Re-Gifting: The Spirit that Just Keeps Giving

Not much has been written but so much has been said about the art of “re-gifting.” And yes, I said “art.”

Wikipedia says "regifting" is the act of taking a gift that has been received and giving it to somebody else, sometimes in the guise of a new gift. One example of a formalization of this activity is the white elephant gift exchanges, in which items can be regifted from year to year.

Yes, regifting has reached the practicing lexicon—Jerry Seinfield has been credited for coining the term “regifting” in the episode entitled “The Label Maker,” where Dr. Whatley gives a label-maker that Elaine had given him, back to Jerry. Voila! A new term is born.

I’ve been the recipient of “pass-along” gifts, and the giver of “pass-along” gifts long before Seinfield. I’ve given and received the proverbial fruit-cake many times over. And that’s what the art of “regifting” is all about…

My sister gave me the coolest gift ever—a coral-colored faux ‘gater handbag just big enough for holding wallet, cell phone, glasses and keys. I LOVED it! It was an indulgence—it screamed my name! It’s something I would never have bought for myself. It was a totally luxury item. (Besides, if I got the purse I would have had to find the matching shoes.) It was my taste, not hers. She’d received it from a friend. When she regifted it to me, she gave me the best present ever. And that’s what regifting is about.

A white elephant gift implies that it’s something that no one wants. The art of regifting is knowing the best person who’ll appreciate and cherish that gift. There is a distinct reason for passing that gift along.

A word of caution: don’t regift just for the “holiday.” For example, if you need to get a birthday gift for your best friend, Holly, you can’t just pass on a candle that someone has given you. There has to be a reason. If Holly collects purple items, and her favorite scent is lavender—by all means, pass-along—regift--that lavender-scented candle! Holly will love you for it. Just don’t pass along that punk-art painting someone had found in the close out bin outside the electronics section at WalMart.

The art of regifting begins with a reason why.

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