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I'll admit that I'm one of those 79 percent who would regift. I guess it comes naturally. Two years ago, my mother wrapped up a little honey crock she'd had for years and gave it to me for Christmas. Opening that little crock was a surprise for me, even though I'd seen it in her house years before. At that point she was living with us and had no use for it. She passed it on to someone who did. That's the beauty of regifting. Just consider it another form of recycling, except you don't have to destroy anything to produce something else. You just take something that's like new and pass it on to someone else who would have a better use for it.

"We spend the first part of our human experience avidly accumulating things and the other half wondering what in the world we're going to do with all the stuff." Margret E. Keats

In today's economy, it's a wonderful way to share your excess without having to spend. If you're like most Americans, from time to time you gather usable items and take them to your local thrift store so they can resell the items to others. This is a wonderful idea for items that have been gently used, but next time you're cleaning out closets, think about setting up your own regifting shelf.

I honestly had never thought about regifting until I discovered a wonderful little book called "How to Simplify Your Life," by Elaine St.James. I've read it on many different occasions. It's great for just flipping through and reading whatever catches your interest that day. She talked about setting up a shelf for things you no longer need or want. Then, when you need a gift, you go shopping from your favorite closet! If you go through your home, I'm sure you'll find books, picture frames, candles, household items, or even just pretty jars that could be used to regift.

The idea isn't to just give someone something you don't want. The idea is to find something in your home that would have special meaning to someone else. There's no rule that says it has to be new, and the recipient doesn't necessarily need to know you're regifting. However, sometimes the gift means even more to someone when they know it was something of yours.

Here's an example of how this can work.

Years ago, we moved into a house where the previous owner had left a simple glass cake stand with a cover. It wasn't anything expensive, I'm sure, but it looked brand new. It probably sat on that top shelf of the kitchen for years without being used. I was invited to a bridal shower for someone I hardly knew and really didn't have the time or the desire to go shop for a gift. I washed the cake stand and put it in a box with lots of tissue paper. I added a couple of cake mixes and jars of canned frosting. The bride was excited to get it and everyone there was impressed with my creativity!

Doesn't it seem crazy to go buy gifts when you have resources right there in your own home? It's never a good idea to increase your credit card balance for gift giving, but this year when we have need to be even more concerned about the economy, it is the perfect time to cut back and be more sensible. If you exchange gifts with a group of friends, suggest a white elephant gift, where everyone is regifting!

My very dearest friends and I have made an agreement not to buy each other gifts anymore. We realize that our friendship is more valuable than anything we could purchase, so we make the time to have a special birthday lunch or Christmas brunch to catch up on our lives.

Years from now we won't remember what someone bought us, but we will remember the kindness they showed to us. Ralph Waldo Emerson had it right when he penned, "The greatest gift is a portion of thyself."