The Art of Regifting

Regift: (verb) To give an unwanted gift to someone else; to give as a gift something one previously received as a gift. — Webster’s New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.6)

 

What was once considered a shameful secret is now a mainstream practice that receives increased attention during the holidays. In fact, more than half of adults (60%) recently surveyed by Money Management International think that regifting is acceptable. Even the etiquette experts at the Emily Post Institute approve of the practice in some circumstances.

Here are some interesting viewpoints from the MMI 2007 holiday survey of over 1,000 people:

• Fifty-eight percent of respondents say they regift or are considering doing so, a figure that is up from 54 percent in 2005.
• Sixty-two percent of people who regift say they believe the item is something the recipient will enjoy, up from 53 percent in 2005.
• Forty-two percent of people who regift say they do it for financial reasons, compared to 33 percent in 2005.
• Sixty-eight percent of women regift or are considering regifting, compared to 47 percent of men.
• Forty-two percent of regifting recipients say that they don’t really mind that they were given a regift. Less than 10 percent say they feel cheated or angry to receive a regift.

These are guidelines that Money Management Institute feels should be considered before regifting:

• Is the gift regiftable? Never regift handmade or one-of-a-kind items, free promotional items or anything that is signed or monogrammed.
• How is the condition? Only new, unopened gifts in good condition should be considered for regifting. Don’t give items you have owned for a long time.
• Is this going to work? Be sure you know who gave you the item so you don’t return it to the original giver. Don’t regift something to someone who knows the person who gave it to you.
• Do you have good intentions? Be sure the recipient will appreciate the item. Don’t regift simply because you ran out of time. Think of the other person.
• How does it look? Go for show. Gift bags in good condition can sometimes be reused, but wrapping paper is a one-time thing. Always spring for a new card or gift tag.
• Can you handle it? Can you and do you want to keep the secret of regifting? Never feel guilty about regifting once you have done it.
• Have you considered your options? An unwanted gift could be a welcome donation to a charitable organization. It is an option to suck it up and keep an unwanted gift — after all, it was a gift.

To regift or not to regift? That is the new question.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR JESUS!

“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young child, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matt. 2:11).

After all, we are celebrating the birthday of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All the gift buying and gift receiving has a very materialistic feel to it. What if we were presenting our gifts to Jesus? Would they consist of flat screen TVs or video games? Would our gifts be a brightly wrapped treasure that will have very little lasting value, or would we present to Him something much more in line with His nature and His purposes?

I’m sure you have your Christmas Sunday sermon all prepared — but what if you added a little segment to it that said, If I could offer to Jesus Christ anything this Christmas, it would be …..

My list would include:

.. An end to the war in Afghanistan and Iraq and our young men and women home safely.

.. A concentrated effort by the North American church to do all we could to eliminate hunger and poverty throughout the world (We could if we would.).

.. A return to biblical literacy by the believers. A resolve to live by the truth of God’s Word — not just hear it, but do it!

.. Not one more North American pastor be accused of immorality7y and/or suspicion of inappropriate use of the church’s money.

.. An end to the ravenous appetite of the American people to set up spoiled, inconsiderate young ladies as role models just because they are rich and famous.

.. A return to “real evangelism” — and a desperation for revival in the local church. An urgency for the lost to be found.

.. A desire on the part of every pastor to see progress in their assignments, and a willingness to pay the price for it.

.. Peace in every clergy family, and for every pastor to be validated and every pastor’s spouse to feel appreciated, and for every pastor’s child to understand their situation.

.. For the 2008 presidential election to concentrate on issues that matter rather than personality or image.

.. And a gift of myself to our Lord to live my life in such a way that He would be pleased and glorified.

Merry Christmas, my colleague, from all of us! Remember, be blessed and be a blessing. —HBL