I gave my neighbor a beautiful Waterford vase. While I got it at a tremendous discount, I had searched hard for the perfect gift at a price I could mange (I am unemployed). The next year, she gave it to someone I knew, who was also stretched financially and commented on how she was regifted something that she would never use. I felt punched twice.

Later, I found that she regularly re gifted gifts I had given her daughters. I love the little girls, but they will no longer receive gifts from me as I cannot afford to subsidize the mother's gift giving.

Re gifting is not clever or fun. It is hurtful. If you prefer not to receive gifts, decline them and ask that in lieu of a gift, a donation be made to your favorite charity.

It was mid-April when my boyfriend was cleaning out his pantry in his apartment to move to his new house. He looked at me and asked me if I like chocolate covered cherries. I responded that on occasion I do. He promptly handed me two boxes of chocolate covered cherries. It was rather a feat to maintain my composure as these were THE two boxes I had given him at Christmas. I had all sorts of questions running through my head that I did not hear anything else he said for the next ten minutes. On my drive home which was 3.5 hours away, I pondered that whole situation. At last I decided to take them to my office for everyone to share. Needless to say, those were the last boxes of chocolate covered cherries I ever bought for him.

Growing up, my doctor father got a lot of freebies from the drug companies- pens, calculators, even a plushie shaped like a pancreas. It took my brother years to figure out that my dad's random "gifts" were actually gifts he'd gotten from a drug company. One night, my dad brought home a stuffed cheetah for my brother with a collar on it. My brother's just starting to recognize letters and he says that its collar has a name on it. Without thinking, I read aloud- "Androgel", the testosterone gel for men! The name stuck and my brother continued to call the toy "Androgel" the week he played with it.

A good friend and neighbor (A) that I love but is always doing the one-up thing (try hard to ignore), is especially jealous if she feels I'm getting too close to another neighbor (B).

This Christmas Neighbor B broke her arm and could only wear shaws due to cast. I remembered I had a nice shaw that was given to me a year or 2 ago that I never wore and actually could not remember who gave it to me (my fault).

So I gave it to B and when she told me is was her favorite gift and even wore it to her family reunion, I admitted it was regifted. She just laughed and thanked me for getting it to a happy bearer!

But, when she raved to A about the gift, neighbor A screamed "I know it's wonderful, I GAVE IT TO HER." Neighbor B, then thanked A for the gift, which A promptly called me and told me how grateful B was for the gift in which SHE had bought. I wasn't trying to hide it, but I didn't think she should have taken the credit. Would you tell if you had been the original g

A few years back my father-in-law gave my husband an opened four pack of underpants that only had three pairs in it. I was like, "Did he have an accident on the way over?"

While visiting my home a few years ago, my parents asked if we might like some Alaskan smoked salmon. I was ambivalent, but my partner said "sure." As the months went by, the salmon sat in our pantry. Our outdoor cat, Buddy, appeared one Saturday morning looking cute and hungry. Out came the salmon-it was a huge hit with the cat. About that time, my aunt called and asked how all was going; I told her that I was fine and the cat was even better due to his wonderful brunch. she asked, "Alaskan salmon?" I told her yes indeed-my parents had given it to us months earlier. She was appalled (and not too happy) because she had given them the salmon a bit earlier that year!

I found out later that one of her best friends had given her the salmon as she had every year for Christmas. Oh, Buddy! Weren't you the lucky one??

Terry has always re-gifted since she became a part of our family many years ago. We all know it and now that she really is an integral member, no longer resent it but laugh about it. And we ignore the implications from her that she bought each gift specifically with the recipient in min,. One Christmas I received a beautiful hand painted set of four salad plates - along with the original gift tag that her friend had enclosed.

Now that she is in her declining years we get gifts she has picked out at her church's thrift shop that she occasionally works at. I keep getting clothing for a person much smaller than I have been in years. This year I got a vest with mustard on it and a Mrs. Claus apron that, if I were a call girl, I might consider wearing. I did pass that on to my granddaughter - unwrapped and with full disclosure as to where it came from, at least one re-gift back.

I still have the vest if anyone is interested.

This Christmas as I was short of funds I had three gifts that I re gifted. I had a indoor / outdoor timer that I received as a door prize at a conference, a Puma hunting knife that I bought from a friend for next to nothing and a handheld GPS unit that I bought from the same guy. All the recipients were very grateful to receive them.

My aunt came over after attending a benefit silent auction. Triumphantly she lifted a hand-woven Irish mohair blanket out of a shopping bag. "$25.00, " she gloated, "Can you believe it! I don't know why no one else wanted it." It was very soft and warm, but the pastel colors looked touristy to me.

Several years later, I got married. The wedding present from my aunt? You guessed it--the mohair blanket. I am sure she has no memory of telling me how she got it. I put it away thinking maybe I could pass it on one day.

Then we moved into a drafty house where it turns out the blanket (colors notwthstanding) is the perfect antidote. But by far the best thing about it is getting to tell this story to whoever is using it. It's an inextricable part of the blanket's charm.

My aunt likes to cultivate an allure of perfection, but I have evidence to the contrary! The best gift she gave I can't thank her for--but now you can enjoy it. I'm keeping her blanket.
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When I accepted the beautifully wrapped gift, I was suspicious. Why? Because the box and wrapping was soggy and mushy. When I opened the box, I literally flushed-out the evidence as a gush of water drained onto my lap. My gift was a pulsating shower head. It was obviously re-gifted because they forgot to drain it. Grrrr!