THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

I always appreciate the time people take in selecting a gift for me. This is no easy task, and one I am finding increasingly difficult to do for loved ones. February is a particularly busy month full of celebrations and my own birthday. With it comes the task of picking gifts, and returning those that my friends hoped I would like.

Unless I really know someone very well, and in most cases even then, it is hard to pick something they will really appreciate and use. Sure there are the safe options, like their favourite perfume, or a shirt they liked the last time you went shopping together. But even then, there's the risk that three other people have bought exactly the same item for them. Which is why I am so thankful that so many stores provide a gift receipt. That way the friend can go back and exchange the unwanted present for something they will like. The gift receipt lets the recipient know that you won't be offended should they not like the gift you carefully chose.

What frustrates me is when well-wishers give carefully selected gifts without the receipt. I can’t exchange the dull brown jumper and I certainly won’t be wearing it. If I asked the person for a receipt, I run the risk of offending them. So instead I choose to re-gift. It saves having to find room in my closet for another item I won’t wear and I don't have to to shop around for that friend’s birthday. 

Being a good re-gifter is all about organisation. I keep a list of the items I get that I don't want, and the people who gave them to me. I always have gift bags and tissue paper from Scribbler at the ready so I don't have to spend ages wrapping. And I make note of who I have passed the gift on to, so that I can avoid any confusion and keep up the pretense that I bought their new favourite scarf. 

I must admit I've become somewhat of an expert at re-gifting. I now know which person will give me a present that will suit another friend better. So much so that on occasion I don’t even check for the gift receipt. And should either the initial gift-giver or the recipient ask, I'd like to think I could cleverly talk myself out of coming clean. Heaven forbid they should meet with the recipient wearing the very item I re-gifted. 

The best gift for me is a voucher to use at one of my favourite shops. I know this might sound cold and impersonal. But thanks to Facebook friendships and the ease with which they can be maintained in the digital age, there are more social functions to attend than ever before. And the most efficient way for a friend to show me they care is giving me the choice to select and item I really want. Sure there are exceptions to the rule. If a friend knows that my favourite scent is Lacoste Pour Homme, or decides to order my favourite orchid from interflora, than this is spot-on and they know my taste. These few can be trusted to get it right.

The biggest mistake is to buy a gift based on the very little you know about the recipient in the hope that it is enough that they will like it. I would much rather have received a voucher than the three copies and poster of Brokeback Mountain. 

The friends, who I'm sure meant well, did not select the movie based on my taste in film, nor my appreciation of the director's previous work. It was a shot in the dark based on the genre of the film. This only highlighted how little we knew each other, or how sloppy they are at re-gifting. Thanks to ebay, I was able to get the books I'd actually hoped wanted and three bidders got to appreciate Jake and Heath. But this situation could easily have been avoided by opting for a Zara or Bannatyne's Spa gift voucher. And if your particularly strapped for cash, KGB Deals has some great beauty treatments or experience days at fantastic value.  

So this year I hope that I will only get the minimum re-gift gifts required to cover the birthdays I'm attending. And I already have my eye on a couple of sweaters and bags to spend those Topman and Zara vouchers on.