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Manners Expert: Re-Gifting Gets A Bad Rap

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Chances are good there's a gift under the tree you really didn't want to get.

So, have you ever considered re-gifting or giving that unwanted gift to someone else?

"Yeah. In fact, I'm doing one this year. Oh, I better not say that in case anybody's watching," says Diane Powers of Mt. Lebanon.

"I'm sure I have. I don't want to say too much on television, but I'm sure I have. Yes," adds Bryan Brantley of the Northside.

Almost everybody admits doing it.

"Wedding gifts I didn't want. Birthday gifts I couldn't use," says Terri Thompson of Forest Hills.

"A five-pound Hershey bar that I got as a gift from one of my employees -- I gave it to another family member. That's what I did," admits Karen Reed of Plum.

Lisa Iadicicco is a professional on manners with Mother May I, and she says regifting gets a bad rap.

"It appears that the person is being cheap. It appears that they're not being thoughtful about what they're giving the person that they're gifting," notes Iadicicco.

In fact, it's just the opposite -- if you regift thoughtfully.

"So you really have to think and be considerate about who you're going to be giving these gifts to and make sure you package them appropriately," she says.

That includes removing identifying gift tags from the first gifter.

And Iadicicco says keep a note on who gave the original gift to you because regifting back… "It's a huge faux pas."

Remember who's around you when you got the gift because if you regift in their presence… "Oh, they will totally tell on you. They would bust you for sure."

For the definitive word on regifting, KDKA asked a man who knows all about giving gifts.

"It's very good for the environment," says Santa, "because it helps with the ecology to regift some of these things."

"Instead of seeing some of those gifts end up in a land fill, why not give them to someone else who might really enjoy them."

So re-gift away!

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