Ultimate in re-gifts not wanted - Editorial Notebook

A list of extraordinary gift ideas crossed the desk recently, designed to suggest gifts for “the person who has everything.”

Among them: surfing lessons in Morocco; a retreat at a wine school in Provence; original artwork created from the gift recipient’s DNA; and a private yacht charter.

Were any of those things on your Christmas list? Or perhaps the farm family equivalents are more likely: sledding behind the hay truck; drinking a bottle of wine in province; examining the full embodiment of DNA as calving begins; and taking a private snow (yacht) mobile ride.

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But there are plenty of other gift scenarios available, and one looks very attractive, especially for those of us on a budget.

Remember that hideous sweater you received as a gift from Aunt Ethel last year? It has another use. This year, you can “re-gift” it.

Just be prepared for its return in 2009, when your chosen recipient “re-gifts” it back to you.

The once dubious practice of re-gifting is predicted to see a revival this year, as people review their finances and consider world economic turmoil that was mainly brought about by greed.

According to a recent survey conducted on behalf of Canada Post, 65 percent of Canadians say they don’t have a problem with re-gifting and about 32 percent admit to having done it in Christmases past.

Thirty-six percent suspect but aren’t certain that they’ve been the recipients of a re-gift and 45 percent say they would not mind if they were.

Home décor items are most common among re-gifts, followed by clothing, wine and bath products. Much depends on the condition of the item and whether it is likely to suit the re-gifted recipient better than it suited the original giftee.

We couldn’t help but notice a conspicuous absence on the list of commonly re-gifted presents. We searched but found no mention of a re-gifted federal government.

As Stéphane Dion and Jack Layton negotiate re-gifting through a Bloc-supported coalition, they need to be reminded that most western Canadians were pleased with the government they had before Christmas and aren’t keen on a new one, however generous it says it will be.

Ipsos survey results on the popularity of the coalition are just the opposite of those for re-gifting. They show 62 percent of Canadians do have a problem with a re-gifted federal government and 68 percent supported last week’s proroguing of Parliament until after Christmas.

So thanks anyway, gentlemen, but no re-gifting is required when it comes to Canada’s government.

You might as well just go shopping.