Did you know there is actually a National Regifting Day? That’s right! Most people don’t know this, but on the Thursday before Christmas this national observance has been declared. Now, knowing about a practice and actually getting into the play of it are two different things.
Personally, I can think of no more environmentally or socially responsible practice than regifting.
I don’t know if any of you have watched the news in the last couple of days since Black Friday, but I was amazed and almost hysterical with laughter at the behavior of some of these people as they galloped through the doors of the various stores that had been blasting advertisements about the many discounts and great deals they could get if they camped out in front of their stores early on! My most enjoyable and amusing segment was a piece by a psychologist who analyzed the countless types of mental disorders many of these people may have. All of this type of shopping furor is a foreign entity to me, as I kind of thought everyone was in the midst of a recession and were trying to REALLY save money. The only thing that the psychologist said that really rang true to me was the fact that most of the people who made purchases on Black Friday found that they really did not need the product they bought and were probably duped. No Kidding!
The above in a nutshell is my case for regifting or for buying presents or restoring gifts that people will use throughout the years to come. Here are some facts from those who sponsor National Regifting Day each year.
1) 62% of people say they regift because they think the gift is a present the person they are gifting would really like. What a concept! 2) 4 out of 10 people regift to save money-up 27% since 2005. 3) 14% think that regifting is a great way to recycle, therefore making it socially and environmentally responsible. 4) While about 10% said they were mad about being regifted, the majority said regifting made sense to them, and some even thought regifting was funny!
I think, and apparently, so do many others, that regifting is a cool and artful way to not only remember those you love during the holidays, but a neat way to save money, be socially and environmentally responsible, and pass around a wide array of presents that everyone should get a chance to enjoy.
The MMI Regifting Survey was conducted in October 2007 by Cynapsus. There were a total of 1,049 respondents. Results were weighted by demographics so they are representative of the US population as a whole.
http://www.nationalregiftingday.com/