| Author |
Holidays:  Re-gifting . . . OK or No way!?  |
|
rough start farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
3331 Posts
marianne
The Beautiful Pacific NW
Washington State
USA
3331 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 02 2010 : 08:05:19 AM
|
Have any of you received something that was obviously a regift or worse something that you gave the person who then (obviously forgetting who gave them the gift) regifted it back to you?
Do you think it's OK to regift, are you planning to regift this year or is it an absolute no-no in your book?
I know I have received regifted items. Didn't upset me. And I have regifted when it seemed a more appropriate gift for someone else, for instance my sister and MIL both collect cookbooks (I don't). They often give me cookbooks and sometimes I will regift one book to the other relative. Am I terrible? They seem pleased and never see one another . . .
My mom told me about giving one of her girlfriends some beautiful towels and receiving them back a few years later for Christmas!
Anxious to hear your thoughts!
Marianne |
|
|
FebruaryViolet
True Blue Farmgirl
4810 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4810 Posts |
Posted - Dec 02 2010 : 08:21:54 AM
|
I don't think re-gifting is a bad thing at all..but I've never done it. I don't keep much stuff around that I don't need :) If I'm given something that doesn't suit me, out it goes to charity! I know I've been given books as gifts that the person read before, but I don't know if that counts as re-gifting, or just passing on :)
Last year, there was a story on one of the morning shows about regifting and how one person does it so often that they have to keep a spreadsheet of the "who" and "what" they've given!
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
 |
|
|
Prairie Gypsy
True Blue Farmgirl
823 Posts
Tammy
Wolford
North Dakota
USA
823 Posts |
Posted - Dec 02 2010 : 08:33:00 AM
|
I think it's totally okay to regift- it's recycling of a gift to put it in a greener term. I have received books that I have no interest in that I have regifted to somebody I knew would get more enjoyment out of it. I have also read a book and passed it on to somebody I knew would enjoy it, but its typically always in excellent condition. There are the rare cases where the book is no longer available and I've gifted a used copy because of it but the person was estatic because she hadn't been able to find a used copy either. I've also regifted wine. My fiance doesn't like white wine and one of his friends gave us several bottles last year so I regifted them into hostess gifts for holiday parties.
Farmgirl Sister # 2363
http://twilightburrough.blogspot.com/
Warren, MI
|
|
|
|
Fiddlehead Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
4562 Posts
Diane
Waupaca
WI
USA
4562 Posts |
Posted - Dec 02 2010 : 08:37:35 AM
|
I think re-gifting is just fine. Just make sure you don't re-gift to the gifter! LOL
http://studiodiphotosite.shutterfly.com/
farmgirl sister #922
Happy to be a "Raggedy Ann" in a Barbie World!
I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.
- E. B. White |
|
|
|
dutchy
True Blue Farmgirl
4427 Posts
4427 Posts |
|
|
4HMom
True Blue Farmgirl
720 Posts
Kelly
Montana
720 Posts |
Posted - Dec 02 2010 : 09:01:50 AM
|
I regift sometimes....the only things I don't think I would regift are things that were made especially for me by the giver.
"Women are angels...and if someone breaks our wings...we fly on our brooms...we're flexible like that!" -Unknown |
|
|
|
natesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1735 Posts
angela
martinsville
indiana
USA
1735 Posts |
Posted - Dec 02 2010 : 09:36:26 AM
|
I have re-gifted a good bit. If I recieve something I don't need or have no interest in, I simply keep the gift tag taped to it, then I can use it in my gift plannin the next year. I have never re-gifted anything that was handmade for me because I don't get that many handmade things. Usually my grandma makes things for our family, but it's food and sometimes doesn't even make it home! LOL!
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
|
|
|
Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
Posted - Dec 02 2010 : 09:53:20 AM
|
Yes, I re-gift sometimes. I have a small living space and people (family are the worst culprits!) are always sending me things that I can't use or have no space for, but I always feel a little guilty about it.
Annika
Farmgirl & sister #13
Palouse Prairie Girls Chapter
http://palouseprairiegirls.blogspot.com/
http://prairiegirlsjournal.blogspot.com/
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. ~Leonardo DaVinci
|
|
|
|
rough start farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
3331 Posts
marianne
The Beautiful Pacific NW
Washington State
USA
3331 Posts |
Posted - Dec 02 2010 : 3:01:00 PM
|
Wow, It's good to hear I haven't been committing any big faux pas! I hadn't considered it "green" before, but I really like that idea. And leaving the gift tag on it is a smart way to insure you won't make the mistake of regifting to the giver!
Thanks for all the input.
Marianne |
|
|
|
melody
True Blue Farmgirl
3317 Posts
Melody
The Great North Woods in the Land of Hiawatha
USA
3317 Posts |
Posted - Dec 02 2010 : 6:47:33 PM
|
My ex mother-in-law more than 20 years ago would do that to me on more than one occasion just out of pure meanness, but she did that to everyone so I was not alone. One year I gave her a lovely and expensive set of gloves and scarf and yep you guessed it the following year I received the set right back only-minus the gloves!
