Do you 're-gift'?

[michchick98]

I think most of us have at one time or another. I know I have.

You know, you get that gift from a friend or co-worker (sometimes even a family member) that you just don't really know what to do with. It's not that you don't like it, it's just that there's really not a 'place' for it anywhere.

So the next birthday or major holiday comes along and you've got yourself a gift to give. Yeah, tacky, but sometimes the odd gift you receive may be the perfect gift for someone else.

An example of this for me was three Christmases ago. One of my co-workers bought me a ceramic wind chime thingy. While it was beautiful and I really did like it, I had no place it really 'fit in'.

So when Christmas rolled around the following year and I was at a loss for a gift for my sister-in-law's mother, I wrapped up the wind chime (which was still in it's original box) and gave it to her.

She absolutely loved it and still has it hanging outside on her back deck to this day.

So, have you ever 're-gifted'? Was it a disaster or a success? Did you ever forget who originally gave you the gift and 're-gift' it to the person who originally gave it to you?

 

[TheeGoatPig]

I haven't yet (that I can remember ), but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't.

 

[sr71plt]

I haven't--except maybe to Goodwill.

 

[tickledkitty]

The only time I've done it since I've been an adult (that I can remember) is a few years ago my mom kept giving me candles for every occasion. She had joined some kind of candle club thing on QVC. They were really nice soy candles in pretty jars with very pretty topper thingys that came with them. I just didn't like the fragrances of all of them. I re-gifted (with my mother's blessing) them to my daughter's teachers, who thought they were swell.

 

[_Lynn_]

I haven't--except maybe to Goodwill.

Ditto.

 

[Lady_Guenivere]

Yup...I have done it...
And yes, I have had it done to me.

I received a gift for my wedding shower...ceramic bowls...and tucked inside the box was a card for the person who gave the gift to me.
I said nothing and just tucked the card away discreetly. I actually loved the bowls and still have them to this day, nearly 18 years later.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Ditto.

Likewise.

 

[jomar]

I have once or twice, but only when the gift matched up well with the the recipient.

 

[glynndah]

I do, but I tell the new recipient. It's not a "real" gift, usually, just a "bonus".

 

[Elianna]

We have a tradition in my family. It started in 1974 when my mom and dad recieved some vinyl placemats for their wedding or something (it was the 70's, vinyl was in ). Well... they held onto them for a few years and then thought that my grandmother might like them... (merry Christmas!). Well... she held onto them for a few years thinking her other daughter might like them. You get the idea. Now we laugh about them and someone always opens the now 34 year-old placemats in their original, crumbling packaging. We make an effort at disguising this "gag" gift (put a brick in the box for weight, use a HUGE box, etc.)

It's one of those silly traditions that make our Christmas bright.

Normally, I don't regift. I give stuff I don't want to goodwill or let my friends peruse my "Donate" box and give stuff to them.

 

[kimbalee]

We have a tradition in my family. It started in 1974 when my mom and dad recieved some vinyl placemats for their wedding or something (it was the 70's, vinyl was in ). Well... they held onto them for a few years and then thought that my grandmother might like them... (merry Christmas!). Well... she held onto them for a few years thinking her other daughter might like them. You get the idea. Now we laugh about them and someone always opens the now 34 year-old placemats in their original, crumbling packaging. We make an effort at disguising this "gag" gift (put a brick in the box for weight, use a HUGE box, etc.)

It's one of those silly traditions that make our Christmas bright.

Normally, I don't regift. I give stuff I don't want to goodwill or let my friends peruse my "Donate" box and give stuff to them.

hahahah! we did that in my family too. I got a bagel toaster for a shower gift. my sister got it for Christmas, my cousin got it for her birthday, and when my other sister was getting married, we had lost track of who had it. She asked for someone to please give her the toaster, and then she kept it.

After that, the gag gift became a novelty box of chocolates shaped like dog poop. lol Wrapped in disguise like yours, you just never know where it will turn up. My gram got it delivered to her by UPS from my uncle in another state. She laughed so hard she cried. lol

 

[Liar]

When I was an office drone, the yearly Secret Santa shennanigans I was forced to participate in (most people there were morons, and the few ppl I liked got real christmas presents instead) was the perfect place to dump unused stuff. Either gifts or unnessecary junk I'd bought but never gotten around to even un-box during the year.

