Gift giving is for suckers*

It always amuses me (in a sick "can't look away from the car accident" way) when people post on message board that they are stressing over gift exchanges. My favorite kind of posts are the "I spend more money on my family than I do my own kids, because I know my brother/sister/mom & dad would never go for not exchanging gifts" and the "I tried to get my family to agree to a gift exchange instead of having to give to the whole family, and so-and-so was so upset that it ruined Christmas" variety.

Are you kidding me??

I am going to go out on a limb here and say something that might just win me the Scrooge of the year award - and I am ok with that.

You do not have to give Christmas gifts to anyone.

No really. You don't. Let me explain.

One year I spent a lot of time (and money) making a personal gift basket. In February we noticed that most of the baskets had been left behind by one particular side of the family, I decided that enough was enough. I simply stopped giving gifts to family. No explanation. No nothing.

How did I do it, you ask? Easy! Over the following summer I casually mentioned that we would not be giving gifts, and of course would not expect to receive gifts. I added that spending time with family was the most important part of the holiday season for us. I didn't make excuses, didn't offer an explanation other than "It is what we have decided." I casually reminded them throughout the year that we didn't expect gifts.

I started the summer before because I figured that a sudden change on Christmas morning would likely to lead to hurt feelings, and people assuming we have fallen on hard times. Most of them assumed that we were broke anyway, and I am ok with that. (I don't care what people think about me, but YMMV.)

The Holiday Gift Exemption Voucher is another way to get your feelings across in a non-confrontational way. (Opens as a PDF)


So now, we give gifts to only who we choose to give them to.


[end rant]

* Of course I don't think gift giving is for suckers. I just thought it would catch your attention. Worked, didn't it? :o)