The gift that keeps on giving
Guidelines to regifting: Don’t regift within your family or circle of friends. Someone may remember seeing you open the yodeling-fish plaque and sing like a canary.
Related Info
Desirable is in the eye of the recipient
Elizabeth Woodson, a gift-basket business owner who lives near Blacksburg, shared a bad-present tale that turned into a success:
“It was no surprise that my wild Aunt Georgie, with her screaming red fingernails, splashy attire and a wig for every occasion, gave me an equally wild set of costume jewelry for Christmas one year. It was a necklace with all kinds of dangly, jangly, sparkly things hanging off of it, and a pair of gigantic matching earrings that would have made a dog laugh.
“I loved my Aunt Georgie for her free spirit and love of life, but like many of us, she reflected her own taste in the gifts she gave. Her taste and my taste were miles apart, so as soon as she left, the jewelry set went straight to the regifting drawer, where it lived for several years.
“One recent summer, I needed a unique gift to take to a birthday party for my 12-year-old niece. I stumbled upon that set of jewelry and had a brainstorm. I broke the necklace strand, releasing a plethora of sparkly beads, fake jewels, pearls and these silver medallion coin-like thingies. I bought a pair of plain black flip-flops at the dollar store and hot-glued the jewels to the flip-flops to decorate them. The giant earrings were the perfect centerpiece for the part of the thong that goes between the toes, and I covered the entire thong on either side of the earrings with jewels.
“Fancy flip-flops with all kinds of decorations were very fashionable that summer, and my niece felt like the ‘belle of the ball’ in her custom, one-of-a-kind pair.“—Julie Young
Regifting party can be fuYou know what they say about one man’s trash. Regiftable.com suggests this format:
Each guest brings one wrapped regift. Next, guests draw a number. The regifter with the lowest number chooses a wrapped regift and opens it for everyone to see. The person with the next lowest number can either take the opened regift or select a “new” wrapped regift. If they choose a “new” regift, they must open it for all. The pattern continues. If a regift is taken from someone, that person gets to immediately choose another “new” gift to open or they can get revenge by stealing someone else’s gift. When all the regifts have been opened, the person with the lowest number gets to trade with someone or keep their last regift.
If you don’t love what you end up with, you can always—what else? Regift.
Ahh, it's the morning after.
A sense of joy and relief wash over you. Christmas is past.
You smile at the memories -- the beautiful tree, the wonderful food, the happy faces.
Suddenly, your mellow mood is shattered. Under the tree, a freshly opened gift sparks a chill that even your flannel jammies can't combat.
"It was a wool scarf with HUGE stars on it -- handmade, purchased from a craft fair," recalled Elizabeth Woodson of Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets, a business she runs out of her family home in Rich Creek in the New River Valley.
"It was just hideous. The color was kind of purple and orangey, and the fringe on it was pretty awful, too."
What to do?
Woodson is a pro at regifting, passing an unwanted gift on to another recipient. She maintains a closet of white elephants she has received. As she politely puts it: "They are beautiful but just don't work for me." She's careful to label each with the giver's name so she doesn't accidentally regift it back to the same person.
Although it has been commonplace for as long as presents have been exchanged, a 1995 "Seinfeld" episode called "The Label Maker" dubbed the practice "regifting." "Seinfeld" writers also maintained that if a recipient repeats the name of the gift, he/she must hate it -- as in, "Oh. Tube socks."
"In these times, there probably are people who have never regifted and who think it's a shameful thing to do," Woodson said. "But if it's really nice and just not your taste, it's better to give it to someone who'd appreciate it." And there are plenty of people who can use what you discard.
Sarah Paxton, vice president of LaDifference furniture store in Richmond, regifts, but only if the item is new and unopened.
"I have regifted cookbooks when I've received the same one twice and one was still wrapped in plastic," she said, "and I've regifted items my daughter has received when it's a duplicate or when too much glitter glue is NOT a good thing."
It's tempting to get rid of horrific gifts, but Paxton refrains. "I've often thought about regifting something I don't like, but then I don't want the recipient to think that's my taste either!"
Precisely. That's why Woodson gave the starry scarf to Goodwill. "If it's that hideous, I wouldn't want to give it to someone I like," she said.
Below are some guidelines on how to regift, degift or otherwise get rid of presents that miss the mark:
REGIFTING
DEGIFTING
The Salvation Army accepts donations at its Family Thrift Store locations -- 4307 West Broad St., 3807 Mechanicsville Turnpike, 10364 Midlothian Turnpike. and 415 Boulevard in Colonial Heights. Call (804) 359-0269 for information on pickups and hours.
Diversity Thrift, Gay Community Center of Richmond, 1407 Sherwood Ave. Donations accepted seven days a week, except major holidays. Call (804) 353-8890 for information on pickups and hours.
If you don't love what you end up with, you can always -- what else? Regift. Contact Julie Young at (804) 649-6732 or .
Advertisement
Advertisement