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REGIFTING:SHOULD WE OR SHOULDN’T WE?
BY BARBARA BRYANT
WHY IS “REGIFTING” CONSIDERED UGLY?
IS IT WRONG TO PASS along a
gift to someone else who may find
it more useful than you?
I think regifting, when done
properly, can be a gratifying
experience for all. It may be that
you have been given something
that you cannot use and you
eventually have the opportunity to give that gift to someone else. You may realize that
you have that perfect something sitting on a shelf in your closet. It is not tacky to
rewrap and regift, but there are certain rules that should be followed.
If you are planning to regift this holiday season, or at anytime, below are six tips in the
fine art of regifting.
NO GUILTY CONSCIENCE: Remember, you are giving a gift to bring that person
pleasure. Once a gift is given, the recipient can do as he or she wishes with it. Even if
it means regifting. Good etiquette only requires you to be grateful when you receive a
gift.
RECORD KEEPING: Keep a record of who gave you the gift. You would not want to
regift it to that person at some point in time. It is also a good idea to make sure you
give the gift to someone who won’t run into the person who gave it to you.
UPDATE THE WRAPPING: If the wrapping paper has to be smoothed, stretched and
re-taped to fit the box, take that as a clue to rewrap it in fresh paper. Be sure to
remove the original gift tags.
CONSIDER THE RECIPIENT: You can be honest with the recipient but it’s not
required. If it isn’t a gift for a specified occasion, you may want to tell the person you
received the gift and can’t use it and thought this might be something she can use.
This also tells her that not only are you thoughtful, but that she is not expected to
reciprocate.
YOU, AS THE RECIPIENT: You receive a gift and you suspect it is a regift—don’t
mention it. If you aren’t exactly tickled pink with it, remember, you too, can pass it on
to someone else!
BARBARA BRYANT (barbarabryant@iamtodayswoman.com) is an etiquette expert.
She has writing for Todays Woman for one year.
BY BARBARA BRYANT
WHY IS “REGIFTING” CONSIDERED UGLY?
IS IT WRONG TO PASS along a
gift to someone else who may find
it more useful than you?
I think regifting, when done
properly, can be a gratifying
experience for all. It may be that
you have been given something
that you cannot use and you
eventually have the opportunity to give that gift to someone else. You may realize that
you have that perfect something sitting on a shelf in your closet. It is not tacky to
rewrap and regift, but there are certain rules that should be followed.
If you are planning to regift this holiday season, or at anytime, below are six tips in the
fine art of regifting.
NO GUILTY CONSCIENCE: Remember, you are giving a gift to bring that person
pleasure. Once a gift is given, the recipient can do as he or she wishes with it. Even if
it means regifting. Good etiquette only requires you to be grateful when you receive a
gift.
RECORD KEEPING: Keep a record of who gave you the gift. You would not want to
regift it to that person at some point in time. It is also a good idea to make sure you
give the gift to someone who won’t run into the person who gave it to you.
UPDATE THE WRAPPING: If the wrapping paper has to be smoothed, stretched and
re-taped to fit the box, take that as a clue to rewrap it in fresh paper. Be sure to
remove the original gift tags.
CONSIDER THE RECIPIENT: You can be honest with the recipient but it’s not
required. If it isn’t a gift for a specified occasion, you may want to tell the person you
received the gift and can’t use it and thought this might be something she can use.
This also tells her that not only are you thoughtful, but that she is not expected to
reciprocate.
YOU, AS THE RECIPIENT: You receive a gift and you suspect it is a regift—don’t
mention it. If you aren’t exactly tickled pink with it, remember, you too, can pass it on
to someone else!
BARBARA BRYANT (barbarabryant@iamtodayswoman.com) is an etiquette expert.
She has writing for Todays Woman for one year.