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Jedrek Stepien

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Money as a gift

What do you think about giving money as a christmas (or any) gift. Is it following the line of least resistance?

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    Anna Spodarenko

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    Dec 17 2012: From my own experience I convinced that money couldn`t be a gift :(
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      Jedrek Stepien 10+

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      Dec 17 2012: I think the same. Money is not a gift, it is, in fact, opposite in its spirit to it. Can anyone imagine giving a beloved person money? It's disgusting. That is why people also cover the price of the gift, it is not important, and gift is not to be considered in financial terms.
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    Ricardo Marques

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    Dec 11 2012: It is the easiest path... but if the receiver was asking for money to buy something bigger it's also the right path... I've always asked for cash so I could buy stuff I couldn't otherwise get... I bought my first console (n64) with my presents from a whole year. I got my first mp3 player (which lasted for 6-7 years) with almost 2 years of gifts... And they were some of the best things I've bought... Now that I'm older I just don't get much more presents, but I still mostly ask for cash lol...

  • Dan Geurin 10+

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    Dec 10 2012: Giving money as a gift is thoughtless and without class.

    Getting money as a gift is the best :)

  • tomas jones

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    Dec 9 2012: It's the thought that counts. If you give someone a gift card, what you are really telling them is "I live near a grocery store."
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    Feyisayo Anjorin 50+

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    Dec 9 2012: The most important thing about a gift is the thoughtful heart of the giver. It is even more important for the reciever to be grateful, because one can not buy love or care with money.
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    Fritzie Reisner 100+

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    Dec 9 2012: This depends on the situation and recipient. In some traditions, kids ask for something specific, thinking Santa is providing it. In that case, parents or maybe grandparents give it. It doesn't require lots of though/decision-making on the giver's part.

    As Robert writes, there are cases in which the recipient really could use the money and not the sweater, tie, or your guess as to what the person might want. I am reminded of how in cases of disaster, organizations serving people in distress lament all the in-kind contributions they get that do not meet people's needs while dire needs exist.In one of the Greg Mortenson books,he asserts that in the aftermath of an earthquake in Central Asia, the affected populations burned expensive down jackets for fuel because they needed fuel rather than gear. (The veracity of his books has been called into question, but I have heard the lament by other service organizations that the abandoned items they receive often create more headache that value in crisis).
    One thing I have sometimes done for my grown kids on a birthday or holiday is given a promise of paying for part of something specfic I know they want or need. This is somewhere between giving an item and giving money. A gift with a gift receipt is also preferable to one without gift receipt in cases in wich one is not fully attuned to the recipent's tastes or what he already has.
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    Robert Winner 50+

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    Dec 9 2012: Perhaps it is the path of the least resistance If I buy you a sweater you hate and do not enclose the reciept it is money down the drain and no benefit or satisfaction is derived. If I buy a game for a grandchild in another state and he already has it ... again no joy.

    In my life time Christmas has went from a religious celebration ... to gift sharing .... to a commerical event.

    Unless the gift is hand made, a family hand me down with significance, or a significant personal gesture then money is completely acceptable. The money once given may be used in any form the reciever wants. It could be used to pay a bill, update a phone, or have a party. Our teenage grandkids say that it is the gift of choice.

    When I buy a high tech gift I also include the reciept. If it breaks, is in op, or not wanted they can do with it what they want. I never ask.

    A pair of socks or a twenty dollar bill. Decisions .. decisions ... decisions.
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