Rude, Tacky or Recycling?
Ok, so it's time to take down the Christmas tree. The funny thing is it takes so long to put up, and I can have this baby down and out the door in less than a half hour. Isn't that how it is?
It's pretty easy to put the bulbs and ornaments away in their rightful places, but what do I do with the gifts under the tree that just don't seem to have a place? Things like the flamigo pink plaid pj's that are a size too small? Or the Santa Candle that just isn't me? Do I put it with last year's ab roller? Or how about with the big coffee table book on pictures of squash I got from my grandmother two Christmases ago? I suppose I could put them with the twinkie holder my son got this year.
Re-gifting is sounding good right now. But who in their right mind would want a twinkie holder? Maybe the same one that would want an AB roller? Ya, right.
I guess Oprah recently supported the idea of re-gifting so I'm encouraged!! She asked, "If you get something that you absolutely cannot use, you're not going to use it, it's not of any merit to you, you cannot pass it on?" I guess in response to someone who said it was tacky.
Some say it's rude. Some say it's tacky. Could it be viewed as recycling...howbeit a twisted form of recycling?
Do we need to use these gifts to honor those who gave it to us? I think you honor a person when you say Thank you and mean it. Think about their feelings. However after saying your thank yous the gift is yours to do whatever you wish to do with it. You can stomp on it, give it to the dog, trash it or give it as a re-gift. It's yours afterall to do with it as you please.
I think the only way it would be rude or tacky to re-gift is if you give it back to the same person later on. I've heard someone did that before...how embarrasing is that?
I think re-gifting has gotten a bad reputation because people do it so badly. Like giving gifts with company logos on them. Or giving food gifts that are very apparently a year old or more.
It's not what you give but the thought behind it that matters. It doesn't matter where the gift comes from, the mall, the outlet store, or over the net. It's not thinking rightly of the individual that is rude or tacky.
Like my grandmother. I told her beforehand hat my son does not eat junk food as he's really into his running and has cut out all sweets. Well wouldn't you know...she made him a big honking container of fudge. When I said he wouldn't eat it, she replied.,"I don't care, that's what I wanted to do...everybody gets fudge regardless." Now that's ugly...and rude!! Into the trash it went....it wasn't good fudge anyhow...no recycling here.
A gift means you give something voluntarily without the expectation of anything in return. That's the meaning of a gift. The definition doesn't say you have to honor the gift or that it has to be new or bought. You could give away a book as a gift that you have previously read for example as long as it's in good condition and something the reader is interested in. Maybe a personal note could be added to the inside jacket....or not. Could be like the everlasting fruitcake...the gift that keeps on giving.
So when we say....it's the thought that counts are we telling the truth? Or are we bad mouthing someone who gives us something we don't like or....... yikes......... are we suspecting the gift was a re-gift?
I think it's an art to re-wrap and recycle in such a way that the new owner of this gift has no idea.
So excuse me while I go and buy a big box of twinkies to go with that twinkie holder. It's still in the original wrapper. Any takers?