I tried it with my family and they still insisted on offering gifts. I couldn’t take them in good conscience and eventually I left that family,
I’m happier now than I was playing their game. The only time I do gifts now are because I genuinely, altruistically, want to share something.
> The only time I do gifts now are because I genuinely, altruistically, want to share something.
And that is the sort of gift that actually has meaning!
I frequently give gifts to my friends and family, but rarely around some sort of event. It happens when I see something that I know a particular person would love, so I get it and give it to them.
I think that makes the gift truly meaningful. Not because its actually personalized, but because it demonstrates that I was thinking about them at a time when I was not expected to be.
I agree entirely with this. This is why my social circle (and most of my family) has a "no gifts" rule around gift-giving holidays and events (children excepted). But not everyone follows that.