Books would be a great regift item for ALL to get to read!

I regifted a gift card too. It is a restaurant that isn't my real favorite and I knew they liked it a lot! Win, win and NO not tacky!

I regifted for the first time this year!! I had received a couple of gift cards at an earlier Christmas party. I then got really sick before Christmas and couldn't go out to get a couple of final gifts. So I used the gift cards to fill those couple of gifts. How is that tacky??

Three years ago my sister sent me a book that I re-gifted to my cousin the following year. A year later my cousin re-gifted the book to my sister who this year re-gifted it to me.

For next Christmas I'm thinking of buying another copy the book and gifting it to my cousin while re-gifting the original one to my sister, just to see what happens.

Okay I think we have all the answers now. We need a new survey please. I think all the re-gifting is over by now!

I have a few friends that I wouldn't mind a "re-gift" from. They get nice things from people and a lot of times are duplicates, etc.

hi once again smiley,i was thinking maybe backing off,and not buying her gifts anymore,and when an occasion arises,give her a book on friendship.maybe she doesnt know how to be a friend,and you sound like a good one,an when she needs to vent or unload about a bad situation,tell her it will have to be when its convenient for you,unless its something serious of course.shes been controlling this friendship all along and it seems to be one sided,its your turn to take control of the reins.good luck to you smiley,an remember the friendship might be worth saving,its up to her.

you both are right... she does'nt know how to be a TRUE friend and i have said this to her plenty of times but it does'nt seem to matter to her. the bottem line is i feel sorry for her she does'nt have much and at TIMES she can be a nice person but honestly is never there when i need a friend to talk to. your right i need to wash my hands of the situation.

melstew- I agree no gifts for this selfish friend NO MORE! I am sure you enjoy giving the gift and this is why you continue to do so but I wouldn't do it so lavishly anymore. I would say a nice $20-$50 gift and that is a big fat MAYBE.

smiley,why are you friends with this person?an why in the world would you spend two hundred dollars on them?this person is not your friend,she doesnt know how to be a friend,i think the next gift you give her should be a book on what being a friend is all about.i have a friend,for over 17 years now, and we always use to re gift,an,buy new gifts also,once i gave her these leopard design candles,she says to me those were the ugliest damn things she ever seen,we still laugh about it,this year she sent me a dream catcher she made me,knowing i dont care much for those kind of gifts,and we will laugh about that also,but she is a true friend,an my point is,i think that your to good of a friend to be this persons friend,find a new friend,an drop this one,merry christmas smiley,an a happy new year.

lol....bummer

NOWAY... HOW TACKY!! LET ME SHARE SOMETHING WITH YOU. THIS CHRISTMAS I BOUGHT A FRIEND A VERY EXPENSIVE GIFT THAT COST OVER $200.00 NOT EXPECTING ANYTHING IN RETURN BECAUSE THATS JUST THE WAY SHE IS, SHE HAS NEVER BOUGHT ME ANYTHING FOR CHRISTMAS, BIRTHDAY ETC... AND IVE KNOWN HER FOR 9-10 YEARS. WELL ANYWAYS SHE RE-GIFTED A GIFT THAT A MUTUAL FRIEND GOT HER BECAUSE THIS PERSON TOLD ME. I WAS SHOCKED, HURT, I COULDNT BELIEVE IT. THE VERY FIRST GIFT I GET AND ITS SO LAME AND TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE SHE DIDNT EVEN BUY IT. I HAVE BENT OVER BACKWARDS FOR THIS PERSON FOR YEARS AND THIS IS WHAT I GET.

I've got God, family and friends.....those are the gifts that keep on giving!

Update....UC finally came through and sent three rather large checks that arrived on Christmas Eve! Although other family members had made sure that the grandkids would have presents on Christmas, it was nice for my daughter to finally be able to purchase a few gifts for her children and others in the family who have been helping her out. Now if Santa would only bring a few jobs to this area...life would be complete!
Merry Christmas to all!

We never had Santa for our kids. I think parents misuse the legend as a disciplinary tool. Last Saturday I heard a mother at a holiday dinner tell the kid to eat up because Santa is watching. Santa is used as a threat. What about good kids not getting anything from Santa? Poor kids aren't naughty. Kids from wealthier families get tons of stuff they don't need and sometimes don't deserve. Doing things for others is what Santa is about. Tell your kids that they are a santa, help them help others.

billnewbie- we gave you some examples , didn't you read them?
Turkeies to ECHO
Perfume to somebody because she is allergic.
Bath soaps because I have to many.
UC to pay taxes!
Not sure if it was this blog but one said a used beanie baby to a child. I say that counts as regift because somebody owned it before.
Candles.

