Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly - 'Tis the Season to ... Regift!

When you look at the calendar, you might be focused on the fact that we are a week away from Christmas. But every year the Thursday before Christmas goes by another name too: National Regifting Day. And it’s a most appropriate designation, according to a recent survey of U.S. adults.

Two-thirds of Americans have admitted to regifting – passing on an unwanted present – and Christmas is the most likely time for repackaging. In a poll last weekend of 1,000 Americans by online Secret Santa ‘gift generator’ Elfster.com, 78 percent said Christmas was the occasion they were most likely to regift.

In the poll, 60 percent of people said they felt that regifting was acceptable, although one in five said they had received an “inappropriate” item.

“Obviously those who venture into regifting territory need to be extremely careful to avoid mishaps and embarrassments,” said Peter Imburg, an Oakland native who is the founder and CEO of Elfster.com.

A third of people who admitted calling out the giver said they had either confronted them angrily, told them they were offended or pointed out that the gift was wrong.

Awkward moments included:

• The young woman who gave her mom what she thought was a pillowcase set she’d been given – only to discover that it was a bra and thong lingerie package
• A woman who regifted a graduation present to her cousin, who, it turned out, had helped pick out the gift for her
• A lady who gave her niece a gift that was given to her at work and which she had complained about at the time, calling it “ugly” – but what she forgot was that she had complained to her niece about it when she picked her up from work that day
• A man opened his Christmas gift from his sister-in-law – a shirt – when his brother blurted out: “That’s mine”.

“Our research suggests what we’ve been hearing for years - the best gift to give is one the recipient really wants,” Imburg said. “Giving is not about unloading stuff you don’t want. I guess this is an unfortunate new twist on the old saying it’s better to give than to receive.”

According to the survey results, here is the order of most likely recipients of a regift:

1. Friend
2. Distant relative
3. Co-worker
4. Mom
5. Dad

And here are the top 10 most regifted items:

1. Candles
2. Books
3. Clothing
4. Houseware
5. Soap
6. Movies
7. Picture frames
8. Jewelry
9. Perfume/cologne
10. Gift baskets

Top 10 regifting occasions:

1. Christmas
2. Birthday
3. Housewarming
4. Wedding
5. Baby shower
6. Anniversary
7. Farewell gift (work)
8. Wedding shower
9. Graduation
10. Engagement

The survey also revealed that 25 percent of people plan to regift this Christmas, with one in five considering regifting as many as six presents.