It was just Halloween, but I guess now it’s Christmas. All anyone talks about from November 1st till the day of reckoning is Christmas. I check on Instagram, boom, Mariah Carey blasts out of some meme page’s post. I walk to Starbucks for a drink, bam, the menus are red and peppermint mochas whir in their machines.
Although I am Hindu, my family and I still celebrate Christmas, on a cultural level. We assemble a tree, hang red and white lights, and decorate it with old crafts, ornaments, and the classic star. My sister and I would always go to bed nervous for the next day, wondering whether we’ve been good enough for a new iPhone or perhaps a new game console (at least I did).
I remember one Christmas, my sister and I woke up and met to go down our stairs together, to reach the living room and view what Santa had brought us. We rushed over, and as we approached the base of the tree, we were confused. There was nothing there.
After throwing a fit and marching back up the stairs to our parents’ bedroom to notify them of this tragedy, we were given our presents. A $50 Visa gift card. Before then, we were never given a gift card as a present before, and it was a shock. My sister straight up cried.
It disappointed me at first, but after I thought about it, I realized it was the best form of gift possible. The ability to buy whatever I want, so that there was no confusion as to what I’d wish for. Even though I did make a wishlist, but whatever.
Yet there was something honestly more exciting about receiving a physical gift. The delight, perhaps the surprise, of the item you’ve wished for in your hands, rather than a card that could provide access to said object. The joy of the person giving the gift as they’re relieved to see the reaction they hoped for.
It’s often said that the internet has dehumanized many aspects of our lives, turning people into profiles, interactions into text messages, cash into cards and Venmo; I don’t even need to link you to an external article for that fact. Similarly, the in-real-life gifts we provide during Christmas, birthdays, or other holidays are becoming tokens known as gift cards, or straight-up cash.
The thought and effort that was typically involved with gifts are gone, what we define as ‘gifts’ are now just virtual bags of money, either specialized for a certain service or store, or representations of literal dollar amounts. And practically, it’s better this way, why should people have to go through the trouble of purchasing gifts that might get regifted or returned? It makes sense to me.
But then I think about that Christmas day. My sister wallowing in tears, not because she didn’t receive a gift, but because her dreams of waking up to a new nail polish set were replaced by some silver plastic card that wasn’t even under the tree. It’s not that gift cards are bad gifts, they just aren’t as personal as physical products, aren’t as exciting or thrilling as tearing the candy cane wrap and uncovering a Wii or an Xbox.
The act of giving isn’t so much about what’s given then it is the thoughts and feelings of the person who gives it. Today, in a time in which feelings are easier to mask behind text or tweet as political statements or arguments, the act of giving has become a result-oriented procedure in which the convenience of a plastic ticket for a free dinner from Applebees has replaced the meaningful gesture of a wrapped bundle of thoughtful effort.
Though for future reference, I’m more of a Chile’s kind of guy, you really can’t beat their bottomless tortilla chips.
I agree, when I open a hallmark card with a plastic gift card inside I don’t get nearly enough joy or the sense of love that comes with a wrapped present that whether expensive or not means something to me. Applebee’s fahitas man. So good. Maybe it’s just the dorm food mundanity, but grilled peppers and onions slap hard. I’m one of those people that don’t blast Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, it really saddens me to see all the marketing for Xmas coming out in August… It demeans the season of giving/light in the darkest time of the year.