OBLIGATION OR JOY?
Understanding the Psychology and Cultural Aspects of Gift-Giving Can Save You
Sometimes It’s Best Not to Buy Gifts
My extended family decided to nix gift-giving this year. I am overjoyed.
You also need to know that I love gifts and giving gifts, but not at a time of year when people feel obligated. So much holiday gift-giving becomes about obligation. Is that true for you?
What if gift-giving became something more meaningful? One thoughtful gift for someone you love. Maybe that thoughtful gift is a donation to a charity. Perhaps it’s an actual gift that might empower that person, like helping to pay their tuition or groceries or utilities or rent/mortgage.
Maybe none of that applies to you. But what if you started a domino effect change in your family?
In a book, “Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Presents for the Holidays” by Joel Waldfogel, he drills into the economic waste of gift-giving. Let’s face it, how many gifts given during the holidays end up sitting in the back of a drawer or closet?
Waldfogel uses “orgy of waste destruction” to describe the enormous amount of gifts purchased. That “orgy” leads to bad choices, maxing out credit cards, and recipients not feeling the joy…
