A Gift is an excellent way to communicate love or affection to others. Exchanging gifts is a common tradition in our society and usually, we give gifts on occasion like birthday, Christmas, wedding, etc. Sometimes we bring gifts with us when we visit people for dinner. So, why we give gifts? Is it because it’s a tradition that we have to follow or we are “required” to give gifts. Gifts are nice but there are better ways to give and receive gifts than the usual way most gift-giving is done. Many of us want to stop giving gifts, especially birthday gifts. So if you are wondering how you can stop giving birthday gifts then read the article. Below I have shared a few tips and tricks that will help you stop giving birthday gifts.
Reasons We Should Stop Giving Birthday Gifts
There are many valid reasons that will make you stop giving birthday gifts. Let’s check them out!
Saving The Environment
One of the major reasons you can stop giving birthday gifts is to save the world from pollution. Well, it might seem odd but if you think deeply then you will understand the true meaning of this point. When we receive and send gifts; for each gift, resources have been used to make it perfect. Both raw materials and energy is used to make gifts. Moreover, finite resources have been used to transport the gift from one place to another. Moreover, when we receive a gift, it might replace the old one from your house. A survey showed that the average American spends close to 900 USD on Christmas gifts per year. Just imagine how many gifts add up to every year and how only Christmas gifts do badly for the environment across the globe. So, what impact gifts play in the environment from the rest of the occasions is quite clear, isn’t it?
Increase The Savings
If you stop giving gifts then it will definitely increase your savings. Now think everyone from your family stops spending money on gifts. How much money your family can save on each occasion? Moreover, you can invest the saved money in various businesses to create an income source. Trust me; you can save a significant amount of money if you stop giving gifts on the birthday.
Make The Occasion Special
If you stop giving gifts on every occasion and suddenly decide to exchange gifts on a random occasion then it will be more special and enjoyable. Nowadays, gift-giving becomes more transactional than meaningful. It’s more like a race to open the gifts then enjoy the occasion with your friends and family members. If we stopped making gift-giving on our birthday then we have even more time to enjoy each other’s company and engage in meaningful conversations rather than focusing on the gifts.
Avoid The Hassle
If you stop exchanging gifts then you will also stop the hassle to buy a gift. It’s very difficult to buy a gift for each and every member of your family because everyone has his own choice and taste. Most people become stressed when the birthday of their beloved ones is approaching because they spend hours of time finding the best gift to buy for the birthday.
Avoid The Clutter
If you stop giving birthday gifts then you can also avoid the clutter. Exchanging gifts will clutter up your house as well as other houses. So the best practice is to minimalism and not surrounds yourself with more than what gives you true happiness. Unfortunately, nowadays not all gifts will give you true happiness.
The Appropriate Way To Stop Giving Birthday Gifts
So now we know why we should stop giving gifts but do we know how we can actually stop the trend of giving gifts. There are different approaches that you can use to stop giving gifts. Keep reading the article to know the details.
Communicate Clearly
If you want to stop giving birthday gifts then you should communicate properly with everyone in your family as well as friends and share your wish to not give and receive birthday gifts. You must explain them clearly and while explaining you might receive some negative reactions. You have to ensure that you are open about the rationale behind your decision. Eventually, your friends and family members will respect your decision.
Give Inexpensive Gifts
Many of us think that if we totally stop giving birthday gifts then it will stop the tradition. But the reality is occasionally we must give traditional gifts. You can pick some inexpensive yet thoughtful gifts for your friends and family members to show people how much you care about them and think about them.
Modify The Gift Receiver List
Many people think that it is an obligation to give presents to the full extended family and a wide network of friends. So it is very important to modify the gift receiver list and decide from whom you want to receive gifts and exchange gifts. Now communicate with people with whom you don’t want to exchange gifts and tell them the true reason behind your decision. Once you stop giving people birthday gifts they will also stop sending you gifts.
Pick The Right Occasion
You should decide which occasion you will exchange gifts and on which occasion you won’t exchange gifts. It will help your friends and family members decide whether they should buy a gift for you or a note. You have to decide whether you would skip the birthday, Christmas and only give gifts at weddings and on special occasions. This is an excellent way to stop giving gifts on the birthday because you already define which occasions you actually want to give gifts. This way you can also avoid creating any misunderstanding with your friends and family members.
Final Thoughts
Finally, you can tell your friends and family members that you want to spend this year without giving and receiving any gifts and see how they react. This will be much easier for your friends and family members to understand why you have stopped giving birthday gifts.
