Regifting Etiquette: 8 Tips To Giving Away Unwanted Christmas Presents

It’s Christmas Day, and by now, most of us have already unwrapped all (if any) of the gifts we’ve received. Every year, there’s usually at least one family member, co-worker, friend or partner, that has gifted us something that we would never buy for ourselves and a gift that we will never use.

For those of you who are bold enough to tell someone that you don’t quite like a gift that was given to you, more power to you! But, Then there’s the rest of us, those of us who dig deep, real deep, to look excited and proceed to say, “Thank you, I love it!” with a big ole fake smile on our face. 

After the smile comes down, we start thinking about what we’re going to do with that unwanted gift, and this is where regifting comes in. Regifting isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the way I see it is, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” A gift that you or I may hate may be a gift that someone else would love. 

If you have a gift in mind that is worth regifting, here are eight tips to shamelessly giving it away this holiday season.

1. Be sure that there’s no evidence that the gift has been tampered with. If you’ve ripped the wrapping paper off of a present that you discovered you hate, don’t proceed to break any manufacturer seals. The last thing you want to do is give someone a gift that looks visibly opened and regifted.

2. Be sure to regift the item to someone who is going to love it. The objective is not to continue the gift landing cycle in the hands of someone who doesn’t want it, so make sure that you’re thoughtfully giving the gift to someone else who would find great interest in it. If you can’t think of anyone, give it to a charity seeking donations of all kinds.

3. Re-wrap the gift in a personalized way for the next person the gift will go to. If it’s their birthday, get a birthday-themed gift bag or even get wrapping paper with their favorite color. Don’t leave the gift in the Christmas-themed gift wrapping paper it came in. Since you didn’t have to pay for the gift, go ahead and even grab a card to go along with it.

4. Don’t regift sentimental gifts. These gifts are off-limits! If someone is gifting you something that has been a part of their family heirloom or passed down in your family, there may come a day that you may regret giving these types of gifts away, so it’s best not to do it.

5. Don’t regift personalized or handmade gifts that took time to make. If someone puts a lot of effort into crafting a gift just for you, be sure not to give it away.

6. Don’t regift to anyone in the same circle as the person who gave you the gift. Let’s face it; we have no control over what people wear or what they post on social media. The last thing you’d want is to regift and get busted in the process. Be sure that the gift you are giving away doesn’t go to someone who’s in the same social circle as the person who gave you the gift.

7. If it’s a gift that’s on-trend right now, be sure to regift it before it’s no longer in style. Whether it is the latest Apple product or something fashionable, be sure to regift it while there’s a buzz already built up around it.

8. Provide the gift receipt if you were given one. Although it would make the most sense for you to exchange the gift for something you want for yourself, some of us hate the process of returning things and dread standing in a return/exchange line, especially after Christmas. If you have the gift receipt, be sure to provide it just if something goes wrong with it.

As you are considering regifting this holiday season, be sure to do it from a good place in your heart, and if you are busted in the process, come clean and be honest. The goal is to put a smile on someone’s face who would appreciate the gift more than you did, not to hurt feelings in the process.