Hey SuperForest! The other day I received this lovely hand-painted plate as a gift from my 87 year old Great Aunt Flo! It was hanging around her house and she felt that I might enjoy it more than she would so she decided to “re-gift” it. This made me ask myself: “When did “re-gifting” get a bad (w)rap?” (couldn’t resist the pun…)
I suppose most of us think of re-gifting as a thoughtless, perhaps lazy way to impart a useful or beautiful object to someone in celebration of an occasion or event. I would like to challenge all of you SuperForesters to “rethink the re-gift!”
Re-gifting is green! Passing something on to someone else who may appreciate it or use it more than you might is a very environmentally sound practice. If you even go as far as to use the same gift wrapping it came in, then you are really performing a green deed! (Just make sure it’s not ripped and the gift tag with your name on it is removed!) The one flaw in this plan is of course trying not to offend the original “gifter”, so I suppose we need to consider the re-gift on a case by case basis.
I am not suggesting we disregard the generosity of others who give us wonderful gifts, but if there is something in your possession that you do not need or no longer appreciate, perhaps someone else would give it a new life! That is what my Aunt has done for me with this beautiful plate that is a work of art on its own but will also be the vessel for many lovely food items in the future!
By re-gifting something that you may not use instead of buying something new, you are also making a conscious choice not to consume, not to purchase a needless gift simply because a certain holiday requires you to do so. Having said all of this, of course there are gifts that are purely meant for you and you should keep them and enjoy them! However, sometimes we receive gifts and we are grateful for them but we see someone in our lives that could use this object more, so I think it is a thoughtful, “green” thing to do to pass it on to that individual. You can even take it one step further and be completely transparent about your re-gifting by hosting a Clothing Swap! (I am attending one this Saturday and will share my experience with all of you soon!)
What do you think, SuperForest?
Yours in recycled gifting,
SuperForester Heather
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