Regifting Faux Pas

[Lothlorien]

I am an occasional regifter. Obviously, any gift received is a gift appreciated, but.....

Just for fun...Let's hear your regift faux pas, either on the receiving end or what you gave.

I have received a couple of things that had a ton of dust on them; definitely one way of noticing a regift.

Or a little peice of a different wrapping paper was on it.

Once, someone gave me a pannetone and the outer seal was opened.

Once I participated in a secret pal thing. I gave someone something and she regifted it. The person she gave it too sent out a thank you to all the people who were participating in the secret pal exchanges. Caught! I never said anything....but she probably should have regifted it somewhere else other than that particular group, huh?

 

[gcvmom]

I once bought something I'd intended to give to someone, then changed my mind, but forgot to remove the note I'd attached to it, and gave it to someone else. Imagine my embarrassment when the recipient confusedly read the note addressed to a different person!

But then I got my own taste of it when this same friend regifted something to me, and left the card that was to her in the bottom of the gift bag she gave to me!

 

[Hound dog]

My Mom rarely receives gifts anymore (especially from me) due to her regifting.

The xmas before husband and I were married I gave my Mom an expensive flatware set (because she'd always complained about hers) and a cool and expensive crockpot/deep fryer combo cuz she like to use both but didn't have the space for both.

I got both as wedding presents the following August. And yes, I did point it out to her.

I bought her xmas presents every year for the first 5 husband and I were married. And each year I got the one I gave her the year before back as a xmas present. So I told her the last time I bought her something that I'd save her the trouble and just go out and buy something I wanted for myself. ugh!

My Mom. The Queen of the regifters.

 

[Lothlorien]

Regifting back to the person who gave you the same gift? That's pretty bad.

 

[hearts and roses]

My mother in law has never had a soft spot for me in her heart. It is what it is. I tried a lot in the beginning to get this woman to like me...I believe I am tolerated, as are my two daughters. I have enough evidence (but not enough space to list here) to prove this to be true.

One year she gave me a pair of sized 5 Dearfoam slippers (I wear a size 8). Along the outer rim of the slippers was a thick layer of gray dust (from sitting in her closer). I am sure someone gave them to her, because there was a sticker attached. When I toyed with pulling it off, it was all gummed up and ick. I donated those to goodwill.

On our 1st wedding anniversary she gave us a crystal bowl that H had given her a few years earlier. It had a dead moth in the bottom and was dusty and there was H's small notecard on the bottom of the box. Nice.

And the girls too. One year she gave them WalMart Holiday Pins. The boxes were dusty along with the pins. One of them was broken. And that was the ONLY thing she gave the girls. Ugh. Bad memories. And of course, H was oblivious as he was too busy opening up the 8 million NEW items he got from his mom. Oh yeah, and H's dad sends H shirts and jackets that H has bought him over the years!

I re-gift occasionally, only if the item is in perfect condition. I save those gifts in our storeroom. I just have to remember who gave what to me so I don't regift it back!! I have one friend who buys me an obligatory (in her opinion) gift each year - and it's always so obviously something she received as it doesn't apply to me at all. At least I try and fit the [re]gift to the recipient! Haha.

 

[Lothlorien]

I always try to find the right fit, too. If it doesn't fit, then I give it to goodwill or send it with husband to the flea market. The gifts have to be in perfect condition with no signs of regifting.

husband has an uncle who didn't regift, but would buy things as cheaply as he could, even if they were used and inappropriate. He was a drug abuser and would get several hundred dollars from his mother to buy gifts. He'd probably spend 50 or 60 bucks on everyone and then use the rest on drugs. One year, for Christmas, he gave me a Halloween sweatshirt with a big stain on it. Ick! That year, though, he bought husband a package of new socks....that was impressive, for him.

 

[susiestar]

I got a coffeemaker from long-ago neighbors as a wedding present. Inside the package was a card addressed to their son and his bride from a relative I KNOW they despised. It was a very fancy coffeepot, and I am sure the giver was the reason they didn't keep it. BUT I was very touched at their thoughtfulness, esp as they have extremely limited budget and they paid priority postage to send teh package from Oh to OK. I didn't care that it was regifted. They could have returned it and kept the $80 that it cost, but instead they sent it to me. So that was very sweet.

We ALWAYS reuse gift bags, and even wrapping paper in our family. My mom and my dad's little sis exchanged the same wrapping paper back and forth 14 times (ONLY at Christmas, mind you, so 14 YEARS) with different gifts in it. You could see where it had been folded, taped, etc... It was a tradition with them. But we frequently have to double check the tags on gifts to get them to the right person because the old tag was left on or somesuch.

My sister in law from husband's side did regift a kitchen gadget or 12 that her mother in law gave her. I LOVE to cook and LOVE kitchen gadgets. The ONLY kitchen thing she ever liked was the Senseo pot we gave her last Christmas - cause she only drinks 1 cup a day at home! So she knew I would like the gadgets and gave them to me. Sometimes she left the cards from her mother in law on because they were hysterically funny, but never meant it in a mean way.

I have a strange family. We spend ten or fifteen bucks a person on holiday presents, and used is fine with us. We are all thrift store shoppers. So used is OK. My bro takes it to the extreme though. We buy what we think each other will like, he buys because it is cheap. He is the only one I ever get upset with over gifts. Simply because he doesn't ever take time to think about what I would like or enjoy. I dread opening his gift each year, simply because I have to make nice over something that is just awful. Sigh. But I still make nice.

 

[Hound dog]

Thanks to my Mom.........I don't ever regift.

Now that doesn't mean that gifts I don't want go unused. I may give them to someone........just not as a real "gift".

 

[hearts and roses]

I recently had a tag sale and my sister who lives 12 hours by car away asked what I was selling. Well, needless to say, she wanted many things. So, I put them aside and when I see her at Christmas, all of those items will be wrapped pretty with holiday wrap and she will be pleased as punch!

She is getting our ice cream maker that is 14 years old, used gently, still works. She's also getting a karaoke machine, also gently used, with all the Christmas cd's too! And she's getting a Mary statue that my other sister gave me from Italy (doesn't fit my decor), among other things. Hahah - she doesn't know I kept them all, so it's actually going to be a quasi-surprise!

 

[4sumrzn]

Well.....I have twice now regifted gift cards, kinda. We get them on the holidays, don't use them & donate them as door prizes for our son's baseball team to raise money for the team. I normally feel pretty guilty about it. But, it helps us out when it is so hard to go out there & get donations/sponsors every year.

 

[Lothlorien]

You should not feel guilty about doing that with the gift cards. I'm sure they appreciate them. Who doesn't love getting a free gift card????? Gift cards usually get the most tickets when they are offered as a tricky tray or gift auction.

Jo, I'm coming to your next garage sale. Sounds like you've got some awesome stuff!