Recently, Family Member A was caught re-gifting. A gave B a Christmas present that B had given A several years prior. Now, granted, nobody told A that she had been caught, but still.

So what is the general take on re-gifting? Personally, I think it’s tacky. I don’t think you should ever repackage a gift.

I will admit that I may have been guilty of it in the past. In going to a party (particularly of the holiday or house warming variety) I have brought along the traditional bottle of wine, that may itself have been a housewarming or holiday gift. Since I am not a big wine drinker, and my wife doesn’t really drink as a rule, wine only ever gets consumed at our house during parties, or when I’m out of beer and not in the mood for whiskey. As a result, we have a dozen or so bottles of wine at home. These bottles have been either purchased for a party, and not opened, or been given to us as gifts. So if we find ourselves in need of a gift, there you go.

Re-gifting, to me, says “You aren’t worth my time or effort, so here you go.”