Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Do you Re-gift?


So, it's the week before Christmas. The office is deluged with sweets, and little gifts, and trinkets, and sweets. Did I mention sweets? I get a sugar high just walking through the break room. Sheesh! Anyway, sometimes I get a gift basket on my desk. And, sometimes it's stuff that I don't really need or want. So, why not re-gift?

Ok, so I wrote about this phenomenon/behavior last year? Do you know what this is? Well, according to the Urban Dictionary, here are the definitions:
(a). To give a gift that you have received to someone else.
(b). scandalously repackaging and claiming to have purchased on your own a previously received hideous piece of crapola and giving it to someone else as if you had actually been thinking about what they would enjoy.

Now, no one will admit it, but we all do it. It's those gifts that you get at the office Christmas party. You know, those "Secret Santa" gifts or in the office/work gift exchange. How about even on Christmas day (at your relative's house). "What would I ever do with this?," you ask yourself. Well, why not give the gift that keeps on giving. That's where the magic of re-gifting comes in.

I'm definitely into re-cycling. Go green! This year, don't return that gift you really don't want. Don't exchange that gift that you really don't want. Preserve the environment and give that unwanted gift to someone you love or someone you work with next year. You'll be glad you did. *cough*

8 comments:

Cathy said...

Well just make sure you don't give a gift back to the same person who bought it for you. No matter how many years it has been they will remember.

may said...

i have regifted once. someone gave me a cream that was supposed to erase wrinkles. i got it when i was young enough to clearly not have any wrinkle, so i gave it to someone else who was over 65 years old.

then, i realized what i now think is wrong about regifting. it is the implication that you completely claim you bought that gift to give to someone, when in fact you didn't.

i still go green though. i don't throw unwanted gifts. i show it to other people and ask if they like it. i'll say: "somebody gave me this, and i am not really into stuff like this, so if you want it, you can have it."

i know regifting works for other people, so i guess i go with cathy's advise. if you really feel right doing it, make sure you don't give the same gift to the person who gave it.

anyway, sorry for the long comment, and merry christmas dr. A!

Vinny "Bond" Marini said...

I never regift, I just put the food stuffs out here in the office and let others pig out on it....

Come by THE COUCH and vote on your favorite Tuneage each day this week

Muddy said...

http://www.regiftable.com/

This web site above has lots of great regifting stories on it. You can even add your own.

I regift. Why not? If I am not going to use it-why not save myself a bit of money and give it to someone who might enjoy it more? I also have given my mother things I received as gifts that I didnt want for her to use at her senior's meetings at church as prizes for the games they play.

Mimi Lenox said...

I don't re-gift because I'm afraid I'll actually accidentally give it back to the person who gave it to me in the first place. Lots of little trinkets come my way each year and it's just too risky.
I thank them for the gift, stare at the porcelain Santa until New Year's and then pack him away in the bottom of the closet with the other 3,000.
Works for me!

Kb said...

Bubble Bath is what I re-gift. Well meaning and sweet people over the years have sent all flavors of textures of bubble bath. Enough to fill an entire shelf in my closet. I have a busy life kids, work, medically challenged husband, ad community stuff. Although the bubble bath is a nice sentiment ("kb, relax", "take some time for yourself") there is precious little time for a bubble bath. The last time I tried to soak in the tub I had to spend 10 minutes cleaning it out and then my youngest son wiggled his little fingers under the bathroom door and got them stuck.
Off my soapbox!

Anonymous said...

On this one, the modern American Indian community has it right. Once you give a thing to someone else, what they do with it is their own business. On special occasions, they hold 'give-aways' and gifts, even expensive things, are given away over and over again without shame. prosperous families may even have dedicated 'give away' piles in closets of things they intend to regift. Pendleton wool blankets circulate with their tags intact until the edging is worn out.

Mauigirl said...

I sometimes give away a gift I've gotten but I usually give it as an "extra" gift for someone I bought something for as well, so I don't feel as if I didn't buy them anything personally.