Regifting (Sort of)

One day last week as I went out to the mailbox, I found a package on our porch. To my surprise it was addressed to me! Glancing at the handwriting and the label-I saw it was from my husband's Grandmother who lives in Florida. I opened the box to find a letter written from her telling me the news from down South and describing how she "found" these items and thought to send them to me. Inside the box was green placemats with pink flowers and matching table napkins, more placemats rolled and tied with yarn, and a lace tablecloth. Lovely right? Let me show you a picture of the tablecloth:

Yes, that's right, it is yellowed AND has spaghetti sauce stains that were never washed out of it. I won't even go into how the rolled up placemats are discolored and sun faded...

So-needless to say I was annoyed. I know that his grandmother means well. I know that she has bad vision. However, her daughter that lives with her is the one that packaged the stuff up, addressed it to me, and mailed it to me. You mean to tell me she didn't look at this obviously regifted stuff before mailing it-knowing her mother has bad eye sight? You may think I am over-reacting but these people constantly are sending us their garbage. For Christmas they sent up a 3 tray set which was in a crushed box with a $5.00 price sticker. I remembered my mom had the same set back in the 80's that she ordered from Ltd. There is also the white "sugar/flour/coffee" cannister set they sent up that had gravy stains on it. Oh and how about the used books they sent my six month old at Christmas time. Used books are fine when they are in good shape and for older kids. Not when they have been obviously handled and worn and when my six month old puts everything in his mouth. I just wish they would stop sending us stuff! Please!

My MIL tried to defend the tablecloth to Jake on the phone: "There IS such a thing as brown lace." Yes there is, and this is NOT it. I told Jake I was going to wrap up the tablecloth and give it to her for her birthday in August, in the same condition I received it in. And then the truth came out. The stuff Grandma sent belonged to Claire. Claire? What happened to Claire? (Claire is the little old lady who lived next door.) Apparently she went to live in a nursing home and her daughter cleaning out her house, put these items in the trash at the curb. Grandma could not stand to see these "good" things be thrown out and promptly sent them to me.

Edited to say: After a few comments I have to add, I have no problems with regifting-if you got something you don't like but think I'd LOVE, that's great! However, I think trying to pass off something as new when it is obviously used and dirty is not cool. Also-giving a gift, just to give a gift, is not cool which I feel is the case here. "What can we give her for Christmas...hey where are those old cannisters, maybe she'd like them?" They are nothing I would ever buy, totally not my style. Why would you give a gift that is based on taste if you aren't sure what the person likes? Sometimes you can take a risk-but with big, heavy, white cannisters that say words on them? I think only certain people like that.