there was no waste. Re-gifting helps the environment!
If you’re regifting because you think the person will like it (and you already have a copy of E.T. on DVD) then YES regift.
If you are regifting because you don’t want a grey purse, and you have to get a gift for Mary and you saw her carrying a purse one time then I would probably give the purse to Goodwill and get something for Mary that I think she might like.
If I receive a gift I don’t care for (or perhaps it’s a duplicate of something I already own), and I know someone who would love it, and I give it to that person, I see that as a win-win situation. If I used the gift for a time before figuring out that I didn’t like it, I might still give it away, but not as a gift. IOW, I might say something like, “oh, I didn’t know you were looking for a crock pot. I got one for Christmas, but I never did really get the hang of it. If you could use it, I’d be happy to give it to you”, or whatever. You get the point. Better to give it to someone who could use it than leave it sit. Think of it as recycling.
My b-day is 6 days after Christmas, so I seem to end up with a lot of re-gifted garbage. It really sucks. I take the time and thought to pick out presents for people and they turn around and give me a boldly striped, multi-color sweater. Looks great with my pale Irish complexion…
It’s fine to re-gift as long as you keep your mouth shut about it… the recipient must not know that the gift is re-gifted.
The exception to this is if it is a secondary gift, in which case you may say, “Here’s your present… and, by the way, my great-aunt gave me this inflatable toad. I don’t need it, but I thought you might like it for your amphibious balloon collection…”
I was given an electric toothbrush this year, one of those Oral B ones…ya…thanks! Here is my issue…i have a VERY sensitive gag reflex, and i am pretty sure that i wont be able to handle having something vibrate in my mouth! (It drives me nuts when it happens at the dentist office, so why would i do this to myself everyday???) So…do i try out the toothbrush and then give it to someone else so that i can atleast tell my brother and sister in law that i tried it and didnt like it???
AND…
If i do give it to someone else…WHO should be the lucky person???
I would definitey re-gift if I received something I wouldn’t use/wear and I really thought it would be appropriate for someone else. But still in it’s original “store form” (i.e., not after I tried it on or used it once).
I just received a re-gift from someone who I wouldn’t even think would get me a gift (a friend of my parents) and it was presented to me as “you know, I got this and we can’t use it and I don’t know if it’s something you’d like…” (it was a relaxtion video still in it’s – I think – original gift bag). No problem at all. I appreciated her honesty and actually like the video.
