How To Regift Without Being Tacky

December 8, 2009 by blackgirlgrown
Filed under etiquette

Soon enough you’ll be asked forced to participate in Holiday gift-giving with co-workers, family, friends, and relative strangers. A secret santa gift here. A “bring a gift” for the underprivileged there. Before you know it you’re out $100. So you think, I’ll regift. Good idea if you do it right.

So as not to be the tacky one, the Etiquette Expert’s Jacqueline Whitmore shares The Art of Regifting:

With budgets being tight these days, more people are opting to dig deep inside their closets in search of that perfect gift. So if you’re contemplating what to do with those gifts you neither want nor will ever use, here’s some good news for you. It is perfectly appropriate to re-wrap an unwanted gift and give it to someone else as long as you adhere to the following guidelines.

Only give a gift if it is in good condition. Be sure not to tamper with, open, or use the gift and keep all seals intact.
Regift in different social circles. Make sure the person receiving the gift doesn’t know the person who originally gave you the gift. To avoid this mishap, label any gifts you don’t intend to keep by jotting down when it was received and by whom.
The gift should be a good match. Before giving a recycled gift, ask yourself if the receiver will enjoy, appreciate and use the gift. If you’re not sure, don’t bother regifting it.
Remove the evidence. Before you regift, remove the original card that may be tucked inside the gift. (I once received a hostess gift from a friend who forgot to remove the card inside addressed to her!)
Retire unwanted gifts. Instead of regifting those items that you’ll never use like that old bottle of cologne, canned ham, stale fruitcake, or itchy sweater, give the gift to charity or dispose of it so you and others will never have to see it again.

The Art of Regifting was featured in The Protocol Post, Jacqueline Whitmore’s monthly newsletter on tips, tools and resources for the polished professional (or those aspiring to be like me). Keep up with Jacqueline by reading her blog, following her on Twitter, or signing up for her monthly newsletter, The Protocol Post.