The Art of Regifting

My father was a very generous man and a bargain hunter to the core. He believed that the greatest joy in the holidays was derived from watching his children open multiple presents, often choosing quantity over quality, notoriously hitting the discount bins just to find items to wrap. On Christmas I often found myself the new owner of multiple packages of purple pens, geriatric pink slippers, thematic candles, babushka scarves, luridly coloured cosmetics, and cheesy CDs (Stompin’ Tom Christmas tunes anyone?). The majority of these items would simply be banished to storage in a dresser drawer, but in some instances I also found other owners who appreciated the items that I re-gifted to them.

I come from the school of thought that gifts should be given without strings. Once a gift is given, the recipient can do with as they wish: use it, return it, or re-gift it. I believe that almost any gift can be re-gifted depending on

a) how you do it and
b) who you are doing it for.

Admittedly, re-gifting can be somewhat dangerous. If you’re feeling a little wobbly about how to safely navigate this practice, here are a few guidelines to help you in your re-gifting endeavors:

Match The Gift to the Recipient: If you're simply looking to unload something, you'll seem cheap and it may come back to bite you. Remember: nobody really wants a Sponge Bob Chia Pet.

Tell The Truth: There will be times that it will be appropriate to inform the recipient that it is a re-gift – for example, small items like toiletries or something that you have had in your closet for years unused. If you're re-gifting the chocolate fondue pot to your friend who has been dying for one, fine. But don't wrap it up and pass it off as a gift you purchased.

Keep Your Mouth Shut: In other cases, it is not necessary to spoil the moment and inform the recipient that it is a re-gift. If you tell someone that you are giving them the present since you don’t have a use for it, even if they like the item themselves they will likely feel like an afterthought. Use your judgment.

Check and Rewrap: Make sure you check the item over for any personal inscriptions and always rewrap the gift in a new presentation. You will definitely lose points with your landlady when she reads the inscription “Happy Birthday Uncle Crunchy!” in the Dr. Phil book you gave her for Christmas.

Be Organized: Keep track of who gave you the original gift. Taping the original card or a post-it-note to the item will prevent embarrassing moments in the future.

Booze Is Always Welcome: Alcohol is almost always an appropriate re-gift. Except Dad’s gift of a bottle of blackberry brandy in 2003. The 20 pairs of socks he gave me that lasted 3 years, however, more than made up for it.