Re-gifting etiquette: what is acceptable?

It may not seem like it, but you don't want to be the kind of person who only ever gets exactly what they wanted for Christmas. You'd need a compulsory Christmas list and the kind of 'zero tolerance' approach to deviation that isn't going to fill anyone with Christmas Spirit. Try to bear this in mind when you're casting your eyes over the worst gifting crimes that your friends and relatives inflicted on you this year: and remember that re-gifting can solve it all.

Re-gifting may be frowned upon by Christmas present purists, but most of us do it. The most popular regifts are toiletries followed by clothes, jewellery, candles, picture frames, books and CDs.

If you do it right, not only can you show your gratitude for the kind thought the present buyer had in mind, you can also make sure that the gift finds a home where it is truly appreciated.

The key phrase here, however, is 'If you get it right'. If you get it wrong, the person who gave you the present will feel unappreciated, and the one you pass it onto will feel insulted.

There are 10 rules of regifting, that will mean the difference between an inspired regift, and a Christmas disaster.
%VIRTUAL-ArticleSidebar-Christmas%
10 Rules of Regifting

1. Show real gratitude when you receive the present.
Even if the present was wrong the thought behind it was right, so make a real effort to focus on the effort rather than the novelty socks.

2. Make a note of what you receive from everyone
This will make life easier when you're writing thank you letters, but it's also a vital tool for regifting. It's essential that you don't give anything back to the person who gave it to you in the first place.

3. Check it properly
Be absolutely sure you know what the gift is, that it's not personalised, and that it's not a heat-activated mug where Santa gets an x-rated makeover when the cup heats up.

4. Don't unwrap cellophane it or use the item
If you do, this isn't regifting, it's a hand-me-down, which doesn't count

5. Check the best before date
If you have been given anything with a best-before date, make sure it still has plenty of time in date before handing it over - nobody is going to thank you for a stale fruit cake.

6. Rewrap it
Make sure you unwrap it properly, and dispose of all wrapping and gift tags. You don't want the wrong card in it when you hand it over.


7. Leave it a while
You need plenty of time to pass, just in case the gift giver brings it up. It's best to wait a few months for them to ask why you never wear the bracelet, or why you haven't put the picture frame up. If you still have the item you can make sure you wear it the next time you see the friend. If you have given it away, you have no-where to go.

8. Think carefully about who you give the gift to
The aim is to give it to someone who will like it: not just to pass along the embarrassment. You need to make an effort to find the right home for the gift.

9. Try to re-gift outside a circle of friends
The last thing you want is for one friend to wear the necklace you regifted to them, and another friend to remark at how it looks exactly like the one they gave you for your birthday.

10. Draw the line
There are some people whose gifts you can never pass along - and some gifts you need to keep. Elderly relatives who come over will look out for the vase you gave them last year - so you need to have it on display when they visit. Likewise there are some gifts so terrible that nobody should ever receive them, and regifting will just pass on the agony to someone else.