Is the ghost of Christmas past haunting you? Are you feeling like a scrooge for wanting to eliminate the gift-giving thing? In our shaky economic climate no one is going to blame you for paring down your Christmas list this year but the question remains: Who gets bumped? And how?
These days our social and work circles may include dozens of people we hardly know, or people who we used to know well but have fallen into the nebulous "Face book Friend" category. Seems like a no-brainer. You can't buy for everyone, so buy only for those in your close circle of family and friends. Cutting people you haven't seen in a year or more from your list, people who you know so little about it makes choosing a gift a near impossibility, do so by suggesting you do something different and chance are they will say "let's save the gift giving for the children, eh." Presto another one off the list!
Play it safe with clients and colleagues and send a hand written holiday card and a candy cane - you can't go wrong.
Diplomacy goes a long way towards a pared down Christmas list. If your book club, running group, office mates are all caught in the gift card and generic (but in the end pricey) gift cycle there's no shame in breaking the ice and suggesting a simple potluck get together instead of dust-collecting gifts? Or a relief-inducing no-gifts policy? Chances are you aren't the only one stressed out by Santa's list. You may turn out to be the hero for suggesting what everybody else is thinking.
What better gift can you give but a teeny-tiny Visa balance? All of a sudden bumping people off your list is not a slight but rather a favor. If you don't buy for them they aren't obligated to buy for you. Don't forget that bumping someone off Santa's list doesn't mean you are pushing him or her out of your life.
A thoughtfully worded card, fresh-baked cookies and other low-cost or no-cost items can say Merry Christmas. "Un-gifts" if you will! Think of this new spirit of un-giving as a gift in itself. No I didn't buy you anything, but I am thinking about you during the holiday season. And really, does anyone equate the cost of gifts with the thought anymore? Children don't, and that's a good point to remember, Christmas is all about the kids. Nieces, Nephews, grandchildren, get presents period. Here's the good part, they won't mind if its something of yours, something you won or something that came from a Cracker Jack box.
Reducing gifts is about making intelligent decisions about your spending and your stress level. Look at the crossing off of names not as a nasty chore but as an exercise in diplomacy, creativity, and simplicity.
