#352 Successfully regifting a present to someone who wants it

Neil Pasricha

What do cellophane-wrapped mugs of mini candy canes, Season 3 of Mr. Belvedere on DVD, and framed photos of someone else’s dog have in common?

They’re just what we never wanted.

But that’s okay, that’s okay — because someone else might! Yes, now it’s time for some Regifting Magic, people. It’s time to regift like you’ve never regifted before. You’re a regifting machine if you follow these three steps to freedom:

1. Smile sweetly. Never look a gift horse in the mouth. Instead, look them in the eyes while saying thank you over and over. You may also find it helpful to practice these lines (for these items): “I’ve been meaning to try that place!” (gift card to Taco Bell), “How did you know I liked puke green!” (puke green sweater), and “It’s perfect, it’s perfect — honestly, how have I even been wearing shoes all these years!?” (shoehorn)

2. Add it your gifts-to-give pile. When you get home make sure to write a thank-you card promptly and then toss the gift in the closet with your motorized self-twirling spaghetti fork, Streetlamps of the World page-a-day calendar, and novelty light-up ceramic angel. Let your inventory bulk up a bit so you’ve got good regift variety and be sure to hide the stash from future regiftees.

3. Annnnnnd… regift! This is the toughest step because you only truly succeed in regifting when you’re about 80-90% sure the regiftee will love the present. After all, there’s nothing wrong with gift cards to Taco Bell and light-up ceramic angels. It’s just that one goes to your backwards-cap skateboarding rascal of a little cousin and the other goes to your Grandma who loves tacos.

AWESOME!

Photos from: here and here

52 thoughts to “#352 Successfully regifting a present to someone who wants it”

  1. And don’t forget to put a post-it on it with the person who gave it to you before chucking it into the closet-regift-pile so you don’t accidentally regift to the original gifter!

    P.S. My puke has never been green…am I missing something in my diet?

    2. Neither have mine Lara, the puke I mean. I hear references to green puke all the time, but the closest I’ve been is purple. That was in Greece, after a lot of weird drinks.

      Maybe people eat a lot more spinach than they want to admit?

  2. Make sure to never regift to someone who communicates with the original gift-giver, or else you could be setting yourself up for trouble. Remember, always to a different social circle. That’s the key.

    It’s the same principle of “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” When you think of it that way, it almost seems like you’re doing some sort of really important gift-giving charity work. Like a misfit present coordinator. It wasn’t meant for you, but it’s perfect for someone else. Go out, do good work.

    P.S. I like the lines to rehearse … hahaha.

    1. The reherse lines are soooo true! I’ve definetely used every one of them. It’s always worse when the gifter was sure you would love it and was so so wrong. I once had to pretend that decorative soap was my idea of a gift, now that was hard!

      1. Hahaha … some gifts there’s just no rehearsing for, huh?

        “Uhhhhhh, yeah, no I DEFINITELY still love ‘The Land Before Time’! Mmmhmmm, I’m so glad I can count on you to … uhhh … continue to think of me when a new one is released. I think they really, ya know, took care of business with that first one in 1988, but sometimes … sometimes sequels are really awesome, too! No, no, I am SO excited! I just had no idea that they’d come out with ‘The Land Before Time: XXXIV’ … man, they’re really cranking those things out, huh?”

        ;)

        1. Hahhahahaha things like “omg!! It even matches my room, awesome!” Helps too

          Btw your LBT rant sounded so familar it was creapy

  5. Taco Bell gift card??!!!!! That is more than welcome. I love Taco Bell.

    Ok, now that that is said….
    I can’t recall ever regifting anything to anyone. If I am given something I won’t use, it just piles up in the yard sale pile. One day I will get around to having this yard sale. Sometimes I will have this gift for months or even years, but then I use it or wear it. You never know when your gonna need an ugly sweater.

    1. So true about the sweater! We’re allowed to wear jeans this week to work as long as we wear red/green or something holiday-related. The girls on my hall decided we should all do the ‘ugly sweater’ thing tomorrow. This is not the first time I’ve needed an ugly sweater and don’t have one. Sad.

      P.S. I’d take a Taco Bell gift card, too, because I’m poor and food is food. ;) As long as it’s not to like The Greasy Cat Chinese Buffet or The E.coli Experience, I’m down.