I really don't mind receiving re-gifted presents. I actually ask for rummage sale or thrift sale stuff-It can be so expensive at Christmas time-And I have on more than one occasion bought perfectly good items from the thrift and given them as gifts. You know it's not so much the gift itself but the gift of "giving" a gift...regifted, gently used, or brand spanking new!
Melody
Farmgirl #525 |
|
|
|
Chelley
Farmgirl in Training
23 Posts
Mesa
AZ
USA
23 Posts |
Posted - Dec 02 2010 : 6:57:47 PM
|
We have decided to do a re-gift exchange at out holiday potluck this year at work. There are guidelines about the re-gifts needing to be in good condition (and hopefully not previously used). It was a be suprising how receptive everyone was to the idea.
--chelley.
Farmgirl Sister #2323
...returning raw foodist....new knitter...happy 1st time homeowner...Wisconsin FG currently living in the desert...
|
|
|
|
Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
|
|
Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Dec 02 2010 : 9:00:52 PM
|
I'm with you all - it's about the love behind the giving! :)
I've re-gifted, but I don't feel bad about it when I know in my heart that the recipient is going to really love it! I don't think it's a bad thing. (And I really like Tammy's "green" perspective! That's a GREAT way to look at it!) Sometimes I have received the most lovely things, but they are just not something I can use or wear - or maybe it's just not my taste at all, but I'd never hurt the giver's feelings by saying so, or worse, by asking for a gift receipt! Eghads! How yucky!!! Usually when that happens, though, I immediately think "Wow! So-and-so would LOVE this!" and off it goes when the opportunity presents itself! It just ends up being a "gift that keeps on giving," that's all! ;)
And I did receive a gift back that I had given to someone before, but it was from an elderly family member who had forgotten and who really thought I would love it - and she was so right! :)
And I'm like you, Melody - give me something cool from a rummage sale and I'm in Heaven!!! As a matter of fact, we just gave my stepdad an awesome find from the "junk store," as he calls it, for Christmas - a worn, old antique shovel, all decorated with berries and greenery and a sewn birch bark star, a buffalo plaid bow, and a little handmade tag hanging from the handle - and he LOVED it! It was absolutely his style, absolutely "him." Why one earth would I go to a big mall or a chain store and drive myself nuts for the perfect "new" gift, when the perfect one is right before me at home or at a thrift store? I don't think it has to be new or even store bought, for that matter, to make the recipient happy. When you've put a lot of love and thought into it, of course it will be the "perfect" gift! If the recipient doesn't see it that way, then maybe there's a bit of a problem there in their heart and thinking. Love is a gift on which you simply cannot put a price tag!
And you know, I had to laugh, Melody... if I had someone in my life who would constantly re-gift back to me (or to other family members) the same gifts I had given her, I'd probably "up the ante" - as they said in another post - on my gift-giving to that person, and encourage the rest of the family to do the same, so we could all switch them back to the orginal givers when the regifting was complete! LOL! ;) If you think about it - what a fun secret family game that could be!
Well, happy gift-giving, girls! May every gift given and received come straight from the heart!
Hugs - Nini
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
Edited by - Ninibini on Dec 02 2010 9:01:45 PM |
|
|
|
rough start farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
3331 Posts
marianne
The Beautiful Pacific NW
Washington State
USA
3331 Posts |
Posted - Dec 03 2010 : 01:47:41 AM
|
I expected at least a few girls to feel that regifting was not right. I think it is because we farmgirls are so practical that we see regifting as A-OK.
Marianee |
|
|
|
njaw09
True Blue Farmgirl
397 Posts
Annie
NJ
USA
397 Posts |
Posted - Dec 03 2010 : 09:58:36 AM
|
I regift some items to friends or to charity but never among my family and relatives. I don't do it often but I feel it is better off at someone's home than just collecting dust.
My s.i.l regifted my things (things she stole from me...) by accident one year she gave me the gift to me. I was very very furious and say what the...no she didn't buy it...what is worst is my handwriting is on the package. To make the story short. If only she ask I would have given to her instead stealing from our house.
So it is depending...sometime regift is okay. Sometimes regifting is very very bad...ex. my s.i.l. |
|
|
|
Woodswoman
True Blue Farmgirl
512 Posts
Jennifer
Altamont
NY
USA
512 Posts |
Posted - Dec 03 2010 : 5:21:18 PM
|
I also think of regifting as type of recycling. And, if someone will really enjoy something that I don't want or need, why not?
If I am saving something to regift, I put a sticky note on it saying who it is from so I don't give it back to them!
Jennifer
Farmgirl Sister #104
"Nature brings to every time and season some beauties of its own".
