December 10, 2004

• That bunny thing rocks. Keep it. You don't know how lucky you are.
• As long as it's not something that would get you in trouble, I don't see a problem with it. It's not like you're just picking something out at random. Go for it. Anyone wanna regift me with a G5 Mac? Hey! Just asking ...
• SideDish just killed Christmas
• It was ill anyway. It's at peace now.
• the bunny thing goes to kitfisto! heh.
• Say, that's nice. I'll regift if I think it's something the person would actually like, which is almost never. One good thing to do to get rid of crap is to start an annual "Dirty Santa" party. The only downside is that the crap gifts keep coming back every year.
• Yay for the bunnies! *Trots happily away humming Christmas tunes*
• SideDish just killed Christmas no, the bunny thing goes to dng!
• kit, give that bunny thing to dng right now.
• W..w..what...? *sobs quietly / cleans gun*
• It's all very well, but what if everyone starts doing it? Things like this will be in constant circulation. Look what happened to Easter Island.
• I haven't bought a new present in 12 years. And I haven't received one either, come to think of it...
• You know how I have solved the regifting issue? Barter. I just bartered a brand new Sharper Image Key Finder (something I got last Giftmas) for a Barnes and Noble Gift Certificate that I will now give to my cousin for Yule. It's the joy of Craigslist.
• Several years ago my wife brought home the ultimate white elephant. It was a pine quilt holder with little hearts cut out of it. OK, besides the fact that it looks hideous, why do you need a holder for your quilt? Just fold it up and set it down somewhere. Even worse, it didn't work! It was a bad design all around. This atrocity had been passed around the family of one of my wife's friends for several years as a joke. The good new is that it was still in its original packaging. So, I brought the thing into Fred Meyer and said something to the effect that I don't know when this was bought, who bought it or even if it was bought at this store, but can I return this? Sure enough, I soon had $17 in my pocket. We felt too guilty to keep it so I think we ended up giving it to the Salvation Army. Seriously, I think regifting is great, just be sure to declare to the new recipient.
• I have a dirty santa party tomorrow night, so if anyone wants to FedEx me something completely ugly, horrendously sad, and totally useless, have at it. By the way, I see nothing wrong with re-gifting. Except if it's a label-maker.
• Good God, that's awful. I'm anti-regifting in principle, but if you really think someone would want that crap, save it from the landfill.
• Your post reminded me of this story.
• How does "regift" become a verb when "gift" was never the verb in the first place?
• If the unwanted item has sufficient value, tuck it away and donate it to the next charity auction that comes your way. I just dumped a really hideous altimeter watch that way. Regifting works, too. I think that's how my wife gets rid of the crystal Christmas ornaments that she receives every year. Certainly she hasn't accepted my offer to use them for target practice.
• I'm with rush on this one. But with caveats. If it's still in the box, and isn't obviously ancient, then have at it. Just as long as the original giver won't be in a position to see the regifting take place. (Unless it becomes an inside joke - several of my friends regifted Douglas Coupland's "Shampoo Planet" for years.
• i heart you bernockle. i'd gift you any day.
• How does "regift" become a verb when "gift" was never the verb in the first place? Because it was used as such in Seinfeld, which writes/wrote the popular dialog dictionary. See also "master of my domain".
• gift tr.v. gift
• and while we're at it, pleg, give that turtle thing to kitfisto, please.
• Ha! Right off the top of my head I can think of two people I know who would love Plegmund's turtle thing. I've "regifted," but nothing from someone I was exceptionally close to, and never to anyone I was exceptionally close to. It's more something I do if I get something from an acquaintance, and think, "Oh, I know another acquaintance who would like this!" Often the recipients end up being people I might not ordinarily even give something to.
• If the person that gave you the gift and the person you want to give the gift to would never know or find out it was regifted, then regift. But only if it's something they'd want/use/need. Unless you don't like them. Then feel free to unload your white elephants on 'em. Pass the bunny on, I say, without guilt!
• Regifting makes baby Jesus cry.
• I regift constantly. I have too much crap in my house as it is, I don't want anything that I can't buy myself, and I have very peculiar taste. Yet, despite my persistant "NO PRESENTS PLEASE" I am bombarded by the most horrible gifts every year, usually by my well-meaning sister, who thinks she's batting a perfect game by buying me "art" (Oh! Another "The Scream" nightlight! How original! Oh! Another van Gogh mousepad for my optical mouse! Just what I always wanted!). Plus I'm a horrible liar, so I sometimes think people buy me stuff like this just to watch me suffer through the awkwardness of pretending to be thrilled. Plus, my birthday is 4 days before Christmas, so if I'm not getting the old "I got you one thing for both" line (and why is it the people who give me CASH are the ones who do this?), I'm getting The Scream AND Starry Night in the same package by those kind-hearted people who are trying to acknowledge both Christmas and my b-day. Sometimes I don't even bother to make the regift a gift. If I think someone will like it, I just say, "Hey! Would you like to have this kitty angel sweatshirt? Not really my style." I don't understand the holiday gift thing. If someone feels the need to spend the money, I'd much rather have a donation made to a liquor store an animal charity or a shelter than to have the money wasted. But I digress. Sorry. Yes. Regifting good if new owner likes the regift. SideDish may have killed Christmas, but I'm the one tap dancing all over its grave.--Love, bahhumbugliochick
• Oh, the guilt of Christmas. Why do people so like to give cra unsuitable gifts? No matter how practical they are, you just KNOW that you're wounding them forever when you gently explain that an expensive white elephant they would luvvv to have on their shelf is so not you. And then they give you cheap crap instead in retaliation :( Trade it in, tell 'em how happy it made you to have something you wanted--everyone wants cash
• Is a dirty santa party the same thing as a white elephant party? I'm having a white elephant party tonight. I went to the dollar store yesterday and spent very little money on some of the greatest horrible gifts of all time :) Anyway -- I'm all for regifting. If the person on the receiving end would like it, and the person who gave it to you won't know (or mind), then go for it!
• Dirty Santa's where everybody brings a gift, not tagged so no one knows the gifter. Pile 'em on a table. Draw numbers. The first person picks a gift and unwraps it. Subsequent people can either pull a gift off the table or steal another person's gift. No immediate steal-backs, and after three thefts, a gift stays where it is. The best strategy is to bring something that you want, or else something horrid. I got a HUGE bottle of Grolsch last year.
• I'd take the bunny to a gallery and tell 'em it's a Jeff Koons. It's a sort of re-gift.
• i'll second (or fourth) the idea that if it's not going to be known and that the recipient will actually enjoy the regifted item, go for it. for the truly horrible (that can't be turned into a gag gift), there is the joy of ebay. every year, I make many collectors happy with bargain-priced penguin things.
• How does "regift" become a verb when "gift" was never the verb in the first place? How does "respond" become a verb when "spond" was never the verb in the first place? How does "regret" become a verb when "gret" was never the verb in the first place? How does "remonstrate" become a verb when "monstrate" was never the verb in the first place?
• A somewhat-related question: I know many people who keep and display ugly gifts because "she'd be so disappointed if she didn't see it the next time she came over!" Does this ever actually happen? Has anyone ever asked you, "Hey, what happened to that quilt holder with heart-shaped cutouts I bought you? Why aren't you using it to hold your quilts?" Conversely, have you ever given something to someone, then furtively cased their house for its presence the next time you were visiting? (I've certainly never asked someone what became of the gift I gave them - I'm afraid they'd tell me the answer!)

