I've been informed from home that due to economic conditions, Christmas is being scaled back and gift giving should be minimal. Something similar happened last year as well. Having spent my student years doing retail stints, I've been forever since turned off of mass produced gifts which sprout like mushrooms in all the aisles of the mall and Target. In the past few years I've attempted to make an effort in what I buy or make to make it meaningful rather than costly. On the receiving side, I've made a request in the past few years for nothing much as I have limited ability to carry it all back, but instead to receive gifts like 'pick Heather up at the airport rather than jetlagged having to take the train home'.
So how did it work last year?
It was quite a mixed bag in the end.
-A few people couldn't deal with the change and at the last minute bought last-minute gifts.
-My self-professed shopaholic aunt had been on a decluttering spree so she went 'shopping' in her stash of treasures. She had a different goal of 'spend no money and get rid of excess stuff' so that was acceptable.
-Some re-gifting was being done, of gifts received from work or the like. This was deemed acceptable as the giver wasn't spending any money.
-I shop throughout the year so this edict came too late for me. As I tend to buy secondhand or homemade items, I skirted in under the wire of acceptability.
Overall, I was very pleased with the experiment. Anticipating something similar this year I followed a similar tactic. As I'm starting to set things aside as I begin to pack for the trip home in December, I'll make a few postings in the coming days about what one can buy homemade or secondhand in Europe for the curious frugal out there.
No comments:
Post a Comment