Sustainable Life
with Bibi
In general, I'm a crunchy granola mom (sometimes read: hippie) with no specific philosophy on life. Our family makes it from month to month with my husband working full time as a teacher, and me staying home full time with our daughter, while taking in paid jobs as they come my way. The family budget is tight, but we try to do our part to clean up our lifestyle and our planet.
To learn more about Bibi, check out her profile on Work It, Mom! and her personal blog, Mamasense.
Re-gifting: The act of taking a gift that has been received and giving it to somebody else, sometimes in the guise of a new gift. (Definition adapted from Wikipedia)
As per MaryP’s request, and Nataly’s second, today I’m considering re-gifting. It was considered the pinnacle of gift giving disasters back in the days of Seinfeld, but as of now it’s supposedly pretty much okay. BUT, as with many things, there are a couple of schools of thought on the whole issue.
First, there are those who are driven by etiquette. These people say, “well, it’s okay if and only if certain precautions are taken”. These precautions come in quite a range. Here are a few of my favorites:
1) Make sure that the gift is still in its original packaging and isn’t dusty or dilapidated in any way.
2) Either own up to the fact that it is a re-gift or vow to NEVER tell a soul AND make sure that the original gifter and the new giftee are at least 3 relationship degrees removed from each other.
3) Make sure that the gift has never been used. Unless it’s a book, in which case it’s okay to pass it along as long as you (a) make sure it’s not tattered and (b) write a sweet note in it.
4) Never re-gift certain items (i.e. things from stores that no longer exist, obscure software, obsolete electronics, or anything that someone might recognize from your house.)
5) Only re-gift something that you think the other person would actually LIKE. This one is a part of both re-gifting schools of thought, so it must be like written somewhere.
The other school of thought focuses on how wonderfully green it is to re-gift. Which mostly means that they focus on how to break the etiquette rules. Here are my favorites from the greenie rebels.
1) Packaging schmackaging! It’s so wasteful anyway, and gifts aren’t about appearances.
2) If they recognize that it’s a re-gift, tell them how much you thought about them when you looked at the item (ignore the fact that you’re giving away something that reminded you of them, and that the item made you want to hurl).
3) Since giving a used gift is off limits, combining two used gifts together as a craft project = one new gift (example: grandma’s old reindeer sweater + your old fat jeans = new reindeer pants + plus bonus points for style).
4) Have a sense of humor. Re-gift anything that you want, but if it is a joke make that apparent. (i.e. don’t use a regift as an excuse to give away old socks, unless there is some sort of inside joke about those particular socks.)
5) Make sure that a re-gift is something that the other person will actually keep and use. If not, it might just end up in a landfill anyway, and no one needs to tell you that that isn’t green.
Okay, so I got a little extra tongue in cheek with the greenie rules, but I do actually think that they apply…mostly. In my humble opinion, the appropriateness re-gifting is completely dependent on the particular gifter and the giftee. If you think that the other person would appreciate a re-gift, then why not?
If you’re interested on some more serious lists/suggestions on re-gifting, check out these ones:
The Greenest Dollar: Regifting for Christmas
Uncommon Sense: 12 Rules for ‘Regifting’ Without Fear
Do you think regifting is a tacky faux pas or creative recycling?
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I will admit to a little regifting this year. I recieved a L’Occitane sampler last year, but the products were for someone with dry skin and I have oily skin. I stuck it in my dry-skinned sister’s gift this year and will own up to regifting if she asks me. It wasn’t her main gift and I probably would have just handed it to her if she’d been at my house…
I also regifted a not-very-me notebook I received last birthday from a work acquaintance. I stuck it into my niece’s gift box. Again, not her main gift but a good way to give a notebook I’ll never use to someone who will use it.
So I guess I’m saying I think it’s OK to regift, but for a significant recipient, I don’t think the regift should be the main gift. Kind of an afterthought thing.
And also, if you’re going to do it, examine your regift carefully and make sure there was no personalization in your gift. My friend A was just gifted an elegantly-wrapped book on mothering from our mutual friend B this year. When A opened the book, she found the inscription “To B, the best mom around!, Love C”, dated last year.
rosa | December 18th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I’d be curious to know when ‘regifting’ became a bad word. Maybe with the Seinfeld episode, who knows.
Years ago, giving a loved one something special and close to your heart was a intimate gesture. Handmade gifts, even more so.
These days, I don’t think much thought is made before gift-giving.
Honestly, the best gifts I received last year were homemade goodies.
MonkeyGirl | December 19th, 2008 at 11:50 am
I don’t see anything wrong with regifting as long as the gift is appropriate for the person you’re re-gifting it to. And well, it shouldn’t be obvious in any way that you’re regifting. But I’ve done it with stuff given to me as well as with things give to our daughter. What’s the harm?
Nataly | December 19th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
I am of the first school. Regift if the item is new and unused and you think the person will actually like it. Give used items only as “hand-me-downs” and not as actual birthday or holiday gifts.
Robyn | December 24th, 2008 at 10:42 am
This is a good food for thought.I am not in favour of re-gifting but what do I do with gifts that are of no use to me?I have seen friends/family give gifts which are useless and they know it.For example,pink toddler bunny shoes for my newborn son.So,should I keep stacking them up?Is it okay to give it along with some some other good gift?I would love to hear your views..
Vaishali | February 19th, 2009 at 2:33 pm