We’re now squarely in the throes of the holiday season, so — as John Oliver points out in this Last Week Tonight web exclusive (since the series won’t be returning from hiatus until February!) — it goes without saying that you’re probably going to receive at least one gift that you don’t want. Getting rid of those unwanted gifts, however, is not something one should tackle all willy-nilly, as Oliver explains the subtle tact and nuances to the art of regifting.
First of all, you obviously don’t want to cross streams and have the original gift-giver discover that you’re regifting their gift, so the safest way is to stick to workplace secret Santas. Oliver explains that regifting to an office Secret Santa is like peeing in the ocean: “it’s not right, but it’s an ultimately harmless solution to an urgent problem.” He also points out why gift bags are so great, calling them the sweat pants of gift wrapping: “Sure, it’s lazy, but it’s undeniably better than putting on nothing at all.” Preach it, brother. There is never a time that I won’t spend several extra dollars on gift bags over wrapping gifts poorly on my own. That’s just the American way.