regifting - what is the etiquette

Desdemona

I am curious to know what the products are - things like unopened perfume kept in a box somewhere dark last ages - not sure about skincare?

Hi Desdemona quite expensive skin care unopened but I can't check the date as the boxes are sealed. I'll try to descretely open.

I would regift , but only if you’re certain the original giver wouldn’t know . Or I’d take to the charity shop or give it as a raffle prize .
When my mother downsized i did most of the clearing out and I found a large box full of unwanted presents . They had notes with the givers name , the date and the occasion. I was quite saddened by this as some of the gifts were from my dc , bought with their pocket money . I just closed up the box and it’s now in a cupboard in her flat and I’ve never mentioned it to her.

If they are not your thing regift and then treat yourself with saved money

Every year I an given scented candles, hand creams, body lotions, bath sales, reed diffusers etc in all brands and scents which I never ever use, as anyone who has ever visited my house or knows me at all, knows that for donkeys years I have only ever used the same one brand! To me, this thoughtless waste of money, takes the edge off the gift and justifies me donating it to the local charity shop immediately in the New Year! I don’t think I could go as far as saving them to regift as presents the following Christmas though! Call me an ungrateful old bat, but I hate the waste of money!

I can't stand the word 'regift'.
Has it always been a word?

MissAdventure

I can't stand the word 'regift'.
Has it always been a word?

Probably invented the same time as the requests on Facebook-

“Is anyone gifting a fridge/washing machine/double bed/flat screen tv…..?”

Why don’t they just say “Is anyone giving….”

Perhaps they think using the term ‘gifting’ makes it sound less like saying “Actually, I don’t want to buy one, but…”

I have also been gifted jewellery sets PinkCosmos - as my ears aren't pierced. I have given them away too.
Not as a "gift" though.

Regifting can be a good idea if you can give to a different social circle. I was once given a gift which was a Planner come Diary/address book with blank cards in a compartment at the back. On a day in June someone had written 'My Birthday - don't forget'. I got a call a few days later from the person who had sent the gift asking if I had looked inside. I said I had. She apologised and said it was something her friend had given her and she didnt realise the date had been filled in. Her friend had recently died!
I put the whole thing in the bin.

Bluesmum

Every year I an given scented candles, hand creams, body lotions, bath sales, reed diffusers etc in all brands and scents which I never ever use, as anyone who has ever visited my house or knows me at all, knows that for donkeys years I have only ever used the same one brand! To me, this thoughtless waste of money, takes the edge off the gift and justifies me donating it to the local charity shop immediately in the New Year! I don’t think I could go as far as saving them to regift as presents the following Christmas though! Call me an ungrateful old bat, but I hate the waste of money!

I love to get all these things! You can send them to me...

I think you are an ungrateful old bat- why don't you just ask them to stop giving you stuff? Wouldn't that be more honest?

I remember gifting my husband’s grandmother a beautiful bath set for Christmas one year. I later found it in my mother- in- laws cupboard while I was looking for paracetamol. I was very hurt so be careful re-gifting.

Just re-gift them, what's the harm? Better than finding their way into landfill.

I regift, and don't worry if others regift items I give them. Often it's because I already have the items. I remember that when my grandmother was in her 80s, I encouraged her to start regifting items that were in her closets that never got opened. It was still given from the heart and helped her budget. No one minded even if they got something back that they had given her previously. I still use the tea towels she gave me and it's lovely to think of her when I use them.

keepingquiet

Bluesmum

Every year I an given scented candles, hand creams, body lotions, bath sales, reed diffusers etc in all brands and scents which I never ever use, as anyone who has ever visited my house or knows me at all, knows that for donkeys years I have only ever used the same one brand! To me, this thoughtless waste of money, takes the edge off the gift and justifies me donating it to the local charity shop immediately in the New Year! I don’t think I could go as far as saving them to regift as presents the following Christmas though! Call me an ungrateful old bat, but I hate the waste of money!

I love to get all these things! You can send them to me...

I think you are an ungrateful old bat- why don't you just ask them to stop giving you stuff? Wouldn't that be more honest?

Say it like it is Keepingquiet

This is reminding me of my wonderful Mum. For about 20 years, along with other things , we'd give her the Stilton and Port gift set from Marks and Spencer.

One afternoon we were chatting about our favourite cheeses. Mum adored most, but she loathed one cheese. The smell, the look of it, she really went to town with her animosity towards Stilton.

We gazed at her incredulously. What was this? Did she not remember she got some every year and how effusive she was with her thanks?

I decided not to mention it and the conversation moved on.

But she never got Stilton and Port from us again. And I'm sure she was very relieved!

Definitely re-gift. Why not?

Instead of re-gifting why not have the conversation and stop buying!
It's a job to think what to get people anyway and to think you will just re-gift it is time to Stop the charade I think..

I am so glad that this year I have not used a gift from my granddaughter of shower and body products last Christmas, which I can now take to my 95 year old friend who has just been discharged from hospital into a care home.

This isn’t a modern situation. We have always re gifted when times have been financially challenging. Why would we not do so.

Recycling an unwanted gift is sensible, as long as it is carefully done.
I would be wary of giving an expensive present to someone who might then feel pressured to spend more than they usually would in return.

Louella12 that brought back a memory of a similar conversation with my Mum about chocolate. Turned out that she didn’t like mint chocs, and had endured being given a box of After Eights every year. What a waste!

Of course you should give them to someone - why on earth not !? That or a charity shop. Pass them on and don't feel guilty about it.

J52

I’d regift them, give them as raffle presents or to a charity.
My only warning is to make sure the original gift tags have been removed. I had a friend who came a cropper when she didn’t remove the inner tag.

I was going to say exactly that. I had a chuckle to myself when my elderly neighbour gave me a gift last Christmas with the gift tag still on it!

But yes I would regift.

lemsip

Instead of re-gifting why not have the conversation and stop buying!
It's a job to think what to get people anyway and to think you will just re-gift it is time to Stop the charade I think..

👏👏👏👏👏

another thought about regifting. I hope to meet a couple of old friends who now live quite a long way away from here. I had emailed them and mentioned this subject. We are planning to meet up for a lunch , and so we are bringing unwanted gifts and plan to swap them and donate to our local charity shops. That way original givers wont be upset and we all free up some space and think we have hit on a good idea that can be used in the future. Re the dark chocolate comment, it makes me realize I must have always been an organiser. As children we thought we were doing very well to get a small box of chocolates at christmas, and naturally didnt want to waste any. I love dark chocolate but cant stand turkish delight. So I said to friends , lets meet up and do a swap, which is what we happily did. We would be down to the last and not loved chocolates in our box. I have always loved coffee in all forms and quite a few of my friends didnt like it so we were happy with our swaps. This was in the 1950's so definitely waste not want not! Anyone else done that? I was born in 1945 and know that rationing went on quite a long time after the war. We normally had 2 oz of sweets for the week in our house (6d a quarter of a pound so the princely sum of 3d to spend. We spent ages looking in the window before making our decision and going into the shop!!)

DH has several bottles of whisky as gifts again this year. He hates the drink, so they get shipped across the Channel with us as presents for our French friends.

Reading this thread I am amazed at the generosity of some people's family and friends. Excess bottles of whiskey?? I'm lucky to get cheap supermarket wine which I would never re-gift but drink.

I don't think this thread is good for my mental health so I won't be commenting again.

We should be celebrated the poverty of a child born in a stable, not moaning about the gold and frankincense we've been given...