And for the Stocking …
“A really big candy cane and/or diamond earrings.”
“Single-use shoeshine kit.”
“Airplane-size liquor.”
“Finger puppets.”
“A ‘Help I Have a Headache’ pack.”
Companions Desired
1. “A decent woman.”
2. “Derek Jeter.”
3. “A Yorkie”
4. “A best friend.”
5. “A bull-mastiff puppy.”
6. “My ex-girlfriend.”
“I Want A Trip To _”
Bahamas, Los Angeles, Brisbane, Italy, California, Portugal, France, Alaska, India, “Brazil for Carnivale,” Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Cape Town, Patagonia, Shelter Island, St.-Tropez, Las Vegas
The Most Ambitious Gift List
“Four-carat Cartier diamond stud earrings, a trip paid in full to Fiji for two, Christian Louboutin lace peep-toe pumps in a 41, and a short fur coat—chinchilla, if we’re going big.” —Alexandra Loback, 22, project manager
Loving but Misguided Presents
“When I was 10, my grandma got me a rattle. I guess she thought it was a mirror, but I remember being offended. I’m not a baby anymore, Grandma!”
—Stacey Nathan, 23, sales associate
“My husband gave me a Victoria’s Secret nightgown made out of yarn. It was supposed to be like sexy lingerie, but it came down to my feet. He was like, ‘It looked good on Heidi Klum,’ and I said, ‘I’m five-feet tall!’ ”
—Monica Agrawala, 31, brand manager
“The nerdy kid in my sixth-grade class gave me an engagement-style ring from Wal-Mart and professed his love. I was mortified.
—Julia Pentz, 22, sales assistant
Socks: Love Them or Hate Them?
7% said socks were their most favorite gifts
13% said socks were their least favorite gifts
Tales From the Regifting Trenches
“A neighbor once gave me a necklace that he had stolen from my jewelry box.”
—Bridget Hartzler , publicity intern
“One time, I regifted an ugly scarf my aunt had given me the year before and gave it to my cousin (her daughter). My aunt recognized it.”
—Julia Pentz
“My mother is an elementary-school principal who is showered with Applebee’s gift cards and Bath & Body Works lotion gift sets every holiday season from her students and teachers. Every year, I watch as she repackages them and pawns them off as heartfelt gifts to me and my brother’s girlfriends.”
—Matt Goulet, 22, publishing assistant
55
Percentage of people who regift
59
Percentage of people who prefer cash
The Sky’s-the-Limit Request
1. “An endless supply of hot chocolate.”
2. “A Ferrari.”
3. “My body weight in candy.”
4. “Green insulation.”
5. “Dinner at El Bulli in Spain.”
6. “The entire J. Crew collection.”
7. “A professional sports franchise.”
8. “Twenty minutes with Blake Lively.”
The Best Gifts Ever Received
1. “My ex-girlfriend got me the ultimate survival kit—a canteen, a utility knife, a flashlight. Sweetest thing ever.”
—Tavit Geudelekian, 26, video-game director
2. “A white dove. I had it for two years.”
—Rochelle Kramer, 20, student
3. “A bust of Steve Zissou.”
—Marty Allen, 31, artist
4. “A twenty-gauge single shotgun when I was 13.”
—David Bandola, 36, doctor
5. “Tickets to Z100’s Jingle Ball concert when I was 16. I was so excited to see 98 Degrees live.”
—Amy Trainor, 26, publications assistant
The Worst Gifts Ever Received
1. “A Christmas ornament dated five years ago. It said, like, ‘Merry Christmas 1997,’ and it was 2002.”
—Marty Allen, 31, artist
2. “My mom gave me a blue thong one year. I was 14!
—Amy Trainor
3. “My wife got a grandfather clock for ‘us.’ I don’t like anything that puts me on a schedule.”
—Barry Cutright, 53, dentist
4. “A knitted bikini bottom made out of green yarn—from my boyfriend’s friend.”
—Jessica Cole, 26
5. “A ‘grow-a-frog kit’ with tadpoles that were dead.”
—Lucinda Ballard, 23, communications assistant
Additional reporting by Sam Dangremond, Sally Holmes, Thayer McClanahan, Nicholas Stefanovich