The Gift that Keeps being GivenFollow

...NOT the fruitcake!

Do you 'regift'?

Have you received gifts that you suspect were intially made or purchased for someone else?

I once got a giant picture book of US Presidents wives.

It had a copyright date that made it about seven years old (and though we were well into the Clinton era, Hillary was not included). This came from my Dad's wife (now x-wife).

No. If I hate it or won't use it, I'll freely give it to someone who will - but not as a gift wrapped present.

Otherwise it goes to Goodwill.

In my many years, I've never heard of people being mean enough to do this - astonishingly mean!

And I thought I was a mean bastage!

I'd probably do it if I thought it were appropriate. But typically I'm a greedy bastage and even if I don't like something I put it with the rest of my hoard and guard it fiercely... and breath fire at anyone who comes near.

It may seem mean to a foreigner. Perhaps even crass or inappropriate. But's it the AmeriMart way.

Don't judge.

I genuinely thought people were joking at first. So much for the spirit of giving and receiving. That's seriously fUcked up.

I don't think the re-gifting is really what's trashed the spirit of giving. I think it's more symptomatic of our materialistic addictions.

Regift - it's wikied.

My son has given his sister the same x-mas gift for the last three years. He claims he's going to keep giving her this ugly porclein-faced jester doll, until she appreciates it.

There are gifts that people put thought into that it would be inconsiderate to regift. Clothing that fits. Engraved or monogrammed items. Things you need for the home.

There are generic gifts that are just tacky to regift. Food items. Chia pets was a good generic gift. Things bought or made in bulk for mass gifting really are not going to go over well as regifts.

Then there are things that, well, would be perfect for someone else but not you. Gift certificates for a store you don't go to. A travel grooming kit when you already have three. That set of barbeque tools, if you don't have a barbeque but they do.

Regifting can be cheap if you are doing it only to save money. It can be mean if you are doing it out of spite by giving away something from someone you don't like, or giving something to someone you know they will not like. It is almost always inconsiderate, but that is relative. If the gift was originally not thoughtful or personal in any way then how inconsiderate is it really to just give away one of your own possessions?

The spirit of the season is about giving, not spending on gifts. A gift made by hand is much more meaningful than one bought in the store (in general). A gift of something of your own is more meaningful than something bought in the store (in general). With that in mind, I sometimes do look around my house for things that someone else could use more than I, or that would mean more to them. I try to not regift (like Samira I am more likely to just give something away if I don't need it) but there have been some presents I got that I felt just fine about wrapping back up and giving to someone else as a birthday present.

My sister gave me the Scene-It game which my wife had just gotten us a few weeks before. So I gave it to my brother for his birthday last month.

I'm usually Miss Manners about most things (except I do enjoy a well-placed ******************* when used as an adjective), but I don't mind regifting at all. It lets me know the person giving me the old gifty is good for a Dollar Store ornament, and when I get something that I know I won't enjoy, I feel just fine giving it to someone I know would enjoy it more. It's not about the gift anyway, isn't it?

I didn't send out Christmas cards this year, either.

No gifts works better. Or, if I want to give my parents something, I'll ask my mother. Not my father as he never wanted anything and has quit smoking.

Only on birthdays are gifts given, even then it's something the person receiving pretty much knows he'll get.

On the other hand, if I'ld receive a gift that I don't use, with no emotional value at all, I'ld have little problem passing it on to someone else as a gift.

One person actually admitted they regifted my candle.

Ziev, are you my mother-in-law??