DILEMMA: You were given a cake plate for your birthday, but you don't bake.
Can you regift it to your Betty Crocker-ish friend for her wedding?
DETERMINATION: Yes — but only if you're very careful. "Regifting can be a win-win
situation if you put some thought into it," says etiquette expert
Peggy Post, whose most recent book is
The Gift of Good Manners, $25,
www.amazon.com. "Don't just pawn something off because you
want to get rid of it." You may regift guilt-free if the person
you're regifting to will truly enjoy the item, and if the person
who gave you the gift isn't even remotely acquainted with the new
recipient (and therefore will never spot the cake plate at a
potluck). Don't regift if the item doesn't look brand-new, if its
box is damaged or shows signs of already being opened, or if the
gift is one-of-a-kind.
FROM THE HALL OF SHAME: "I gave someone some glasses for a
housewarming gift," says a woman from New York City." Come
Christmas, she gave the same glasses to me. She had planned on
giving them to someone else but had mixed up the labels."
