Oh, the holidays.
A wonderful season filled with smiles, family time, gift giving, and extensive decorations placed across town in hopes of stirring even more of the holiday spirit.
However, for some, finding the absolutely perfect gift for the hard-to-please relative can put a damper on all the jingle joy.
This leads to the common yet very awkward process of regifting.
Regifting is when an individual gives someone else a gift that the gift giver had once received. It’s almost like hand-me-downs. And yes, the outcome can sometimes be as uncomfortable and degrading as it sounds.
“Receiving a present that used to be someone else’s made me feel unimportant, and made me feel differently about the person who gave me the gift,” said Jane Levy ’16.
On the other hand, regifting can sometimes be the perfect solution to one’s holiday present dilemmas.
“I think people regift because the gift wasn’t a good fit for them, maybe because they didn’t know the giver well. So, whoever they decide to give it to might make a better receiver than they did. There’s nothing wrong with that!” said Taylor Jacobs ’14.
In other circumstances, regifting can be a family tradition or honor. For Lucas Jackson ’15, the gift he received was a special token within the family that has been passed down through the generations.
“In this case, I felt good because I felt honored to partake in a family tradition,” said Jackson.
Though the excuses span a wide variety, the most common reasons of why people regift over the holidays is that it saves time and money, and also delivers an unwanted gift to someone who can really appreciate its worth.
Overall, the attitude toward regifting seems to be skeptical, yet accepting that it is common, and appreciated in the long run.
“It’s the thought that counts,” said Quinn Mendelson ’13. “A secondhand toaster never hurt anyone.”
