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Regifting is the act of taking a gift that has been received and giving it to somebody else in the guise of a new gift.
Term origins and similarities
The term comes from an episode of Seinfeld ("The Label Maker") (in which Elaine calls Dr. Tim Whatley a "regifter" after he gives to Jerry a label-maker that was originally given to him by Elaine, although the practice pre-dates the term substantially. On The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson would frequently joke about the single Christmas fruitcake that was given from one person to another, year after year ([http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/yrtwn/seast/183seyt2.htm). It also common in White elephant gift exchanges, in which items can be regifted from year to year.
The concept of a repeatedly regifted item is similar to "mathom", a word coined by J. R. R. Tolkien in his novel The Hobbit (1954). He wrote: "Anything that Hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a mathom. Their dwellings were apt to become rather crowded with mathoms, and many of the presents that passed from hand to hand were of that sort."
Etiquette
While the term usually refers to Christmas presents, it can apply to any gift. Wedding presents are frequently regifted, as the typical couple will often receive multiples of the same household gift, such as blenders or toasters.
The practice has become common enough that rules of etiquette have developed around it:
- The primary rule is not to give a gift back to the person who gave it to you.
- Similarly, regifting to someone who knows the original giver carries the risk of exposing both your lack of attachment to the gift, and your failure to select and purchase a new gift for the recipient.
- One should remove any cards and other indicators that the gift was originally given to you.
- Finally, using the gift before regifting it — so that it is no longer "new" — is generally considered inappropriate.
References in popular culture
- On the December 18, 2005 Christmas episode of The Simpsons, Professor Frink as one of the Three Wise Men admits to "regifting" the myrrh he's brought for baby Jesus because "nobody needs myrrh!".
External links
"Regifting"