Regifting – Offensive, Acceptable? Now is the Time to Figure it Out!

Not all gifts are created equal. The beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and sometimes, the person buying the present doesn’t know you. So what do you do with all the gifts you never use? Don’t give the gift giver a WTF look. Smile at them, say thank you, and think about someone you know who WILL like it and use it. Not too happy with that Gilbert Gottfried movie collection your cousin Billy got you this year? Don’t just tuck it away under the bed to gather dust. If you don’t want to try to sell it on eBay, save it, rewrap it, and regift it.

Not long ago, the television show Seinfeld dedicated an entire episode to a regifted label-maker and the ramifications of being caught – gasp – regifting. According to a survey from Bookoo.com, “a whopping 92 percent believe it’s completely acceptable to regift items, and more than 87 percent believe they too have been a recipient of a regifted item. And, with shoppers looking to save more and spend less this holiday season, more than 62 percent plan to regift an item to a friend, neighbor or colleague for the holidays.”
I’m just wondering when we turned that corner, and regifting went from offensive to acceptable.
Have we become so materialistic that every item – every gift – is interchangeable, meaningless, and expendable? Then again, we’ve always said, “It’s the thought that counts.” Accepting giving and receiving registered items seems to back up that statement.

If you are going to turn to regifting as a source for gift-giving this Christmas or you’re going to save those Christmas gifts to regift for other occasions like a birthday, maybe we should have some ground rules. I mean, we already have a National Regifting Day. Indeed, there is some regifting rulebook making the rounds somewhere.

I haven’t found said rulebook as of yet. I did find four rules for regifting that everyone should follow before passing along one of the four fruit cakes you received over the holidays. I’ll even go so far as to regift these rules without quoting directly and adding a personal touch to make you feel more special.

Regifting Rules for the Holidays and Beyond

Don’t open that box of chocolates; eat the ones with caramel, and then pass along the remaining candy to your mom (or anyone else). If you plan to regift, the original packaging should be unopened and sealed.

Wrinkled and torn gift paper should not be ironed and pieced back together using staples, paper clips, duct tape, gum, or any other adhesive tool. Take the time to rewrap the gift yourself. And if you want to save money, buy your Christmas gift paper at a considerable discount after the holidays.

Did your grandmother hand-knit your name in the clothes she gave you last Christmas? Was your Snuggie monogrammed with your initials and family crest? You might not want to regift those items. Unless, of course, you can find someone on your list with the same name as yours.

Learn from others’ mistakes. Watch this clip from Seinfeld to see what I mean. Don’t give to someone in the same circle of friends, workplace, or family as the person initially giving the gift. You might even want to ensure they are also not connected on Facebook.

So there you have it: Your guideline to regifting. Follow those four rules, and you’ll likely not offend the last 13 percent of people still offended by receiving restricted items. And I do hope you are not one of those people because this article was derived from sources much more intelligent than myself. Feel free to regift – I mean share – with your friends.

Are you a regifter? Have you received a funny, regifted item from someone you know? Please share your story in the comments below.