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The very best regifting stories

by Kim McGrigg on
11/12/2010
in Budgeting and Building Savings

Our fifth annual regifting story contest is now underway!  As you think about stories you'd like to share in this year's contest, why not get a little inspiration from the very best regifting stories ever told?  Following are the Regiftable.com story contest winners from 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. 

2006

Unselfish Regifting

When my daughter was in 6th grade she had a friend whose mother I knew casually. The girl spent a lot of time at our house because her mother spent a lot of time running around. That Christmas Eve they showed up at our door about 10pm and asked if the girl could stay the night as her mom had a date. The mother said she would buy her something for Christmas later. My kids were real slim on Christmas and it was far too late to go buy anything at all. Christmas morning came and the girl was really sad but tried not to show it. Before we opened presents my girl pulled me off to the side and asked if I would pull some of her presents out and give them to her friend instead. What could I do? Mine did not have much but if that was what she wanted. She just kept shaking her head until her friend had about half of her presents. The look on that little girls face was priceless. My daughter regifted without ever knowing what she was regifting.

2007

Six Degrees of Bear

A lot of people collect things like dolls or baseball cards - my sister collects bear paraphernalia. So it came as no surprise when she bought me a bear figurine for Christmas, but this was no ordinary figurine, it had no place of origin, I'm guessing the country it was made in didn't want their reputation ruined. Then there was the off-colored patch of fur on his chest that looked as though the bear had found a twelve-pack of beer and vomited all over himself. One of his eyes was wide open and the other looked badly swollen. Once my sister left, I did the honorable thing; I found him a better home but it almost did six degrees of separation on me. I gave him to a neighbor who loves knickknacks, and she loved him as much as I did because she sent it to her daughter, who then gave it to an elderly neighbor, who gave it to a repairman and he later sold it to my sister on Ebay as an "Exotic Bear Statue." My sister called, "I saw the same Bear I got you...on Ebay, with the same box tear!"

2008

A Welcomed Regifting

During the Christmas of 2005, my sister called me up and made mention of the fact that our brother and his wife had gotten her a beautiful Pink Cashmere Robe, but that the robe was too SMALL for her. My sister told me that she called them up to apologize and was going to mail it back with a letter explaining her gratitude and her inability to wear it. Last Christmas I received a gorgeous cashmere robe from my brother and his wife, it was pink and boxed in an attractive box, sometimes presentation is everything and everything about this gift was just perfect! The coincidence hadn't registered yet. Then I noticed a loose piece of folded paper inside of the box. I thought it was a letter from my brother and his wife, but I saw that the letter was from my sister, to my brother and his wife, saying, "I love it. I do! I tried it on and it's too LARGE for me. I am so sorry. I'm sure it will fit Monse just fine." I'm wearing it as I type and yes, it does fit me just fine.

2009

Mom? regifter?

My Mom was given two adorable stuffed bears for her birthday in November by a co-worker. She thought they were cute, but she felt "silly being a 60 year old woman with stuffed animals" So they were put away and not seen again, until a year later when I opened my Xmas present. A beautiful gift basket and the basket were the bears. I almost died laughing, my reaction was "Mom?!?!? You're a regifter????" to which she simply said, "why not, I would never have them out and I know you liked them and would display them somewhere? She was right of course, but I was still floored, who knew Mom was a regifter? It simply wasn't possible. Not my Mom. I lost her 2 years later and those two little bears (one an Angel bear) now mean the world to me. I look at them every day and am so glad Mom was a regifter. I know that Angel bear in particular is my Mom watching over me and letting me know everything is ok. I was never a regifter, but I believe in it now.

2010

To be determined

Does your story deserve the honors? 

Kim McGrigg is the former Manager of Community and Media Relations for MMI.

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