I stopped getting things for people on their birthday a while back…as in at least a couple of years if not longer. Come to think of it I haven’t done Christmas presents for people either…not even my wife. My only exception is young kids, I dig doing things for them.
Here are my reasons why I gave up gifts:
1) It’s a waste of time (as in the time it takes to pick out a gift and all that)
2) It’s a waste of money (we’re not all rich)
3) You don’t need more crap on a shelf
4) This country thrives on over consumption and over commercialization, I do not want to take part as much as I can help it
5) A “thing”, in my opinion, does not show you that I care about you
6) I realized that spending time with you is more important so I’d rather hang out and open a good bottle of wine or something
7) I don’t want anything from you
8) In the case of my wife and I we don’t get each other “stuff” because we don’t want “stuff”, but when there is something we actually want or need we get it…we don’t wait for a birthday or holiday
So that’s it…that’s my list. I will admit that not getting gifts also fits into my idea of attempting to live as minimally as possible too. Time and money are precious things. Spending both of those things toward getting someone a “thing” just doesn’t seem like life well spent. Go hang out with the people you care about or shoot them an email or something. It’s also a greener way to live.
Cheers!
Leave a Reply