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Re-gifting only with care

　　At this busiest gift-giving time of the year, many of us wonder what to do with the unwanted presents we get． Is it all right to re-gift--to give the unwanted present to someone else?

　　A gift is a symbol of what a relationship means to us． The best gifts meet the needs or satisfy the desires of the receiver． A gift should be about pleasing the other person, not showing off the taste, wealth or power of the giver． We should give with the other person, not ourselves in mind．

　　Still, a friend, colleague or family member who knows us well might now and then buy us something that is the last thing we'd buy for ourselves． People in long-term relationships can be surprised at the choices in clothes, music or gadgets(小玩意) made by their friends or relatives．

　　Re-gifting creates a dilemma(窘境) because we don't want to hurt the feelings of the gift-giver, but we also feel it's wasteful not to use something that might benefit someone else．

　　Re-gifting avoids waste and repays a debt of gratitude we owe to someone else, but it presents the risk that the original giver will be hurt if she or he discovers what we did．

　　Following are a few guidelines for re-gifting:

　　－Don't use the gift．

　　－Re-gift soon, so you don't risk re-gifting to the original giver．

　　－Make sure that the new receiver doesn't know the original giver or is unlikely to run intohim or her．

　　If there's a possibility that the original giver could learn about the re-gift or if he or she expects to see you wearing the gift, consider asking for permission． Let him or her know how much you appreciate the thought behind the gift． A person who understands that a gift is intended to be pleasing will understand．

As long as the person who gave the unwelcome gift doesn't mind or won't find out, you can re-gift with a clear conscience． Besides, you can be sure that at least one of the gifts you've received was given originally to someone else．

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