• How does "regift" become a verb when "gift" was never the verb in the first place? How does "respond" become a verb when "spond" was never the verb in the first place? How does "regret" become a verb when "gret" was never the verb in the first place? How does "remonstrate" become a verb when "monstrate" was never the verb in the first place?

  Languagehat! Paging Languagehat!
• regifting = recycling = good
• So if you regift a gift you're disgruntled with do you become regruntled?
• Well, if you were disgruntled with the gift, that presupposes you were gruntled prior to the gifting, so one would postsuppose that postregifting one would be capable of regruntling, but it may be possible that you never do achieve regruntliness, and forever remain unregruntled. That's my sponse, atleast.
• Yeah, that old postregifting nonregruntlement! I think we've all been there, haven't we?
• I'd like to take this opportunity to plug my New Book 'God's Gift of Gruntlement - an 81 year old atheist explains the true meaning of Christmas'
• Why did I capitalise new book? Who knows? Who cares?
• Worst case scenario: I gave a book to someone who expressed great pleasure. Later she mentioned someone else who had given her a copy. At the next Christmas, I received the book back from her and had to act thrilled.
• middleclasstool: that's exactly what we did at my white elephant party. Must be the same thing, then.
• Perhaps dxlifer was misgruntled?
• The Spirit of Christmas: getting shit you don't want and pretending you like it.
• goofyfoot, please, that should be msgruntled. I'se be a liberated lady.