Print‘Tis the time of year when people give you a gift, and you don’t have one to give to them. When you receive a pink fuzzy sweater that you’d like to exchange. And perhaps there’s a coffee maker, a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine you’re thinking of regifting.
How’s a polite barn girl to handle these situations? It’s also the time of year when we want to thank the folks who work hard all year to care for our beasts—the barn workers, the trainer, the farrier, the vet. What’s an appropriate gift?
Pink’s not really my color…..
Seriously, what was your best friend thinking? Maybe it’s a hint that she wants to see you in something other than Tailored Sportsman azure, but if the gift is going to sit in the back of your closet until the release of Avatar 2 then go ahead and exchange it. Don’t feel guilty.
The situation will require tact, because you will have to tell your friend about the exchange: “Melissa, it was so kind of you to give me something so pretty. I hope you don’t mind that I exchanged it for something in a lighter shade. What a treat to have a beautiful top that I promise will never see the inside of a barn!” Don’t forget to write her a thank-you note.
The time not to exchange a gift is when you've received something handmade or so unique that the gift-giver would be hurt if you traded it in for something else. Trainers, this means you: No matter how many coffee mugs or homemade holiday ornaments you receive from 7-year-old students you must keep them forever, less you break their wee little hearts. And you must eat every last cookie they make for you.
Many stores make exchanges easier and less awkward by offering to enclose a gift receipt in the gift box that doesn't show the price. (Start including gift receipts in the gifts you give for good gift karma.)
Regifting
This practice of gift recycling is a favorite of members of the old school, the die-hard practical and the tightwad. But is “regifting” an acceptable, i.e., polite, practice? It depends.
Our desire to regift is a symptom of the economy, our surplus of “stuff,” and a desire to be practical and give away things we know we won’t ever use. Regift with caution and only when the following criteria are met:
- The gift is something the recipient would really like to receive. Don’t give a box of chocolates to your friend who worked hard all year to lose 20 pounds.
- The gift is brand new (no cast-offs allowed) and comes in its original packaging. If you already opened the Chia Pet and threw out the box, you can’t give it to someone else.
- The gift isn't handmade or one-of-a-kind, such as a handmade sweater or acquired during your parent’s 30th anniversary trip to Greece.
Make sure you don't hurt feelings—neither the original giver's nor the recipient's. Would the person who gave you the gift mind that you passed it along? Do he and the recipient of your gift know each other, and would it be awkward if they realized that you've recycled a gift from one to the other? Make no mistake, the potential for humiliation does exist, and many consider this practice to be completely unacceptable.
