Are you still loving your coffee-of-the-month subscription? Great news! I’m getting it for you again this year. Yep, I’m a repeat gifter — and no, I’m not ashamed. On the contrary, I think it’s time we all took some of the pressure off our gift-giving, and in that sense, repeat gifting has been the real gift for me.
I can’t take full credit for this revelation. I have my sister-in-law to thank for the ultimate Christmas gift that keeps on giving: a six-pack of Jeni’s ice cream, in drool-worthy flavors like Brambleberry Crisp and Maple-Soaked Pancakes. Among a sea of orange Shutterfly boxes in our apartment lobby, zooming in on a different orange box — one with the words “ice cream inside” on it — made me feel like I had won the post office lottery. Ice cream! In the mail!
Before my husband and I even set down our spoons, we’d already started thinking about who we could gift this experience to next. Or really, who wouldn’t be receiving this from us at some point. Ice cream was so much more fun to unbox than 90% of other gifts. Nothing to assemble. Nothing to return for a different size. Nothing to make space for, except temporarily in the freezer.
And the best part? We could do it all again next year.
So, for the past five years, members of my family have come to expect their own box of fancy ice cream over the holidays. And I’ll be honest, I love it. It makes my job so much easier. In fact, my parents and in-laws now have it in their gift rotation, too, and it’s actually been a lot of fun to see this trend grow. After all, ’tis the season for giving, sharing joy, all that stuff.
My brain — and I bet yours, too — is the consistency of figgy pudding around the holidays, which leaves exactly zero space for me to guess what you want this year unless you tell me. Feel free to tell me. Because, otherwise, I’m going back to the greatest hits. It’s time we normalize the gift of gift repeats. It’s not regifting (which is also fine) — it’s re-giving.
In one way, it’s even more thoughtful than trying something new — you remembered something they liked and wanted them to experience it again.
Our go-to is ice cream, but there are many ways to go about repeat giving. Re-upping a coffee/book/beer/whatever of the month subscription takes away any anxiety your loved one has about going back to “before times” when such a subscription was not a staple in their lives. Did Mom love last year’s charm bracelet? Great, you can now buy her new charms every year. How about another year of your recipient’s favorite streaming service? They’ll probably have to renew it anyway; you might as well save them the step. See, your shopping list came pre-written! Hell, you could even spin it as “tradition,” and who doesn’t love tradition around the holidays?
Maybe it’s just me, but I love a practical gift — something I was planning to buy anyway but now don’t have to. It’s not just about receiving a gift; it’s also about receiving the gift of time. Growing up, our stockings were stuffed with the essentials that saved everyone a trip to the drugstore: gum, lip balm, magazines, the like. Then there was the year I asked my brother for a CVS gift card for Christmas (still one of my best asks, IMHO). It may not be the most exciting present to wake up to, but you bet it’ll be put to good use. No complaints if that shows up in my stocking again.
So much pressure is put on us moms to outdo ourselves year after year. But here’s a low-hanging fruit to grab: Just get people what’s worked before. In one way, it’s even more thoughtful than trying something new — you remembered something they liked and wanted them to experience it again. There isn’t much that beats the satisfaction of getting someone the perfect gift, regardless of whether they’ve gotten it before.
Admittedly, it’s harder with the kiddos. Each holiday season brings its new, updated wish list. So this might be a later-in-life thing for them, and that’s understandable. (I can’t be the only one who remembers opening presents of yore and groaning, “Ugh, more clothes?!”) With other relatives taken care of, I blessedly have a few more minutes to browse Amazon solely for toys, just the way baby Jesus intended.
So, please feel free to join me in re-giving this holiday season. There’s truly no need to reinvent the wheel. Give the people what they want… even if it’s what you got them last year.
When she is not practicing drums or folding sweatpants, Meredith Begley likes to read and write about health. Find her on Instagram @meredithbegley.