      1. I don’t own any holiday sweaters either. I’ve been eyeballing some, though. No, the generic gifts my family gives out is bath stuff and lotion for girls and candy for the guys. Every once in a while some picture frames (always welcome), towels, and toothpaste is thrown in the mix.

      2. Taco Bell is not food! I’ve never escaped a meal there without consequences. Very bad consequences…

        1. Ahh, yes. One of my sister’s friends refers to it as TBS (Taco Bell Syndrome — NOT to be confused with the “very funny” television channel). You can avoid it by ordering only cinnamon twists, soda, plain chips + cheese dip, fruity drinks, and … uh, well that’s about it I guess. Hahah.

          1. Ok, I will agree that the cinnamon twists are both delicious and safe. Bekah, you must have a stomach lined with titanium!

  6. We had one woman who gave everyone in the office a picture of herself in a really nice little frame. She intended the frame as a gift, but people instead thought she was giving pictures of herself as the gift. I have re-used the frame, but I still see pictures of her on desks all around the office.

    1. That is awesome I think I am going to start handing out pictures of me and see how many people keep them on a desk!

    1. Uhh… you should stay away from the off-ramp to Highway 163 in San Diego then..

      *uh oh*

      Oh.. you were talking to Neil? Yeah – we’re cool, we’re cool.. ignore my comment above.. there are no SD hobo’s wearing any broccoflower t-shirts.. move on.. nothing to see here..

  10. Not really the same thing as regifting, but finding a great use for a gift you never wanted is also awesome!

    Years back, for Christmas when I was 16, my aunt got me a Yukon Cornelius bobblehead. It was the most random gift I’ve ever received! My family and I finally decided that Yukon was the perfect vacation accompaniment… we posed him “travel gnome style” in various locales on our family vacations for YEARS. Those are still some of my favorite vacation pictures!

  11. “It’s just that one goes to your backwards-cap skateboarding rascal of a little cousin and the other goes to your Grandma who loves tacos.” N-i-i-ce.

    I’d totally forgotten about Mr. Belvedere.

    1. Totally agree – that finishing line ranks up there with one of my favorite lines on this blog ever..

      Because my grandma really does love tacos..

  12. I’ll have you know that Mr Belvedere was the BEST show that ever was, is or could be in the history of television. Featuring well crafted scripts, witty delivery and brilliant casting, it tore a hole through my heart that it was cancelled after just 117 episodes. I treasure my collection and as a family we watch at least one episode every day.
    Back off Mr Awesome – Mr Belvedere rules.
    Sincerely,
    Bob Uecker

    1. Is it Barry or Bob?

      Either way – I take no offense to your comment, because you kept it civil, and coined the term “Mr. Awesome”

      Mr. Belvedere rulez,
      Mr. Awesome droolz!

  16. this year half the people on my shopping list have asked for things that were sitting in the “i got this, now what do i do with it??” pile.

    this year will be the year of re-gifting christmas presents ~ awesome!

  17. Sometimes I’ve regifted (In my family we call them “new to you” presents) and told the person it was a “new to you” and they should feel free to pass it on if they don’t like/need/want it. Everyone of the receivers got a big kick out of this and didn’t mind at all. I like receiving new to you’s, too! Then, if I don’t really like it I feel free to pass it on to someone else, no guilt attached. Sometimes though, you get this really amazing gift!

  20. When you hear words like “honestly”, ” really”, “trust me”… You know what that means… Just the opposite thoughts but wrapped in pleasantable form so that you don’t hurt feelings.

  22. It’s just that one goes to your backwards-cap skateboarding rascal of a little cousin and the other goes to your Grandma who loves tacos.
    LOL

  23. I gave my boyfriend’s mom a shoehorn for her birthday. Now I finally don’t have to untie my shoes when I’m visiting. In my defense, it was hand-painted by me.

  24. AHAHAHAH I totally have a “gifts-to-regive” pile… thought I was the only one! Awesome!

  26. Oh my goodness, YES I am the queen of re-gifting!
    It’ s like recycling, except it squeezes an extra ounce of christmas cheer out of this lovely holiday!
    and especially seeing as i am a highschool student without a job and who spent too much last month on food so is left with only $140 in my life savings..
    I managed to spend only 70 on presents though – thanks to the amazing powers of *sigh* re-gifting :)
    awesome!

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