The Re-gift

We’ve all done it, and we’ll all keep doing it.  The re-gift.  It’s like a disease.

We’ve all received some little trinket that another person is kindly and maybe excitedly giving us  …and we have no idea what we’ll do with it.  Sometimes we don’t have a clue what it is!  All we know is that we will either throw it away or re-gift it.  

We also know we have to fake it.

I think this is where true talent comes into play.  Or perhaps one’s “perfect practice” is about to pay off.  I think and hope I’m in the latter camp.  I’ve had many years and attempts to feign excitement, some successes and some down-right awful face plants.  Yikes. 

Let me say now that I think the main take-away from one giving a gift, absolutely no matter what, is the person is trying to show they like you, care for you, or thought of you.  They want to convey that through a gift because it might be one of their love languages or they feel compelled to do so due to a holiday or your birthday.  However, whatever the reason, it does take the person time and thought (but some put in more effort than others, let’s be real).  So, yes, it’s cliché but true – it really is the thought that counts.

I was once sent a picture with texts reading along the lines of “Bought for me (but not what I asked for).  I thanked her profusely, of course, but didn’t let on.  It was sweet of her to do it for me.”  Precisely.   Sometimes people just won’t get exactly what we request.  They can’t see the picture you have in your mind.  Perhaps it wasn’t available and they had to get second-best.  You don’t know but you should still be thankful.

Growing up I had gotten into a bad habit of not being very thankful for the things being offered to me.  I think my facial expressions of disappointment or disgust or befuddlement also got really old.  Isn’t forgiveness a beautiful thing?  Maturity is too, thankfully.  

I didn’t realize it hurt my Mom so much when I didn’t say thanks or had an air of “well, nice try…” until she said so one day.  It wasn’t pretty.  Now I am truly and genuinely thankful for what she and others do for me and give to me.  I don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings, especially in the midst of their joy to be presenting me with something they think I’d be delighted with or just something simple and fun that made them think of me.  I do this very thing often and love it :)

I have also now been on the receiving end of the not-so-thankful person, and it’s not nice.  So, for one, I don’t stress over what to give my family and friends.  I still take the time to search for a great gift but I don’t put undue pressure on myself.  Once something is offered, whether I bought it or made it, it’s up to them what they do with it.  They can either use it, toss it, or re-gift it.  Secondly, I try hard not to let someone’s response bother me, making a mental note that gifts might not be for them or that I will try to improve the next go-around.  

Let me tell on myself…  The last “crappy gift” I gave (this has been verified) was a drink koozi with a gift card to Chic-fil-a and some candies.  Doesn’t sound so bad but here’s what happened.  My family does a Dirty Santa game, for which everyone is to bring a $10 gift to exchange.  I quickly bought a $10 gift card for food, thinking that no matter who got it they could use it.  I tried to spruce it up by placing it in a koozie filled with candies.  Our game didn’t exactly happen this year, so I thought of a friend who might want it.  Every guy likes food and a koozie (for beer obviously), right?  Well, not my best work.  And I kinda spread the disease of re-gifting.  Ugh.  I should have gone with my original, super awesome gift for him that I talked myself out of because it was too much.  He at least said thanks and later confessed to using the koozi.

Since then, I decided I should just go with my gut even if it is over the top.  Happily, I can say I’ve given one of my most favorite gifts.  It was a house-warming gift, and it most definitely wasn’t wine.  I specifically wanted to avoid alcohol since I thought the item over-done and generic for the occasion.  So, I did some searching and decided on …drum roll… an address stamp and other goodies like homemade wheat bread and yummy spreads :)  I was SO excited to give it to my friend!  Since I was so thrilled, I knew it was the right thing to give even if he never uses it or feigns delight.  He ended up saying thanks for the “phenomenal gift.”  Aw, warm fuzzies.

I won’t stop giving gifts and enjoying it, because I like to try to think of others.  I also like when, on occasion, no one else knows I gave an item, making the mystery of a blessing more fun.

No matter what is given or how, it takes some work and my time, but it’s worth it.  On top of that, it can be hard since I’ve definitely given things away that I’ve wanted to keep for myself yet seeing (or hearing about) the recipient’s happiness makes my day and confirms I made the right decision.  Giving is the best!

I could stop there but I’m just too thankful for a particular gift given to me, and I can’t help but think that my little gifts, whether “good” or “bad” and no matter how perfectly thoughtful they may be, greatly pale in comparison to God’s gift to all of us: sending His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins so that we can know God and have a relationship with Him.  Now that’s the ultimate, sacrificial gift.  It’s mine, and it could be yours, too.  I mean, it’s definitely one gift I’m not afraid to re-gift.