National Regifting Day influenced by regifting
Etymology
The term was popularized by a 1995 episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld ("The Label Maker"), although the practice pre-dates the term considerably. In the episode, the character Elaine calls Dr. Tim Whatley a "regifter" after he gives Jerry Seinfeld a label-maker that was originally given to Whatley by Elaine. (Whatley later reveals to Elaine that the label-maker was faulty, which gave him the excuse to give the item away.)
Another variant introduced in Seinfeld is degifting (see Indian giver), which refers to the act of demanding a gift back from the receiver.Commercial and other uses of the term
In the US, National Regifting Day is December 18, created by a debt-counselling group called Money Management International. Many office holiday parties are held on this day, and research shows that 40% of office party gifts are regifted without use. On October 24, 2008, the Governor of Colorado, Bill Ritter Jr., declared December 18, 2008, "National Regifting Day".
In Canada, eBay marketed "National Re-gifting Week" as December 26–30, after Christmas.