by Doreen Martel

Created on: December 29, 2008   Last Updated: December 07, 2009

Unless you're a very unusual person you've undoubtedly received at least one gift that you did not need or perhaps you simply didn't like it and you're loathe to let the person who gave it to you know about it. Since any gift is typically a heartfelt thought from the person presenting it, there's always the possibility of offending someone by asking if they'd mind if you returned it (remember often returning a gift means you're going to have to ask the person who gave the gift where it came from).

You might be one of those people who work in an industry where customers drop off gifts to you beginning right after Thanksgiving (such as a hairdresser or other service oriented business) and this can create all types of issues for you. Well, there are a number of options for you:

Gifts of Food - at one time or another we've all received canisters of cookies, popcorn, food boxes with items that we simply don't care for - this is a real simple gift to 're-gift' and help someone else who might not be as fortunate - you can drop these items at your local food pantry (provided of course they're not opened).

There are hundreds of people a day who wind up visiting food pantries (and the number continues to grow during this economic downturn) that would appreciate any type of food product that was donated. Non perishable foods are always needed and when the economy is challenging for so many families, you can make a difference with even small donations.

Odds and Ends - who hasn't received candles, potpourri, salt and pepper shakers or other knick knack type things that we know we're simply never going to use. If you received them prior to the actual holiday, contact some local organizations and see if they are collecting gifts for families. If so, run (don't walk) down there and let someone else get some pleasure from them - they may be the only gift someone sees this holiday! In addition to community organizations you may find your local food bank (or pantry) is collecting gifts to help families.

If it's after the holidays, a few inquiries will help you find out if your local Lions Club, Church group or Rotary Club has an upcoming yard, rummage or other type of sale coming up where the proceeds are going to benefit your community. This allows you to feel good about making a donation to worthy cause that is going to benefit someone else. Bear in mind that most of these organizations depend on your support in order to maintain their ability to assist your community. You too can make a difference.

If this isn't acceptable, you could consider making a special trip to a nursing home after the holidays quiet down and offer these gifts to the nursing staff to distribute among the elderly patients who live there - many of whom did not see family or friends over the holidays. These seniors are often shut in and a small gift can brighten their day.

One of the nicest things about these options is that if you know the gift giver well enough, you could actually send them a note and say something to the effect "I very much appreciated your gift of (X) to celebrate this holiday season. I wanted to let you know that in the spirit of generosity that you displayed towards me I've donated the gift to (X) in your name".

"With so many people in our community struggling to make ends meet in these difficult economic times I felt that this was a perfect way to thank you for your generosity, by sharing it with someone else". (You get the picture). This makes re-gifting acceptable for many! Happy Re-Gifting!

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