Opinion: It’s time to reprioritize our gifting standards
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With the holiday season now officially underway, we’re faced with the ultimate challenge: giving good gifts. While I enjoy the practice, I’ve been increasingly alarmed by this year’s expectations of what a proper gift looks like, both in the media and interpersonally. I find the standard over-expensive, impractical and lacking any form of personal touch. So, for the sake of our wallets and relationships, let’s address our gift-giving epidemic before it’s too late.
First and foremost, I find myself aggravated by the assumption that you must spend a lot of money on someone’s gift to show that you care about them. Not only is this impractical for those of us with no disposable income, but it encourages frivolous spending on unnecessary items because we see them as worthwhile due to their price.
I see this most frequently with beauty and “self-care” products. We often assume that our loved ones (especially female ones) need them because of their expense. Let’s take the ever popular, $24 Summer Fridays’ “Lip Butter Balm” as an example. Yes, it’s a luxury item, but truthfully, how impactful is a lip balm going to be? You can’t expect a gift to be meaningful or even good, just because it’s expensive.
Another issue is the impersonality of popular gifts. With gift lists shared on TikTok and shopping websites, ideas are generalized by the recipient’s gender and age. This leads to purchasing gifts without genuinely thinking about your recipient. Isn’t thoughtfulness the point of the holidays in the first place?
The lack of mindful consumption is another factor. The majority of brands that produce “this year’s hottest gifts” employ unsustainable and unethical labor practices. Lululemon, for example, is one of this holiday season’s most prominent brands, with its cult favorite “Everywhere Belt Bag” and athletic wear.
As reported by “Good On You,” a sustainable and ethical rating website for fashion brands, “There is no evidence [Lululemon] has taken meaningful action to reduce or eliminate hazardous chemicals… [or] implements water reduction initiatives.” A similar pattern rings true regarding labor standards: “None of its supply chain is certified by labor standards which ensure worker health and safety.”
Knowing that current gifting is out of whack, where do we go from here? I raise two completely practical options.
The first and best for us average joe’s is shopping at small businesses or second-hand shops. Not only is this often cheaper than buying from large brands online, but both you and your gift recipient can sleep a little better at night knowing that it’s an ethically sound solution.
With thousands of diverse items available at your fingertips, anyone with a slight understanding of who they’re shopping for can find something personal or useful –– perhaps even both.
If you don’t know where to start, try thinking of the little moments spent with your loved one, their general aesthetic and simply what makes them happy. Let the person’s interests guide your process, and from there, represent it in a tangible way. Simplicity is key.
UO first-year Delaney Drew shared her favorite gift-giving memory, “I have a friend who loves the musical ‘Sweeney Todd,’ and I brought her home a playbill from the show after seeing it in New York. I’ve never seen her more excited,” Drew said.
As daring as it may seem, the ultimate means of securing both financial and personal payoff is hand-making your gifts. You don’t have to be an expert craftsperson, but find an activity where you can channel some deeply-hidden creativity, time and effort in order to wow your loved ones (or maybe the acquaintance you drew for secret Santa.)
And if you’re feeling especially courageous this holiday season, follow the gifting advice of modern-day philosopher Buddy the Elf, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.”