Gifts
In preparing for this holiday season, bringing bins from the garage and hanging pictures, I invariably have memories from past holidays come flooding back. As items are retrieved from the dark, brought out, dusted off…events, people, situations and emotions come settling back in.
A continued surprise however, is a particular family event that happened 19 years ago. The memories of this still resonate with fun, fondness and the deeper connections it brought to us as a family. What makes this all the more powerful is how, when we gather each year for our gift exchange we still talk about that past event.
Like the present state of the economy, it too was a time of financial restraint and being fiscally responsible. We discussed at great length what to do with our gift exchange, what to do with how much to spend, how much to give. With all learning we’re forced at times by outside circumstances to reevaluate, to sit back, reconsider, rethink and rework an idea. On some level it was just a package under the tree.
This financial ‘kink’ forced us to do something that was not popular, not acceptable on many levels, and for all of us at the time on this scale, unheard of. It was ‘Regifting’!
When we hit on this idea there was at first dismissal and negating. As the idea percolated however there was such a sense of fun about it that family members that before hadn’t cleaned out, sorted or looked at gifts from the past started to clean out closets, drawers or the garage looking for something appropriate. For all members the process of cleaning out and sorting had started.
Clothing, shoes, dishes, toys, games and even a TV was regifted. In fact there was so much thought put into each individual gift that to this day there are still items used from that first regifting. What came out of something uncomfortable at the time now is expanded into the community. We donate to a family member’s chosen charity; we regift one item to each member every 2nd year. We have become conscious of how we spend, how we share and what our imprint is on the earth. The residue from that one event has rippled to the next generation. The children, our future citizens are now so aware of their imprint that they want to regift every year and now give to children who don’t have as much.
Tip:
Choose something you have worn once or twice, regift it, cleaned, to someone you know would love it.
