A Merry Gift-less Christmas

First off, no Starbucks polar bear cookies were harmed in the making of this post. I Photoshopped their eyes, but I'm pretty sure the blood is real.

The gift-free Christmas concept is pretty darned simple: Don't exchange gifts. Most of us are adults who can fulfill our needs on our own schedule. If it's not a need, it's just stuff. And having stuff that you don't need isn't Kittellian. Children, on the other hand, can still get gifts. They're easy to shop for, and it's a blast watching them tear into the wrapping.

Is this a bah humbug post to get everyone depressed? Absolutely not. In fact, I have never enjoyed Christmas more than I do since our extended family and friends went gift-free. And to get everyone else in the "spirit of saving" here are some points to make when getting the rest of the crew on board:

• If you love finding parking, and wrestling with crowds at the mall from November to December, you should stop reading right now.

• Not sure what to get the person who has everything? Get them NOTHING! Wasn't that easy?

• That one person who always outdoes you in a gift exchange? That person is now rendered powerless.

• Do you have that one relative who gives the best gifts, and you're pretty sure you'll disappoint them by going gift-less? Nope, they won't have to be bummed anymore when their generosity isn't reciprocated.

• Bonus: No gifts means no need to write thank you letters!

If you can't bear to not buy stuff, try buying intangible stuff: tickets to a show, membership to a museum, or make a donation to someone's favorite charity. Now THAT is some Christmas spirit. Or, you could always spend quality time with the people you love instead of foisting a pair of Dearfoams on them. You know, host a movie or game night, make a grand dinner, go to Grandma's and help her with house maintenance...that kind of thing. Again, loads of Christmas spirit. Want even more Christmas spirit? Think Toys for Tots, the food bank, giving trees, and so on. There are plenty of people out there asking for nothing more than a warm coat or a grocery store gift card, which is a far cry from the $400 gaming console your lazy, ungrateful nephew is asking for.

If you must look forward to opening something on Christmas morning, stick to stockings. That was our baby step. But we just ended up exchanging a bunch of candy (like anyone even wants/needs more of that by then). Christmas is really a kids' holiday, so spoil them like mad (so they can be really disappointed when they go gift-less). In the meantime, the rest of us adults might as well sit in a circle, write a check, and pass it to the left. Just buy what you want when you want it (if you can afford it), because otherwise, your relatives will inevitably screw up somehow if you're relying on them to pull through on Christmas morning...after which you're on the hook to act grateful. With a gift-less Christmas, you can actually BE grateful: for friends, family, feasting, and fire (for those who dabble in the candle lighting service). If you really love exchanging gifts, then focus more on the individual gift recipient on their birthday, and stop wrestling all that attention away from Baby J on his.

For the rest of you who think I'm nuts, I've included a gift receipt in this blog. Feel free to return it for what you really wanted me to say.