I am not an advocate of re-gifting. However, I know re-gifting is a common practice during the holiday season. If you must re-g
ift, here are a few guidelines to follow:
ift, here are a few guidelines to follow:- Don’t re-gift used items. Gifts must be new and in good condition.
- Wrap the gift in new gift wrap with a new gift card. Torn or wrinkled gift wrap is a clear sign of re-gifting. Besides, it’s ugly and tacky. If gift bags are in good condition, it’s alright to reuse the bag, but make sure you’ve removed old gift tags.
- Don’t re-gift if you don’t remember who originally gave you the gift. Wouldn’t you be embarrassed to give the gift back to the person who originally gave it to you?
- Make sure the new recipient will enjoy and use the gift. Perhaps you’re re-gifting because you had no use for the item. Take the time to find a happy home for the gift.
- Don’t re-gift items the original giver will notice are gone. Even if the giver lives in a different state, they may look for their unique gift item when the come to visit.
- Don’t re-gift personal, customized, hand-made, or one-of-a-kind items. If the original giver might see it somewhere else, you’re busted.
- Never tell the new recipient you received the gift and didn’t want it. This is no different than getting your older sibling’s hand-me-downs.
- I do bend a little when re-gifting consumable items such as wine, candles, and bath products. These items will be used and gone before the re-gifting is detected.
- What happens if you do get busted? Come clean and apologize. Explain you were grateful for the gift, but couldn’t use it. Acknowledge it was a wrong decision and you’ll never do it again.
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