<p>Tonight is my investment group’s holiday party. We exchange gifts, with a cap. value of $15. Its thats same model described above where you get a #, select a gift or steal someone elses. There are always some obvious recycled clunkers in there, which is distressing since most people put in decent, thoughtful gifts.</p>
<p>DVD, it’s one thing to give away things that are nice, and another, things that are useless. My s/o passed onto me a keyboard for my iPad, which he got but didn’t like. </p>
<p>The sweater I got in size Large did not come from Macy’s, and I was tempted to give it to the old lady collecting for Salvation Army. I could never offer that to anyone as a gift.</p>
<p>I got a beautiful paperweight, but that I passed onto to office secretary. It came from a good friend, but I just had no use for any more “things”. I have not given to this person before, but thought she would like this object. </p>
<p>Other gifts go directly into the donation box. I will have to give a nice gift to my boss, but to others, I’d propose ending this gift exchange. </p>
<p>Simplicity. We are all getting older.</p>
<p>Can I have a little rant?
One reason why we went away for christmas for twenty years, was so that we could have a relaxed holiday, instead of a feeding frenzy, as was tradition at my inlaws.</p>
<p>Not only were we expected to be the audience for Hs sisters & their husbands ( both whom are now divorced btw), opening multiple expensive gifts from each other, but our kids often received things that were inappropriate ( not age- appropriate, duplicate, wrong size…), but grandma made a big production of not only helping them open it if they weren’t doing it fast enough, but then she would tear off all tags, smash boxes and throw them in the fireplace before I or my husband could even see what it was.</p>
<p>Its really nice not to have to do that anymore.
:)</p>
<p>I do re-gift once in a while to my sister, but as an “extra” present and I always write “Caution: regift”. We have a pretty small gift list. If I had a huge one, I might feel differently. I give anything unwanted/wrong size/not me to Goodwill. I don’t want to track it.</p>
<p>Like some of you, I really don’t like this aspect of the whole Christmas experience. I want to give my recipients something they will like/use and I hate shopping. That is not a good combination and is stress inducing. I totally get why parents of a certain age write checks to their kids and grandkids.</p>
<p>I have no qualms about re-gifting items that I get that are duplicates of things I already have–a book, DVD, CD, board game, etc. If I know someone who would like it (I don’t foist things off that aren’t suited to the recipient), and I have a brand-new one in mint condition, I see no logic in going out and buying another one. </p>
<p>I know there are some people who think the gift is somehow lessened if I did not take money from my own pocket to obtain it, but I don’t see it that way.</p>
<p>My last post on my boss’s wife’s gifts to us. Someone got a Granny nightgown; honestly, in FL, who would need such a thing? She didn’t look at size. Another gal, quite busty, got an XS see-thru red top, which is either a dress or bathing suit cover-up. Haven’t heard from others yet, and we try to laugh, PLEASE, a bottle of wine would be appreciated, not this garbage!!! Yet, we each give him very nice gifts. My colleague said to me, she has little expectations, so not disappointed, but every year I feel frustrated. One year I spent 2 hours with this lawyer, helping her over a problem. Rather than pay me, she gave me a gift, which was the free makeup that comes if you buy $25 of the product. I guess I am venting because I feel abused.</p>
<p>Bookworm, that reminds me, when I was very young, still a teen, I think. I gave my future SIL the perfume miniature that comes with purchase. I remember thinking the small bottle was stronger…cringe</p>
<p>I don’t re-gift, primarily because I feel that if I don’t want it, I doubt anyone else would. I can usually exchange things that come from a local store, but if not, Goodwill gets them. I also like to give things to others that I like myself, which usually precludes re-gifting.</p>
<p>also like to give things to others that I like myself</p>
<p>Ive done that. I gave my H a silk charmeuse gown & some Pearl Jam bootlegs.
Payback for the socket wrench set.</p>
<p>OMG, EK! I sprayed the keyboard!! LOL!!! Truly-- I laughed out loud!</p>
<p>DH gave me delicate underthings from Victorias Secret for chanukah tonight. I told him it was a boomerang gift.</p>
<p>Also, I guess its TMI here :o</p>
<p>Priceless EK! I think you should market that for a commercial. Every woman in America would know what you are talking about!</p>
<p>I don’t know why i am so good at picking stuff out for him, while he is so bad.
Well actually I do.
If I really want something, I probably have found a way to get it, or else I am still in the six month process of comparison shopping that I feel is necessary to get it exactly right.
For H on the other hand finding a gift doesn’t require as much thought.
Can he read it? Play with it? Eat it? Wear it? Listen to it? Does it require a new toolbox?
If any of the above applies, he probably will love it!</p>
<p>Good criteria.
My DH doesnt liek anything requiring a toolbox, unless it is one of those teeny tiny screwdriver sets for electronics gadgets. Then were’e golden.</p>
<p>EK, did your hubby wrap the wrench set?
Did he at least try on the nightgown?</p>
<p>Your delightful humor broke my mood, so, thanks!!!</p>
<p>Pictures, EK, we want pictures.</p>
<p>And apologies for the typos above. Hadn’t had morning coffee yet.</p>
<p>There’s nothing wrong with it if you are careful not to leave any trace of the regifting, but generally I don’t, with the exception of an occasion bottle of wine. Moonchild’s post #48 pretty much sums it up for me, too. </p>
<p>I also try to give current things, with gift receipts, that can easily be returned. With someone who works for me, if there’s something I don’t want, it’s more along the lines of can you use this? For the holidays, I will give a cash bonus.</p>
<p>True regifting story from 1971 when it was not as common. College neighbor got a pretty ugly pair of patterned hose from a relative. She actually gave them back to to the same person with a note that said “I liked these so much, I got you a pair.”</p>
<p>Priceless, thumper</p>
<p>My sister and I have been regifting for years, out of self defense. Our mother is a compulsive shopper. Begging, pleading and yelling has barely stemmed the crap train and I am still digging out unwanted stuff from our basement. Garage sales, regifting and donating is the only reason we aren’t suffocating in crap.</p>
<p>Dh and I have it down to a science now. The day after the event (birthday, Christmas, Easter, Dog’s birthday, Flag Day etc…) we cull the gifts. Desired items (a rarity) are found a place to live in the house. We contact friends or relatives regarding useful but unwanted gifts. Those are delivered straight away. Everything else is taken to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Sometimes it’s been an entire van full.</p>
<p>Very, very happy about my latest re-gifting. My friend & I run a support group and were having a Christmas party. I had three t-shirts, a hat and some calendars that I wanted to give away, so gave it to the first six people who came to the meeting/party yesterday. They were delighted to get the gifts and I am relieved to have found good new homes for these things I had no use for. :)</p>
<p>I plan to try that again in January, with a few more items that I think I have around & may get this Christmas (for some reason my sister’s taste and mine are out of synch–she’s always buying me & my kids gifts that are really not to our taste–fortunately the people who won the door prizes were DELIGHTED).</p>