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It’s Time to Change the Way We Give Gifts
We really don’t need to be buying each other more useless stuff every year
I love the holiday season. Seeing family, eating great food, the lights, and the childhood nostalgia— I look forward to all of these things. However, one aspect of the holidays never fails to bring added stress and annoyance: the gift-giving.
It’s a great feeling when you know exactly what someone would like and you’re able to get it for them. I love when a friend or family member casually mentions something they really want in conversation, so I can make a note of it and surprise them when the time comes. A thoughtful gift like those is just as wonderful to give as it is to receive.
The issue is that when most of the people we need to buy gifts for are adults who can get themselves anything they really want, or children with well-off parents and tons of family giving them more than they could ever need, the process becomes forced and pointless. Not only does it not serve to bring about any real good, it adds to the endless material glut that so many of our homes are rife with.
I run into the same issue with souvenirs — both getting them and giving them. My mom has been traveling all over the world these last years, and affectionately she thinks of me while abroad, and seeks…
