My thoughts on gift giving

Gift giving is something that puts a lot of stress on all of us. We wonder if the person is going to like what we gave them and if they are going to use it. It is a lot of guess work. If we do ask people what they want, it is no longer a surprise. I have always been pretty good at gift giving. I would remember birthdays, make sure to give them a card and a gift they would like. I have done this all of my life up to now. I believe people waste their money on gifts, especially if the person is not going to use it and it ends up in a closet or in the trash. My Mom would receive gifts that she had no use for and would end up giving it to someone else or donating it. The same thing happened to me. I also noticed that the gifts I gave to people weren't being used and that made me sad. My Mom would always say, "I would rather have the money..." I agree with her. Sometimes you get gifts you really like but other times you don't like the gift. However, you can't be rude and tell the person that you don't like it. Therefore, you lie and tell them how much you like it. I am now only giving cards, money, gift cards and food. I still buy store bought cards but I want to eventually make my own. I am also telling people that I do not want gifts and if they want to give me something they can give me money or food. I have strong feelings about Christmas. Christmas has become the number 1 shopping holiday and it disgusts me. People spend so much money on stuff...It has taken away from the real meaning of Christmas. (It is funny that I am saying this because I am an atheist.) Stuff doesn't make people happy, it's the time shared with people. During the season it is a shopping frenzy and people start to worry about what they will get people and start procrastinating. I have decided to no longer celebrate Christmas. I do not want people calling me on Christmas, texting me or giving me gifts. I will not give gifts to people on Christmas. I will treat Christmas like any other day. I understand that people think that giving gifts is a nice gesture and it shows that they care. However, you can do many things to show people that you care such as spending time with them, cooking them dinner, taking them on different outings, etc. Maybe I am being too frugal, (think about how much money you will save by not giving gifts), but I don't think consumerism is a good thing.