Rethinking Holiday Gifting

Four years after the economic recovery began, most consumers are still closely watching their holiday gifting. They’re intending to spend less than usual — or nothing at all, according to an annual survey earlier this month. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Spending less for the holidays makes perfect sense when we’re still smarting from the recession. But it’s not just about money. It’s about stuff. Great volumes of stuff, sitting in the attic or basement or garage, in carefully labeled boxes we haven’t opened for years . . . and probably never will.

So what’s the point of obligatory gift giving and receiving? We don’t need or want more stuff. In fact we’d like less. Why struggle to find and buy a $50 gift when we’d rather have a good lunch and conversation with the giftee? Who needs more of what we already have, even if it’s newer?

Besides, those $50 gifts add up. Save your cash and spend it on what really matters—a home improvement project you’ve been putting off, a trip to someplace on your bucket list, or a class in a subject that has always intrigued you. Investing in yourself could be the best gift of all.