Christmas Present secrets revealed – regifting?

There is a good chance that one of the presents you receive this Christmas will have been re-gifted to you, if a survey of more than 1,100 baby boomers is anything to go by.

The Christmas survey, conducted by GrownUps.co.nz, New Zealand’s lifestyle site for active New Zealanders who are over 50, found that almost 50 percent of respondents felt there was nothing wrong with re-gifting unwanted presents.

GrownUps co-founder Richard Poole says, “There is nothing wrong with recycling gifts. You just have to make sure you don’t re-gift a present to the person that gave it to you in the first place.”

According to Richard there is another piece of important advice that New Zealanders should heed to keep loved ones happy. “Remembering to buy your partner a gift is very important. It may seem obvious but 66 of our respondents admitted to forgetting to get their spouse a Christmas gift. I can imagine there may have been a few people in the dog-house that Christmas.”

The survey also showed that among the usual wishes for health, happiness and time spent with families, there were some more unusual wish-list items including a divorce settlement, the return of money from a collapsed finance company, and requests for Mr Right.

In contrast to their attitude towards Christmas gifts, baby boomers showed true Christmas cheer when it came to charitable donations. According to the survey, 28 percent of respondents intended to give to charity at Christmas time with some giving as much as $2,000. A further 59 percent of respondents donated at other times throughout the year. The Salvation Army was the most popular recipient, with nearly 30 percent of respondents identifying them as their charity of choice. Other popular choices included City Missions, hospices and the Cancer Society.

“It’s nice to see that more people are giving to causes that are in real need of support”, says Mr Poole. “Christmas is clearly still a special time for family and friends. I hope our members get the best of both worlds – spending time with loved ones and having their Christmas wishes granted.”