-Charles Dickens |
|
|
|
mywunderfullife
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Amanda
Douglas
WY
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - Dec 09 2010 : 05:19:16 AM
|
I find regifting perfectly fine. As long as you don't give it back to the same person!! I also think finding something at a thrift store is good as well. One year my mom and I were in our local thrift store and I found a little church for my Grandma that looked like our church. I knew she would love it and she did! When you know that the gift is perfect for someone else, why not??
"don't outsmart your common sense and never let your praying knees get lazy"
Farmgirl #2424!! |
|
|
|
star-schipp
True Blue Farmgirl
942 Posts
Starletta
Middletown
Indiana
USA
942 Posts |
Posted - Dec 09 2010 : 06:31:04 AM
|
Re-gifting is absolutely fine in my book if the recepient will obviously enjoy or use the gift more than I will. (But Annie's example with her SIL is absolutely horrifying--yikes!) But, like everyone has said, you just have to be careful about who you give it to.
We can do no great things; only small things with great love - Mother Teresa
Star - farmgirl sister #1927
Master Food Preserver |
|
|
|
njaw09
True Blue Farmgirl
397 Posts
Annie
NJ
USA
397 Posts |
Posted - Dec 11 2010 : 1:27:42 PM
|
| Yes Starletta it was horrifying & the worst experience I ever encounter. |
|
|
|
mrsamy
True Blue Farmgirl
167 Posts
Amy
Milwaukee
WI
USA
167 Posts |
Posted - Dec 11 2010 : 2:01:44 PM
|
I've re-gifted and know that I've gotten re-gifts. I never give something that is more than a year old...that goes to charity. The worst regift I've ever gotten was something I had given the giver probably 5 years earlier (or more). Included were a pack of candles that had obviously sat in the attic and melted. The package was clear and you could see that they were no longer round and all the color had settled on the bottom of the melted parts. No biggie if they weren't also family that brags about how much they have and how much more money they make than we do. Cookie exchange started the next year!
Prayer costs nothing, but is worth the most. |
|
|
|
hwright95
True Blue Farmgirl
90 Posts
Heather
Murfreesboro
TN
USA
90 Posts |
Posted - Dec 11 2010 : 5:16:27 PM
|
I agree, I think re-gifting is fine. Not everyone has money to spare. as long as it follows the rules everyone mentioned above.
Heather Wright~ Farmgirl Sister #2187 Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. ~Veronica A. Shoffstall
www.vintagekarmajewels.com |
|
|
|
Simply Ann
True Blue Farmgirl
163 Posts
WI
USA
163 Posts |
Posted - Dec 11 2010 : 5:24:43 PM
|
I'm all for re-gifting if it goes to other people than the one that gave it to you.
There is no set path, follow your heart stay the course. |
|
|
|
levisgrammy
True Blue Farmgirl
9325 Posts
Denise
Beavercreek
Ohio
USA
9325 Posts |
Posted - Dec 11 2010 : 7:59:54 PM
|
I received something in a Pollyanna that we did at work one year. I didn't have a problem with the gift having been given to the receiver as it was never used. The problem I did have was that as soon as I opened it she told everyone that it was a re-gift. She had gotten it and didn't like it so she thought she would re gift it. I just thought it was tacky of her to tell the whole story right after I opened it. I would rather not know that it was re gifted as I like to think that people put as much time and effort into choosing a gift as I do. It's totally up to them if they want to re gift something but if they do just to get rid of it I don't think that that is in very good taste.
farmgirl sister#43
O, a trouble's a ton or a trouble's an ounce,
Or a trouble is what you make it!
And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts,
But only--how did you take it?
--Edmund C. Vance.
|
|
|
|
graciegreeneyes
True Blue Farmgirl
3107 Posts
Amy Grace
Rosalia
WA
USA
3107 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2010 : 09:43:36 AM
|
Denise - that would bug me too, there is a gift in knowing when to keep one's mouth shut. I think re-gifting is fine. My mom is the queen of finding stuff at thrift stores that are perfect gifts - not technically re-gifting, but related - and we really look forward to what fabulous thing she found this year.
Amy Grace
Farmgirl #224
"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"
|
|
|
|
rough start farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
3331 Posts
marianne
The Beautiful Pacific NW
Washington State
USA
3331 Posts |
Posted - Dec 13 2010 : 12:35:59 AM
|
I love how Amy said "there is a gift in knowing when to keep one's mouth shut," Wouldn't that be a great thing to regift!!
marianne |
|
|
|
graciegreeneyes
True Blue Farmgirl
3107 Posts
Amy Grace
Rosalia
WA
USA
3107 Posts |
Posted - Dec 13 2010 : 10:06:53 AM
|
I know I could use it sometimes myself:)
Farmgirl #224
"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"
|
|
|
|
Holidays: Re-gifting . . . OK or No way!? |
|
Re-gifting . . . OK or No way!?