I reuse bows and paper too!

Re-gift? If I didn't like it or want it why would I think someone else would?

There are many posts about the sparsity of Christmas this year. Lost jobs, late UC payments, even divorces can dull the Christmas spirit. So many focus on the value and volume of gifts under the tree that they lose sight of the meaning of Christmas. Christmas is a time for each of us to lift the spirits of family, friends and neighbors, especially those that need it most. Even if we have nothing ourselves we can still have an uplifting effect on others with a sincerely felt "Merry Christmas". I costs nothing but effort and can be more valuable that gold.

Twerp13 said it well.
Partarican1- I mentioned somewhere it isn't tacky if you do it right. Yes thought it put into it and the though of people spending money they don't have is silly when re-gifting is an option. Example Mercy employees re-gifted their turkeys to ECHO. Do you think that is tacky???? I think NOT! do you think it wasn't thoughtful? NOT! Do you think they didn't enjoy that meal just as much if they had their own money to buy it?

My3kids- also well said!

When You have little or nothing,,, Re-Gifting may be the only way

Being practical would be to give nothing, not re-gifting.

I have a friend who loves candles and gave me a beautiful set. Me I don't use them, and the scent makes me sneeze just sitting in the box. I have a relative who also likes candles, and I have to give her a gift, so why would it be so tacky to give a her a gift that I have and can't use when I know she will love it? It is probably something I would have bought her myself. Now if it is a totally useless item that I know no one else would enjoy, then I do donate them. But if it is something that can be used and enjoyed I will re-gift. All of my family and friends feel the same way. It is just being practical, not tacky.

Instead of re-gifting, try donating the unwanted item to a shelter or organization that helps people in the community. Totally not tacky and a good way to help those in need.

An inexpensive gift would be to write things about your life and pass the information on to your kids. I've been sending relatives a few questions at a time and they either send me an email, or a handwritten note. I get the questions from Bob Greene's book, "For Our Children's Children." The entire book is one question after another to jog memories for sharing. Things like, "When you looked out the window of your childhood bedroom window, what did you see?" Some write pages, some answer in just a few words, but they are all very precious responses to receive. I never knew my dad came home from school to listen to the Lone Ranger on radio, or who the school girl was for his first crush (it wasn't mom...lol).
Hand-made coupons for babysitting, yard work, or whatever you're handy at doing are appreciated as gifts. Just use your imagination.
Regarding re-gifting, if it is new and unused it is fair game for passing on to someone who will use it.

Our lives have changed this year, my husband, 47 years old is going back to Blackhawk with our daughter. Money is tight, but so far we are holding on. Christmas will be so different than other years. But I am so proud of my kids, my daughter helped raise funds for the less fortunate, she also helped pack the gift boxes. My oldest son help in the delivery. My husband is planning on going to the ECHO dinner and help and my 18 year old son, wants to go too. Sure the presents won't be under the tree, but the Spirit of Christmas is alive and well in my home. What a blessing.

The practice of re-gifting is tacky! More times than not, with few exceptions, a re-gifted item is something that the person just didn't want or like. I would much rather have a homemade card, cookies, or nothing at all than get some gift that was too crappy for you to keep. Why would I want someone's leftovers? Not to mention, if I found out it was actually a gift to you, I would feel like I wasn't important enough for you to even put some thought into it. No, giving me the 3rd toaster from your wedding doesn't make me feel special, it makes me feel unimportant.

partician...actually I think my daughter would like that, it is unusal and that is right up her alley LOL

If you like white elephant gifting, then I have a can of octopus in squid ink for you...

There have been times I recieved a gift that I cannot use (perume that I sneeze when wearing for one) So I will regift to someone I know who will actually use it. There is nothing wrong with a regift-gift. I would rather see someone else be able to enjoy it, rather than let it sit in a box in the back of the closet.
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Yes it is the thought that counts. I always appreciate the gifts, even if they are not what I had wanted or could use. I would never say no thanks or I don't want that, but rather thank my giver and then quietly regift at another time.
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I think a white elephant gift exchange would be fun. Maybe We will try that next year.

So then why is it tacky if it is the thought that counts?
What is white elephant gifting?

