For Christmas one year, I received a well-intentioned, expensive, but off-the-mark gift of a large serving bowl. I live in a small house so we don’t do much entertaining, and it was too large for any of my possible storage spaces. What could I do with it?
Just as I was about to donate it, a dear friend mentioned she was attending the wedding of a relative she wasn’t close to, and she was trying to decide what to bring as a gift. Suddenly, both of our problems were solved.
We have all heard—and probably experienced firsthand—horror stories of re-gifting gone horribly wrong. When done with care, however, it can work out well for everyone.
If you feel any guilt about it, let etiquette expert, Miss Manners, put your mind to rest. In her book, Miss Manners’ Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior, she wrote that returning, donating to charity, and re-gifting are not rude “if the rule is strictly observed about protecting the donor from knowing. This requires fresh wrappings and logs of who gave what, and a ban on yard sales and re-gifting anywhere near the donor.”
Here are a few guidelines to help you save face:
If all of the Do’s and Don’ts of re-gifting is just too much to bear, you are probably better off returning, donating, or selling the item.
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