I agree. Throughout the whole years if I want something, I buy it. If I don’t want something, I don’t.

But all of a sudden around November or December I need to hold off for a bit because someone else wants to buy it for me instead. And it’s usually not quite the same thing that I wanted- I don’t want to be rude, but I would have rather just done the research on my own and made my own purchase.

Or worse, I get gifted stuff I have absolutely no interest in. So I need to make space in my house for it and remember to pretend like I use it on occasions when I see that person for a couple of years until we are past the statue of limitations on getting rid of it.

Just more plastic and emissions. More money going to big corporations. It’s an inefficient purchasing process propped up for the sake of the emotions of irrational people. And corporations like Hallmark seem to exist specifically to amplify these traditions for the benefit of modern shareholders.