 

[michchick98]

We have a tradition in my family. It started in 1974 when my mom and dad recieved some vinyl placemats for their wedding or something (it was the 70's, vinyl was in ). Well... they held onto them for a few years and then thought that my grandmother might like them... (merry Christmas!). Well... she held onto them for a few years thinking her other daughter might like them. You get the idea. Now we laugh about them and someone always opens the now 34 year-old placemats in their original, crumbling packaging. We make an effort at disguising this "gag" gift (put a brick in the box for weight, use a HUGE box, etc.)

It's one of those silly traditions that make our Christmas bright.

Normally, I don't regift. I give stuff I don't want to goodwill or let my friends peruse my "Donate" box and give stuff to them.

hahahah! we did that in my family too. I got a bagel toaster for a shower gift. my sister got it for Christmas, my cousin got it for her birthday, and when my other sister was getting married, we had lost track of who had it. She asked for someone to please give her the toaster, and then she kept it.

After that, the gag gift became a novelty box of chocolates shaped like dog poop. lol Wrapped in disguise like yours, you just never know where it will turn up. My gram got it delivered to her by UPS from my uncle in another state. She laughed so hard she cried. lol

Those are both the fun kinds of re-gifting. Maybe my mom, grandma, aunt and cousins should've thought about this over the years. My aunt is actually the queen of re-gifting, but she always manages to match the re-gift with the recipient perfectly.

I only found out about her skills a few years ago when she gave me a really nice domed cheese board and I found out later from my oldest cousin (her daughter) that she (my cousin) had originally given it to my aunt.

My aunt already had two cheese boards so decided to give one away. Fortunately, my cousin didn't take it personally, she just laughed about it.

 

[fieryjen]

My circle of friends used to have a re-gift secret santa, where everyone brought a wrapped gift they had gotten and couldn't use, everyone rolled a die and picked a gift at random. It was permitted to trade afterwards. Kind of fun, actually, especially because a lot of time people were thrilled with what they got.

 

[kimbalee]

My circle of friends used to have a re-gift secret santa, where everyone brought a wrapped gift they had gotten and couldn't use, everyone rolled a die and picked a gift at random. It was permitted to trade afterwards. Kind of fun, actually, especially because a lot of time people were thrilled with what they got.

that's a great idea! love it!

 

[glynndah]

My circle of friends used to have a re-gift secret santa, where everyone brought a wrapped gift they had gotten and couldn't use, everyone rolled a die and picked a gift at random. It was permitted to trade afterwards. Kind of fun, actually, especially because a lot of time people were thrilled with what they got.

We do something similar at an annual party we've been having for almost 30 years. There are also recurring gifts. For a few years it was a carafe of cold duck, then the very cheap inflatable Cindy Love Doll, etc. Right now it's a miniature toilet, embellishments added with each new owner. This year's contribution was a hula dancer hot-glued to the top of the tank.

 

[john-the-author]

Yes, we did that with several wedding gifts. I have also gotten rid of--usually to St. Vincent's--a number of Christmas gifts that I hated.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I re-gift. Especially those things I know are going to gather dust in my house, but someone else would really enjoy. Why keep something that doesn't really give you pleasure? Makes no sense to me. And it's always good to share.

 

[Chantilyvamp]

I do re-gift some things but I always make sure it goes to someone who will like it or has asked for something similar and is not in the immediate area of the one who gave the original gift. Having family across the pond is great for that. Usually that runs the line of when I get a bunch of perfumes from a certain person who knows I can't wear it.

The rest of the items go to the charity shop or to make surprise cheer up baskets out of it.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

I've only ever re-gifted kid gifts. One year someone got my son a lot of Spiderman stuff, which wasn't really his thing, so I gave it to my nephews along with birthday gifts I'd already purchased for them.

 

[Hooper_X]

I'm an incorrigible re-gifter. Rarely do I receive a gift (from a non-family member) that I actually want.

 

[xssve]

No, I buy my gifts at thrift stores.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

No, I buy my gifts at thrift stores.

So you gift the already re-gifted.

 

[gauchecritic]

I never re-gift, just as I never gift. It's a fucking noun.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I never re-gift, just as I never gift. It's a fucking noun.

not anymore.