They say that Christmas is the season of giving. However, for many of us, the gifts we receive at Christmas simply aren’t what we want. It’s not necessarily because the person who has given the gift doesn’t know us, it’s just sometimes wires are crossed, or perhaps we already own the product. It’s tough to say thank you through gritted teeth and put the item on display in your living room pretending it’s the gift you always wanted. It can be even worse if it’s something to wear! What should we do with these unwanted Christmas presents? Have you thought about regifting? If you have, let’s have a look at the important rules for regifting Christmas presents.
Don’t Give It Back To The Person Who Gave It To You
You need to remember who gave you the gift. There is nothing worse than having a drawer full of gifts to give away and forgetting who gave you which one. Make a list if you need to. That way, you can avoid awkward situations by ensuring you don’t give back a gift to someone who gave it to you. You might want to avoid similar circles of friends too. If someone off the school run gave you a gift, don’t give it to someone else on the school run. Colleague gifts should never be given to other colleagues. You get the idea.
Personalised Or Handmade Are A Big No
Sometimes we receive gifts that have been personalised or handmade, especially for us. You cannot regift an item that has had your name engraved on it, or your date of birth written in gemstones. As much as you might not like it, you cannot give unique and one-of-a-kind items away. This can be annoying as it means you might need to keep them for a little bit longer before getting rid of them. Plus you cannot save any money by using something you have been given as a gift for someone else. However, that person made it especially for you and you cannot give that to someone else. Even if you know another [insert your name here], it’s inappropriate to do that. Family heirlooms are also a big no.
Rewrapping Is A Must
The likelihood is that you have unwrapped the gift before you see what the item is. Don’t be tempted to keep the wrapping paper or mold it back around the present and utilise the final bit of stickiness in the tape. If you are regifting Christmas presents you should always wrap them up in your own wrapping paper. You might not even give it as a Christmas gift so a festive wrap would look a bit odd for a birthday present anyway. If it’s wrapped in the same paper, something about it feels a little bit off.
Steady As She Goes
Even if you are really particular person, you need to regift in moderation. If everything you get given ends up in a basket for regifting, you need to take it steady. Don’t just go bonkers handing out gifts to people. Avoid rewrapping all your Christmas presents on Christmas Day evening and handing them out to the family that you see on Boxing Day. If just one person realises you regift, you could end up never receiving another present again. It might be an idea to look into where the gift is actually from too. That way, if the recipient asks, you have a legitimate story to tell.
Keep An Eye On Dates
Gifts are fantastic but so often, they have use-by dates on them for a reason. This will mean you might not be able to regift or you have to organise who you are giving them to quickly. Otherwise, they’d be sat in your regifting pile and become unusable. This is perhaps more common with beauty products and food. If there is anything that you don’t want and you won’t be able to regift in time, consider giving it away in another fashion. Foodbanks won’t take out of date food. You can always drop it round to a neighbour. Or take it with you to a jacobs join for someone else to enjoy.
You Can Still Put Thought In
If you have a drawer full of unwanted presents, you can still put a little bit of thought into what would be perfect for which friend or family member. You don’t want to see these gifts as an emergency drawer for birthdays you forget. Think about who would actually enjoy these gifts. Someone somewhere purchased these gifts at one point and if they can end up with the person they are truly meant to be given to, that is fantastic.
Is It Time To Be Honest?
When we’re talking about regifting Christmas presents, maybe it’s just time to be honest with people. Maybe you are sick of receiving presents you don’t like, having spent money on something that another person really enjoys. Is it time to stop that gift-giving with a specific person?
Now you know some important rules for regifting Christmas presents, you can perhaps enjoy the festive season a little bit more. Rather than worrying about those gifts you’re handed from under the Christmas tree, you can smile through the present-swapping process, knowing that you know what you can do with any unwanted gifts in the New Year.
