Happy Regifting Day?

According to a recent study by Money Management International study, the third Thursday of December is the most common day for a holiday office party (see SURVEY SAYS: Will You Have a Holiday Party This Year? ). Consequently, the firm, a non-profit credit and debt counseling firm, has deemed Thursday, December 18, National Regifting Day.

Now, if you’re wondering about the connection, MMI’s survey also found that four-in-ten regifters (41%) – target coworkers as the recipients of their regifts.

Some other regifting factoids from a 2007 MMI survey:

• Nearly seven out of ten (68%) women regift or are thinking about it (compared with only 47% of men).
• Regifting favorability has increased by 7% in two years. Our 2005 survey showed that 54% of the respondents felt it was acceptable. In 2007, that number grew to 58%.
• 42% of respondents said they would regift to save money — compared to only 33% respondents in 2005.
• 25% of our respondents think that regifting is growing in popularity because consumers are doing it as a way to save on holiday expenses, while 14% attribute it to a sense that it is a form of recycling.

Regifting is becoming more widely accepted – 60% of respondents think so, according to the MMI survey. Fewer than 10% of respondents claimed they would be unhappy to receive a regift, while 18% even claimed they would be happy or amused to be on the receiving end of a regift (ok – but seriously, doesn’t that mean that 82% would NOT be pleased??).

Those sentiments notwithstanding, most regifters have good intentions, with nearly two-thirds (62%) regifting because they think it is something the recipient would really like.

For a list of regifting do’s and don’ts, and regifting party ideas, visitwww.nationalregiftingday.com.