gifts

Regifting

Backstory

At one of our girls’ lunches, someone sheepishly admitted to regifting. That opened an avalanche of confessions from those who did indeed pass along to others something that had been gifted to them. Some justified their transgressions. A few told stories of getting caught in the act.

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Regifting – #122

Have you ever dabbled in regifting? You know – passing along a gift that someone has given to you. Oh, admit it. You receive a gift that’s just not something you would use or enjoy. Or that color just does not do you justice. But you know, for sure, that someone else would just love it. So you pass it along.

Now the trick is to regift with panache. There are some rules to follow, if you want to be a real success at regifting. These were passed along to me by some of the world’s greatest regifters. So here are the key tips to Christmas regifting:

Make sure the gift card TO YOU has been removed before you wrap the regift. It’s not a good idea to leave that in there.
Make sure the gift has not rusted while it sat there in the garage, particularly if it has been there for five years or more. That’s definitely not cool.
Make sure you are not passing the gift along to the person who gave it to you in the first place. Keep a list.
Okay, so regifting can be tricky. But when you’re planning to give fruitcake, know that the recipient will always think it us a regift.

So take heed and be sure to have fun this Christmas. We sure are.

P.S.

Is regifting tacky? Etiquette experts suggest that it is acceptable, as long as the item is nice, is in new, unused condition and is something you would have bought for the person if you were paying for it.

Our family plays a game on Christmas for which every prize is a flagrantly admitted white elephant or regift. It’s brought lots of laughter to our holiday and some pretty neat stuff.

[Show #122]

Unexpected Gift

Backstory

How do you keep a friendship going, when you and the other person are far apart? Through communication. That might be a Facebook post, a hand-written letter or an occasional gift. I got to smiling over beloved objects in my home that were gifts from over the years, and this story was the result.

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Unexpected Gift – #650

Imagine a gift arriving in the mail. You open the packing box to find a gaily wrapped present. And it’s not even your birthday. It’s not Christmas. It’s just an ordinary day . . .or at least it was, until the gift arrived.

It came from a friend or a relative who was thinking of you. Someone found something that reminded them of you and sent it on. What an absolutely joy.

A friend once sent me a soft, plush fleece blanket. It was huge. It’s now been on my king size bed for years. Every time I cuddle up in it, I think of him and his family and smile.

My vanity has trinkets and jewelry from various friends. I finger them and recall our last laugh together .

There’s a little sign on my desk reminding me to “Take time to smell the roses.” My young grandson sent it. It had a hidden message. It said to me – He gets it!

Those cubes on my bookcase with cute sayings; someone sent each of them to entertain me. Every one is an object that speaks of love. None of them have much monetary value in the scheme of things. But oh, they have value to me.

A gift – for no reason at all. It’s really special. Besides receiving them,

you can also send them! A really good idea –to consider.

P.S.

Nothing says “I am thinking of you” like adding to someone’s collection with an unexpected gift. Whether they collect matchbook covers (now there’s a dwindling collectible), salt and pepper shakers, toy trains or antique farm toys, when you see one at a yard sale or auction, snatch that baby up and send it on. Make a friend’s day more joyful.

[Show #650]

I Bought Gifts

Backstory – I Bought Gifts

This story first aired in 2014, before we had a website and blog. It brought more comments than any previous story. Seems I was not the only one with this experience. Feel free to write your comments, after listening to what happened when I gave gifts to the children.

Consider This Show – I Bought Gifts

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I bought gifts for some children who were coming to visit. The kids were 5 years old, 8 and 13. The gifts totally bombed out. The kids were disappointed with them.

I had so enjoyed picking them out and making sure they were age-appropriate. And they were rejected with hardly a parent-induced, murmured “thanks.”

Who went wrong? Them or me?

Was it too much to expect a polite response from kids this age, even if they were not thrilled with the gift? Or am I placing MY expectations on THEM?

