Paula Bennett: On putting a lot of thought into regifting Christmas gifts

Regifting Christmas presents is a tradition for many as Rod Emmerson depicts in this cartoon from 2020.

I have a confession. I am a regifter. I am usually honest about it but sometimes forget where I got something from and have been at risk of regifting someone’s present back to them. Not a good look.

The big day is coming up and there is a relatively new phenomenon where people put their unwanted gifts on to TradeMe – there is even a category for it. I wouldn’t sell it on Trade Me but I might regift it. Is that a contradiction?

I feel that regifting in its own way is considerate as you have thought that there might be someone you know who would love the gift more. I am lucky that when I am at speaking gigs etc. I sometimes get given a lovely bunch of flowers. I often give them to my mum. It makes her happy, she looks after them better than I do and she is home to enjoy them.

It’s not that I am not grateful for the gift and the thought and expense that has gone into it. I find buying gifts sometimes really stressful and usually leave it late and so I scramble around a bit.

Others in my family plan months ahead. They see something that they think you would like and buy it and store it away. I tried this one year but what happened was that I got so excited about nailing a gift that I ended up giving it to a loved one as soon as I had bought it and that just meant I had to buy them something else for Christmas.

If it is the thought that counts then I put a lot of thought into whether the gift-giver would be offended that I have regifted. I would not be in the least offended if a gift I have given was regifted. I hope someone enjoys it and if you’re not going to then give it to someone who will.

I also don’t do vouchers, I don’t like that no thought has gone into it and young people seem to forget to redeem them. But I usually give the nephews cash, one could argue that a voucher is more thoughtful than cash. But who doesn’t like cash?

We also have a bit of a tradition in our family where we regift terrible presents. We even try and wrap them up differently so that the receiver can’t tell what it is until they unwrap it. We have a heated foot warmer bought in a garage sale about 20 years ago that no one should plug in. We had lawn aerator shoes but they seem to have gone missing. There are tea towels found in the back of a cupboard when cleaning out a deceased aunt’s place. They are hard to disguise because they smell really bad and as soon as this gift is handed to someone they know what it is.

Whatever your tradition I hope you have a lovely Christmas and get some time out and that you’re not offended by the regift.

Paula Bennett is a former Deputy Prime Minister and National Party politician who now works at Bayleys Real Estate as national director-customer engagement.