The Art of Re-Gifting: Etiquette for Unwanted Gifts

The art of re-gifting: is it ever okay to give someone a gift that's already been given to someone else? We hit the streets to find out how some people feel about it.

"I think as long as the other person is okay with it, it's a go," Ronan said.There are some strong feelings surrounding re-gifting presents for the holidays. "I'm not the biggest fan," said Josie. "I think you could just do something more personal or even give someone your time if you can. Rather than recycling something. But I think if that's what you have in the moment and you're thinking of someone, that's okay too.""Received a Christmas gift card? Why you should spend it immediately," was our related story.And more likely than not, we all have our own re-gifting horror stories, like getting caught trying to pawn less favorable gifts off onto others. "It was like a jewelry item that I thought was ugly, actually, and I thought it was someone else's style," Josie said. "But when I gave it to them, they actually asked me if there was a reason. And he was very gifted again. Yeah, it was very traumatizing."Etiquette expert Danielle Kovachevich says re-gifting done well is totally acceptable. "One of the foundations of etiquette is about showing others grace when they're, you know, going through a hard time or struggling. And so I like to think that someone's intentions are good. Like they may not have a budget this holiday season to buy everyone a gift," Kovachevich said.But according to Sean, the biggest challenge is avoiding giving it back to the person who originally gave it. "I've done that before. A couple of years later. And... it's really awkward."Kovachevich has a good rule of thumb: avoid re-gifting in the same circle of friends and family. "If you think of something that someone really loves, make sure it's in a totally different circle of friends or family," she said.And there are different ways you can take that gift and add some personal touches to show it came from the heart. "Elevate it with different wrapping paper, adding a bow or maybe writing a personal note or gift tag. But putting that personal touch in is really important. Highly advised," Kovachevich said.