First of all, when did “giving” become “gifting”? And why does that bother me so much?
Anyway, today’s topic is REgifting. When did that become a thing? When did it become common enough that we feel OK talking about it, and writing an article like this one in Time Magazine telling you when it’s OK to regift, and how to do it without getting caught?
Apparently, the answer is NOW. Back in the 1970’s, not so much. One Monday in December was the third grade class Christmas party and gift exchange. By Sunday afternoon, either I had forgotten to tell my mother, or she had put it off (or both), but I had no gift to give. We had to rush out to the store but, before we could go, it snowed. Real hard. No trip to the store, and I had to wrap a used gift. I knew it was a bad idea, but I wrapped the used race car. The next day, the paper wasn’t even completely off before the kid yelled “Gross! A USED gift?” Children can be so kind.
So, this article tells you how to avoid scenes like this when regifting.
- Regift strategically (Who and When)
- Completely repackage the gift
- Regift only good gifts
And it also suggests the kind of items that might make suitable regifts. Here are the bullets…
- Gift cards for stores you don’t like
- Food or treat gift baskets: Store bought and shrink wrapped only
- Flowers or décor arrangements
- Toys your kids won’t play with: If nothing else, donate them
- Neutral accessories:neutral being the key – no nutty colors or patterns
- Bath products
- Coffee and mug sets: the kind you always see at discount stores
- Gifts you don’t love and can return for store credit: turning unwanted items into gift cards
- Books you won’t read
- Entertaining items:I have regifted barbecue tool sets a couple of times
For all the details, read “How to Regift Without Getting Caught.” So, how about you? IS it OK to regift? How and when? Have you done it? How did it turn out? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!
