Creative Regifting Ideas People Love

Help the Planet by Regifting

The holiday season has the largest sales volume of the year and many people overspend during the holidays. This year probably more than ever you are conscious of your budget because of inflation. Also, maybe going to the stores smashed with crowds is just not your thing. Regifting not only saves planetary resources, helps declutter your home, but also can provide a very thoughtful gift for someone you love. Regifting ideas are fabulous when you have to come up with a last-minute gift and don’t want to run to the store.

There are some common-sense thoughts about regifting we would like to share with you that will make for thoughtful and enjoyable regifting to friends and family:

Be Sure to Take Tags off Presents:

Make sure that you remove the gift tag from who gave you the present previously. Also, be sure to take store tags off the gift, since they wouldn’t be returnable. This is great for clothing that didn’t fit or an item that is nice enough but just not to your taste.

 

The Art of Wrapping:

Taking the time to artfully wrap a present makes a huge difference when regifting. Many times, I’ve wrapped presents that look so pretty people mention that they don’t want to open them. Remember that presentation is everything. So make those gorgeous bows, use colorful tissue paper, or wrap a present in an unusual way. Taking the time to wrap artfully helps make your gift memorable.

 

Expiration Dates & Time Limits:

Food doesn’t last forever and neither do the chocolates that your aunt gave you. Regifting food can be tricky, be very conscious of expiration dates. If you aren’t regifting food, remember trends in fashion come and go, so make sure you aren’t giving someone something that is totally out of fashion. Regifting books, blank journals, art supplies, and even quilting materials are able to be regifted for years.

 

Don’t Give Away Family Treasures:

Giving away family heirlooms most of the time is a big no. Now there are exceptions, if the person who gifted you the family heirloom has passed away and you want to make a special presentation of a special piece of jewelry or some other vintage item to someone you love for a special event in their life, that is fine.

 

Don’t Make Regifting Just About Money:

The art of regifting is doing it with forethought and the right motivation. If you are just being cheap and throwing something together, people can usually tell. Don’t let saving money be the only reason you regift something. This is where thought and some time come into thinking through a gift that you want to regift. I got a cookie sheet as a gift with homemade cookies wrapped on the top and the recipe hidden underneath; regifted, probably, thoughtful-yes it was!

 

Remember Who Gifted You the Item Your Regifting:

Remembering who gave you the gift you want to regift is paramount. This goes down as a most embarrassing moment, huge family gathering, and you have regifted a gift someone in the family gave you years ago to another family member, a huge social faux pas, not to mention that it creates a lot of hurt feelings. So, it’s important to regift consciously and remember who gave you the gift in the first place.

 

Make Your Regifting Memorable:

Giving and receiving gifts is one of the ways we show people that we love them. Giving gifts whether new or regifted takes thought and some time to make for a wonderful gift a person will love. This is where giving unfashionable or ugly items is a total no, leave those for a White Elephant party, not a holiday gift to someone you love.

 

Don’t Regift Handcrafted Items:

If someone has put hours into knitting a scarf or sweater, please don’t give it away. The same is true of handcrafted wooden items, pottery, and really anything someone has put hours of work and love into.

Regifting Works Year Round:

Regifting doesn’t need to be relegated to just the holidays. Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, births, baby showers, and so many more occasions are a wonderful time to thoughtfully regift. The questions to ask yourself: when regifting are; is this a gift I would buy, would this be a gift this person would love, is this a useful and kind gift to give? Many times, I’ve found that the items I have chosen to regift, especially if they are from a few years ago are made better and will stand the test of time for the person I am regifting to.

 

Regift Lightly:

This is where moderation comes into play; don’t always regift. Use regifting sparingly, with forethought, intention, and the happiness of the person you are gifting to in mind. When you keep these factors in mind regifting becomes an art form and regifted items will bring a lot of happiness to the person you are giving the gift to for years to come.

 

Thoughtful & Fun Regifting Ideas

There are a number of items that make great regifting. We give you some fun, thoughtful, and creative ideas below to get you started with your regifting this year:

• Unopened bath products; such as soaps, lotions, body butter, body scrubs, and essential oils
• Unopened gourmet foods; such as cookies, teas, and chocolates
• Bottles of wine and spirits make for great regifting
• Candles and home decorating items
• New kitchen items such as; small appliances, dish towels, teapots, and more
• Unopened gift baskets
• Gift cards that haven’t expired
• Books in good condition always make a thoughtful gift
• New clothing with tags or that look brand new such as; gloves, scarfs, sweaters, leggings, and more
• Unopened cologne or perfume
• Board games, toys, and puzzles are great to regift
• Inexpensive jewelry such as; earrings, necklaces, and bracelets
• Vinyl records and unopened CDs and DVDs
• Cookbooks I have received used with notes in them from the prior owner that was a wonderful gift
• Home decor items such as; posters, wall art, pillows, blankets, and throws

Regifting is truly an art form when done with thought and love. We hope you have fun with your regifting this season that brings joy to both the giver and receiver plus helps our planet not create more waste. Please give us a call for holiday cleaning and prep help, we are there to lighten your load and have you enjoying the holidays that much more!