Regifting

Now that most of our Christmas presents have been opened, are there any you’ll be returning? Any you plan to regift? I was listening to a podcast this week that discussed the issue of regifting and the social acceptability of this practice. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, regifting is when you receive a present from someone and since you don’t need or want it, you rewrap it and give it to someone else.
Personally, if I give a gift to someone and they won’t get much use out of it, I’d rather them regift it to someone who will enjoy it rather than it being used out of obligation or to have it sit in a tote. And so, I’m in favor of regifting, I’m practical that way, though I personally don’t think I have ever regifted anything.
But that brings up the question, then, of what is a gift’s purpose? Do we give a gift because we want to see the person’s joy and excitement when they open it? Do we give it with the expectation that they’ll appreciate it and use it often? Or, do we give a gift because we feel we have to? I assume the most regifted gifts are the ones given out of obligation rather than simply out of a desire to get them something.
I struggled a little with buying gifts for my kids this year because I wanted to not only get them something they wanted but something I thought they’d actually use. They each had a long list of things they wanted (including one wanting a dirt bike, hoverboard AND a tablet…FYI, he didn’t get any of those). And though he probably would have used those things (they were just outside my budget for him) the things I did get him I know he’ll play with. I know he’ll use them. And I wanted him to enjoy them for longer than the 10 seconds it took him to open it.
And that’s the point of Christmas, at least the heart of Christmas. God wanted to give us a wonderful, life-giving gift. He wanted to give us a relationship with him. He wanted to give us a future and a hope. And that’s what he did when he gave us Jesus.
But God doesn’t want us to just receive him once and be done with him. He shouldn’t be the 10-second-joy of opening the present and then shoved in a tote. No, God’s present of Jesus is designed to change our whole lives for the better. He wants us to receive him with excitement and joy and then live a life that’s filled with him.
This New Year, I pray that we do that. As we use whatever gifts you’ve been given throughout the year, remember that Jesus isn’t just about Christmas, he’s about a new life. God bless.