圣诞节期间，家人和朋友之间会互赠礼物，表达爱意。可是在收到的礼物中，到底有多少是好用的、是收礼者真正需要或想要的？
Its that time of year when many of us spend money buying gifts for family and friends. We spend hours, even days, searching the shops and websites trying to find the right present for someone | a pair of socks, perfume, a new gadget1 only to find the recipient2 already has it or theyve been given it already. Or worse, they just dont like it, which makes me think, Are we wasting our time and money?
There is so much stuff in the world already and so much waste that maybe when it comes to Christmas giving, we need to think outside the box use our imagination and be more creative with our generosity3. This is particularly true for children, who tend to receive mountains of toys some of which end up not even being looked at. One idea is to implement4 a one|gift rule so that children dont grow up spoiled. Getting too many gifts can also send out the wrong message. Speaking to BBC online, clinical psychologist Linda Blair says, When we are given a lot, we expect to receive a lot even if its only at Christmas and on birthdays, it will impact on childrens attitudes. She also suggests, If you want to give a gift, give your time.
She makes a good point | for children and adults alike, when it comes to giving, think about offering something other than a material object that may get forgotten, discarded or re|gifted. Buying an experience is one alternative | a chance for someone to try something out and do something different. It will cosplayt you money, but for the recipient it could be an opportunity to try something they could not normally afford or would not have thought about doing. It would therefore be memorable5 and, hopefully, much appreciated.
Another practical gift could be to buy someone lessons, giving them a chance to learn new skills such as horse riding or learning English. And there are what are called favours money|cant|buy offerings to do jobs for someone like babysitting, cleaning or giving someone a massage6. And there is always the fallback of giving vouchers7 to spend in a shop.
Of course, if you cant think of an original way to give a gift, the alternative is to not buy anything at all. You may be accused of being a Scrooge but at least youre not wasting money on pointless gifts and you could give the money to charity instead a more worthy8 cause. But if this year, you receive a present thats not to your liking9 dont be ungrateful and remember the age|old saying that its the thought that counts.
