Whether you celebrate the change of seasons or a teenage mum giving birth under possibly unusual circumstances, the gift giving tradition can be a headache.
There’s all sorts of requirements for this ritual exchange of stuff. The present should be personal and unique, sustainable, not too much but not skimpy (though where the line between these goes, you’ve got to find out yourself), and possibly even useful. Pitfalls are many and the danger of overseeing an unspoken rule is overhanging. Much safer skipping the whole thing than risking an unintended “overkill” gift.
A few ideas to save you the sweat:
Tired of dispensable made-in-Chinas, I am hoping for consumable gifts this season. Following the good principle of picking gifts you would like to receive yourself, all season’s presents I’ve fixed or planned so far can be eaten, drunk or used in the bath (except for one gadget that was specifically requested a long time ago).
Taking it one step further, this readily applies to other gift-involving occasions as well. This is one reason why the one thing I’m wishing for my upcoming birthday is a great night out (the other being not wanting to ruin my friends, as I’ve chosen to have the party at a restaurant).
Happy holidays!