I can remember receiving presents as a kid; some bummers and some keepers. I hope I was gracious in my acceptance of both kinds. But was I?

And if I gushed over some out-of-style or mundane gift, was I being hypocritical? Was it more honest to show without a doubt that the gift was unwelcome?

Do the parents have a responsibility to instill in their kids the social concepts of civility and appreciation? Or do I just shrug, chalk it up to my bad and give the kids money next time, so they can go and buy something they’d like.

One thing for sure; I won’t be choosing any more gifts for these kids. Not because I’m mad at them, just because I am now assured that I have no concept of their preferences and desires.

Too bad. I really enjoyed shopping for those gifts.

[Show #528]

Gifts to Strangers

Most of us look forward to being with family and friends on Christmas Day. You’ll hear folks talking for weeks ahead of time about how they will spend the day.

But there are those whose Christmas day will be a repeat of a normal work day. They have pulled the holiday shift and they’ll be away from loved ones on that special day.

If you interact with someone on the job on Christmas Eve or Christmas day, you can help make their holiday a little brighter. Share holiday cheer with them – no matter what the circumstance.

My mom used to wrap up a dozen or so gifts of a few homemade cookies and take them with her, if she was traveling on a holiday. She’d pass them on to the toll taker on the highway or the counter clerk at the airport or the taxi driver.

Even if you don’t do presents, you can give the gift of your patience and your smile; especially if you’re in a situation that has others upset – like delays at the airport or cold weather traffic conditions. It’s so easy to become dour when our holiday plans go awry. You want to blame someone or take it out on somebody.

When that moods starts to devour you, remember that you have a choice. It’s not the circumstance that decides your mood; you decide. You can choose to be angry and battered or you can be happy throughout the incident, whatever it is.

So as the holidays rush upon us, don’t give in to becoming the Grinch who stole Christmas. Help bring peace on earth to your little corner of the world, no matter what. Merry Christmas.

[Show #512]

Gifts from the Heart

It was the early 1800s and a young couple newly married had lots of love, but very little money. As they face their first Christmas together, he strokes her beautiful, waist length auburn hair and wonders how he can possibly afford a Christmas gift for her that is worthy of all the happiness she has brought him.

As she watches him dress for work, opening his pocket watch to check the time, she is filled with love and wants desperately to show it by getting him a gift for Christmas that he will treasure.

On Christmas eve, he arrives home and she is still hurrying about preparing a special dinner, a scarf covering her head and an apron protecting her dress.

He pulls her to the couch and hands her the gift he chose for her – a beautiful sterling silver hair ornament that he envisioned holding her lovely hair high on her head. She presents her gift to him – a gold watch fob for the pocket watch that he treasures so.

He sheepishly admits he no longer has the watch. He sold it to buy her hair clip. She slowly removes the scarf from her head, revealing short cropped hair. She cut and sold her flowing locks to buy the watch fob.

The physical gifts were now useless to each of them. But the love with which they were acquired will see them through, whatever lies ahead.

May your Christmas be merry and full of love.

[Show #466]

Books for Christmas

I’ve been thinking about Christmas gifts. Books used to be a favorite gift of mine. The placement of ideas into the mind of another is an awesome gift.

And books become more beautiful with time. The treasured, hundred-year- old family bible, now worn and threadbare, could not be more beautiful. The children’s story book with its finger prints and jelly smears, with stories read so many times that a parent has them memorized; far more beautiful than the leather-bound, gold in-scripted book sitting on a shelf that looks like it has never been opened.

Of course we see the transmittal of words moving to other media now. My Christmas gift list this year might include a Kindle or other electronic reading device. I might bring up a book on my iphone or read it on line. But somehow it’s still captivating to curl up with a good book.

Yes, I think books will remain on my Christmas gift list. That and CDs of books for listening in the car or CDs of, say, this radio show. (Blatant hint.)

Consider This IS now on CD and ready for Christmas gift giving. But only if you too are into sharing wisdom, ideas, humor and mirth.

[Show #391]