December 14, 2007
"Tis blessed to bestow, and yet, could we bestow the gifts we get, and keep the ones we give away? How happy would be our Christmas day!"--Carolyn Wells
Ah, yes, now here is an idea for Christmas giving. Can we give away what others give us and keep what we give them?
Probably not. Gift karma might get us, and you might receive the tacky gift back again next year.
Even though we pretend otherwise, most of us gave an unwanted gift to someone else at some point in time.
Take my friend who made a very nice bathrobe for her husband. She really likes to sew, and it seemed like a great idea, at the time. Enter hubby who never wears a robe and hated it, possibly because it was a soft yellow, but never mind that. He opened his gift before the rest of the family came for dinner. Brother then shows up with a gift, and they did not have one for him. So, my friend hurriedly rewrapped the bathrobe for her brother. Later, as he tried it on, he casually put his hand in the pocket whereupon he pulled out a nasal inhaler. The hubby had used the inhaler and absent-mindedly put it in the pocket when he tried on the robe. Oh my.
Therefore, I warn you--beware regifting no matter how tempting.
Additionally, regifting is scary for we baby boomers and anyone else with a tad bit of forgetfulness because we must be absolutely certain to not give the gift back to the original giver! If you decide to give away a gift you received last year and hated, at the very least, please change the tag.
Granted some Christmas gifts we receive are, shall we say, just horrible.
You know exactly of which gifts I speak.
In fact, these undesired gifts are so bad they render us speechless. We offer a faint smile and weak thank you, and that is all we can muster.
Wide ties with huge, bright flowers. Tacky ornaments. An ugly lamp or vase. Outdated theme bath rugs such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Dukes of Hazzard. Cheap perfume. Cheap wine. A vacuum cleaner, a hammer, or any small kitchen utensil or appliance such as hand mixers and toasters unless specifically requested and hopefully never from a spouse. Bathroom scales. Please, say you didn't give anyone bathroom scales. If you receive them, well, what can I say, put them in the guest bath, I guess.
It goes without saying that the best gifts are those we make ourselves, yet the perfect gift is really quite simple. If you would like to receive it, then give it. I guarantee it will be priceless, as long as it isn't a regifted one.
