Gift Giving or Barter System?

Going to shop some more for your loved ones and friends? You have shopped already a few times and yet you still missed some things and it seems like it will never end.  You have your list and you’re checking it twice to find out who’s naughty or nice…santa clause’s spirit is coming to you again.

Its the time of the year and everyone is busy like a bee, going in and out in the shopping centers, stores and discount outlets.  All roads lead to the malls.  Parking is an issue but it wont deter you from bringing your car for you have lots of stuff and it would be a hassle to commute.  You see streams of people going to the same place you’re going and you’ll find folks carrying shopping bags from the stores but whose faces are like in a trance.  Are they happy?  Its hard to tell.  After all, who wants to spend so much money shopping for others.

For what reason do we really do this thing?  We shop until we drop!  Well, for one we buy gifts for our family members who are expecting it for sometime now.  We also have some parties to go to and there is an exchange gift and it would be disastrous if we don't have gifts for them.  We are sure that each close friends and extended families that we have, they have a gift for us as well.  Deep inside we expect it.  We anticipate it.  After all, we have something for them, too.  But what exactly are we doing? Is it really a gift giving or a barter system?  A gift is something that you give without expecting something in return while a barter system, you exchange your product for something that you like in return.

This should be given a serious thought.  Do we really want to do this?  We work so hard and lose all our savings in one occasion.  Worse, many of us are in debt come new year’s time.  Why do we do this to ourselves?  It is good to give gifts if we can afford it and we only give gifts to those who cant give us something back otherwise it is not gift giving but a barter system.  The people who are in need are the very people left out in this occasion supposedly meant for them.

So, the next time there is an urge to shop, stop and think! “Do you really need to buy him/her a gift?”  If you’re 100% sure that a gift will be given to you as well, then its not  really a gift giving but a barter system.  When we give to those who cannot give us back, that is a real gift giving.  It is a good thing to give to our families and friends but it is better to give to those who cannot give us back.  There are “good” things that we can do but there are “right” things that we should do. As a suggestion, let us do a couple of things instead to make this year’s special occasion a memorable and meaningful one.  Here are some tips:

1. Ask your friends or loved ones if you can buy a gift for them but it will be given to a needy person instead on their behalf.
2. The budget you intend to spend for your family and friends, you donate that instead to your favorite charity in behalf of your family members.
3. You can limit the budget for shopping and buy food for the hungry people and clothing for indigent.
4. You can ask your friends and officemates instead of having an exchange gift, you pool the funds and send it to countries recently hit by super typhoon like Dominica and other small Islands south of the United States [or any other countries suffering tragic events].
5. You can ask your little ones who received money from your families and friends to donate a portion of their “loot” to kids who have no toys or food.  In this manner we teach them to give and care for the less fortunate people at an early age.

Happy gift giving!

For suggestions and comments, please let us know what you think about this article below. Thank you.