<p>I don’t feel comfortable doing it, especially with unique gifts that someone might recognize, but I must admit that sometimes a gift I get ends up being the “perfect” thing for the cleaning lady </p>
<p>What are your thoughts on re-gifting? Do you do it? Any reservations? Ever come back to bite you in the butt? Whats your funniest re-gifting story?</p>
<p>I keep a box of items that I could regift in the attic - right now i have some Christmas kitchen towels, a winter fleece blanket (I already have a bunch), some items from a gift basket I won but won’t use…I let things sit up there for a year or two then I feel safe using these for extra presents, donations - that sort of thing. </p>
<p>So it it better to try and return a gift you don’t want/can’t use or regift it???</p>
<p>The best way to re-gift is to hold a ghastly gift party aka white elephant party for friends. Everyone brings a ‘lovely’ wrapped gift to set under the tree. After some refreshments, you pick a number from the bowl and go in order. You can either pick an unwrapped gift or ‘steal’ an already opened gift. </p>
<p>Lots of fun. When you do it a while, there are some legacy gifts that resurface every year. Some people in our church ■■■■■ yard sales looking for that special ‘gift’.</p>
<p>I view re-gifting as a form of recycling and saving the environment * LOL*.</p>
<p>I place a little note on the item identifying who and when I received the gift.</p>
<p>I know people do it, and I was definitely the recipient of a “re-gift” (the black cashmere scarf from my SIL’s boyfriend at Christmas – tried to return it to Bloomingdale’s in the Bloomingdale’s box (what woman wants a black scarf?) and was told it was purchased in the men’s department, on sale, and all they could give me was a $10 store credit).</p>
<p>I have never done it. Not ever. I think partly because I have so few people I give gifts to and they are all dear friends or family members. I think the regifting thing kicks in when you have many people on your list – one person I know had 35 cousins to get gifts for. At that point, the idea of remembering someone with a gift is less important than showing up with something that can be wrapped.</p>
<p>Abasket, I hope you put a label on the items so you will not re-gift it to the same person who gave it to you. Years ago I gave someone a cast iron fondue set. A year later she re-gifted it to me!</p>
<p>Return it if you have a gift receipt.</p>
<p>Regift or donate to your favorite charity shop otherwise. One year the truly awful things were dropped at Salvation Army before we even headed back after the holidays.</p>
<p>I have done that if it was given to me by someone specific - as I said, we have had a knack for winning gift baskets and sometimes the basket will have items in it that I just won’t use but would be worthwhile to someone else.</p>
<p>Catagory 1 re-gifting: Something really worthwhile but you can’t use it… I don’t drink coffee and get Starbucks cards.
Catagory 2; Something most people would like, but not everyone… Navy blue JCrew sweater in Medium.
Catargory 3: Something somebody would like but nobody you know. Donate to charity
Catagory 4: that really ugly spray-painted fake flower arrangement that the giver would always recognize.</p>
<p>Regift from 1: great
2: only if it fits
3; no
4; don’t even think about deducting this as a charitible contribution.</p>
<p>One year a friend of mine gave me a coffee table kind of book. It was sort of a Martha Stewartish Christmas craft/entertainment thing. I went to look through it after she left and there on the inside cover was a lovely inscription written to MY FRIEND from another of her friends. Oops. Lol.</p>
<p>The worst one was one year at our family Yankee Swap. The gift price was fifty dollars for the grab. I spent a lot of time thinking about what to buy. it was a mixed age group of men and women so it wasn’t easy to come up with something to please anyone. Finally I put together a “sick day” survival basket. It had a cozy throw, a gift card to a book store, a gift card to a movie rental place, a bottle of tylenol, some lovely tea bags and a microwavable neck warmer.
The gift that I got from the grab was a desk top bowling game worth about twelve bucks that my cheap sister in law regifted. That was the last year that i participated in that debacle.</p>
<p>You know how at a bridal shower the note taker will slip the gift card into the box for each gift, to make sure you know who gave you which item? Well, best to take that card out when regifting. Wedding gift regifted to me by a good friend, we laughed as got 5 of that small appliance.</p>
<p>Timely thread. I get together with three friends once a year for a Christmas breakfast and gift exchange. This year, one of them regifted the very same item I had gifted two years prior. Thank goodness, I didn’t pull that number or I would’ve have to give it away again. 
</p>
<p>So, if you don’t like the gift and plan to regift it in the future, you may want to put a sticky note on it!</p>
<p>I just donate. Keeps me from having to track stuff, and since most gifts I get are from relatives, there aren’t many opportunities to foist it on anyone else.</p>
<p>Gifting/re-Gifting…May the odds be ever in your favor!
It is a wonderful thing when you find something you know someone will really love or enjoy and you can give it to them. But honestly how often does it really happen? </p>
<p>Maybe because I feel like my mom and MIL are really good gift givers, I have tried very hard. It has been stressful, time consuming and often probably a waste of money. Only about 10% of the time do I feel like I really nailed it. I hope around 40% I do well- where they will wear/use the gift. But how would you really know? </p>
<p>So if you can re-gift something feeling like somebody will like or use it …I consider it a win.</p>
<p>Dragonmom’s groupings seem very wise and useful.</p>
<p>Occasionally we re-gift. Usually if an item does not fit (size or taste) and is not easily returned we do Freecycle or donate it.</p>
<p>It can be done TASTEFULLY, or not at all, in my opinion. I have done it selectively.</p>
<p>I’ve done it. I am a preschool teacher. We often get multiples of very similar gifts during the holidays from parents of our students. I see nothing wrong with giving a nice candle,picture frame,etc. to someone else when I have six of them!</p>
<p>I don’t see anything wrong with re-gifting but I can’t do it myself. I feel too guilty, like I didn’t really put much thought into deciding what gift to get for someone. I will, however, very happily give something to someone else if it’s nice and I just can’t use it or it’s just not my style. It’s not given as a gift, per se, and I share the story behind it. “My aunt gave me this stunningly beautiful silk scarf, but unfortunately, I don’t wear scarfs. It made me think of you, though, because you do. I’d much rather you have it and get use out of it rather than it just sit on a shelf in my closet.” Other things just go to charity.</p>
<p>What a timely thread.</p>
<p>Just yesterday I received a gift from my office manager. He said “it’s not my usual vodka for you, but something my wife picked out for you.” When I opened it, it is a sweater, size Large. I’m petite, she’s not, so? Any guesses if I try to exchange at Macy’s today, it will be there.</p>
<p>I have no problem regifting wine or alcohol, but that is about it. I use to keep a box in garage of “gifts” to be passed on, then decided to add that whole box to a charity. IT was liberating.</p>
<p>I don’t see anything wrong with regifting if it works for whoever gets it. I wouldn’t be offended. When I regift, I also add something new.</p>