Re-gifting is tacky and shows how ungrateful people truly are. It isn't the gift; it's the thought that counts. People should be grateful someone is thinking of them enough to buy them anything. Too bad if it's not on your list.

Sad moment to hear your eight year old grand daughter say "I don't think we are getting anything for Christmas this year". Her mom & step dad recently separated and mom lost her job just before the holidays (dad's not working either). It wouldn't be so bad, but Wisconsin Unemployment is dragging their feet with her claim and she's been without a penny to her name since Thanksgiving. Pretty bad when it takes three days of continual calling to UC just to find out that "there is a problem with her claim" from a previous employer (ahem...Mercy not too reliable with providing information in a timely manner....)and it will take another three weeks when they get the information they need, before she will recieve a UC check. Fortunately they have us to cover all of life's necessities. But we're not rich, and it's starting to take a toll on our limited finances (we're an ex-GM household barely piecing together income to cover what GM used to provide). But for as bad as it keeps gettting, we're managing to survive. I can't imagine what it's like for those who have no other alternatives. God bless all and prayers for some kind of peace & happiness during this holiday season.

The absolute BEST homemade gift I ever recieved was last Christmas....from my son's ex girlfriend. She made chocolate dipped plastic spoons and individually wrapped them in plastic with a pretty christmas ribbon on each. Then she bought what I imagined was a dollar store, festive decorated glass container to hold the spoons. They were for putting in mugs of hot cocoa....stir and let the chocolate melt! It was a very inexpensive gift that was useful and truly warmed the heart!
Will always remember you for that Ivy!!!

ja67---sounds like you need a lesson in English! look at your last sentence....and yes it was a good question or it wouldn't have had so many responses

If I had a gift to regift I would if I didn't need it the other person might need it. my 5 year old put presents under the tree for mom and they were toys she has in her room no I didn't peak the were hanging out of wrapper. But its the thought not the cost.

I did not regift however the presents under the tree are hardly as much as we usually give the kids and grandkids but we will all be together and since we have a fake tree and many decorations the house still has a very festive look and we will all be together.

Frogger...

...not sad at all....more like bemused, really.

did not re-gift. Did receive some things I could not use/did not want and donated them to the salvation army, hoping they help or bring joy to someone else.

I always re-gift in addition to buying gifts. The re-gifts are usually new and unused. The other re-gifts are an in-joke in the family. We find something around the house that we don't need, like or want and we wrap it in a brown grocery bag. The stuff we've come up with to give have been hilarious so far. The best part is that it doesn't cost anything!

What a stupid question (Did you regift a christmas presents under the tree this year.) Only a moron would of a question like that!

REgift! That is nothing new, my grandmother always did it and that was 10 to 20 years ago.
For the past two years, my family has made a new tradition. We draw a name. And the rule is, that the present has to be made or bought at second hand store, or rummage sale. Last year it was a hit. One person got a basket of homemade soaps, another a recipe book of family favorites which included pictures. Another thing we do is exchange names again at it has to be a joke or funny present. And this doesn't have to be expensive either if one uses their imagination. Then on top of that we have a white elephant exchange. My little nephew that is 9 thinks that is the best part of Christmas. This year his mom took him and sisters shopping for white elephants at a local Goodwill store. His mom said they had more fun looking for the perfect white elephants. (Oh by the way dad is in Iraq this Christmas in the Army). Christmas is not what you buy or the price, but the magic you put into them. Today I helped deliver food baskets to people who are in worst off than I am. People were in tears about getting some food in the house. There is so much to worry about then where the gift came from. There is nothing wrong with second hand, homemade, regifted presents.
It goes back to it is the thought the counts Merry Christmas.

I did regift. I got unemployment comp and turned around and paid realestate taxes. Merry Christmas!

No tree, no gifts. Hopefully next year will be better.

madman- btw- I wasn't going to answer but you sounded sad.

I said no. I did not re gift this year. the budget was very small this year. I did re gift some last year with new soap and lotions that were new. One person just cannot use all of that of which is gifted to you.

I will re gift my free poinsettia I won.

Sorry spell check want re gift as two words.

Once when I was little I received a stuffed animal as a gift. I said I have many stuffed animals. I did NOT say I don't want any more. My mom yanked it from my hands and gave it back to the people to give to their kid who has TONS of toys. Does that count?

I do find it interesting that there are 113 total votes....

....yet only two comments having to do with the question...

...and one having to do with the answers.

Odd

nope....no tree

no gifts, except for a 2 year old grandson...and I don't think he'd notice, anyway