Ah, another Christmas morning packed with festive giving and receiving. The family gathered ’round the tree, the smell of roasting turkey wafted through the house. Bows and ribbons flew through the air as the shredding of paper commenced.

Shrieks of joy and heartfelt “thank you’s” abounded.

In an ideal world, all the gifts you received this past Christmas would be perfect: the gloves fit, the shirt’s your color, you absolutely needed that gadget, love Nicholas Sparks books, have always wanted a cheetah-print Slanket. That you would absolutely adore every gift beneath the tree is not unheard of — there are people in this world who excel at, and even pride themselves on, giving the perfect gift. It’s a skill that the rest of us should admire and celebrate because, unfortunately, not everyone shares it. The great chasm between what your loved ones think you should have, as opposed to what you need or want, is often filled with the still-in-the-box-a-year-later remains of Christmas morn.

This new year, as you start to stick the snowflake sweater in the back of your Christmas sweater drawer or consign a book you’ll probably never read to a shelf along with the 40 others you’ve been meaning to; before you go trying find room for the 5,000-piece, ocean-life puzzle in the game cabinet or toss another candle-holder in the attic along with the rest of your world-class candle-holding collection, think about doing something different. Think about regifting. Box up the duplicates, the don’t wants, and don’t needs. Regift them to your local charities, because there are plenty of people in our community who do want and are in need.

Both Goodwill Industries (www.goodwill.org) and The Salvation Army (www.salvationarmyusa.org) websites list items they’d love to see walking through their door come the new year. They also provide downloadable donation value guides to use for your next tax return.

This year, don’t let those well intentioned, yet unwanted, gifts gather dust on some high shelf. You can always re-gift — for a cause.