More mince pies, fewer crappy plastic gifts, please. Photo: Alex9500.
The best bad Christmas present I ever received was a pair of car seat covers.
I think it was probably a hint, because my car seats are invariably covered in sand, dog hair, and occasionally crumbs.
Unfortunately I’m no more likely to clean car seat covers than I am to clean the car, so I don’t think they had their desired effect.
I’ve received accessories for hobbies I’ve never taken an interest in, skin care I’m allergic to and vouchers for activities I’d rather slow-roast my left hand than actually do.
In fairness to the gift-givers, I have a December birthday, and it’s hard enough to buy one personal, heartfelt present, let alone be asked to follow it up with another just days later.
We travel for Christmas and I always arrive with a car full of gifts I’m eager to offload.
I imagine myself leaving the next day with a liberating lightness, however this never happens.
I always manage to leave with about the same amount of stuff, if not more. Plus, I have the chore of figuring out what to do with it all.
If I keep it, where does it go? If I donate or regift it, how do I make sure I don’t get caught out?
It’s not just family events. Secret Santa at work Christmas parties, trinkets at social do’s – ’tis the season to accumulate a load of useless crap.
Lest I come across as an ungrateful Scrooge, I have had some beautiful and thoughtful presents over the years – a secondhand copy of a rare, out-of-print book; a surfboard, a guitar, a new gi; a handmade scrapbook full of things that made me smile. I still have and treasure all of them.
I’ve also had some more pragmatic gifts, especially when I was younger and short on cash, that really came at the right time – a new microwave to replace my busted old one, for instance.
But I think as a nation we need to let go of our obsession with giving something for the sake of giving it.
It doesn’t just save the giftee the trouble of deciding what to do with their unwanted presents, it also reduces the financial burden that comes with Christmas for many families.
I’m not saying turn up empty-handed – bring a plate, bring the ingredients for your best cocktail, bring some of those little cakes from that bakery down the road that’s better than anywhere else in town.
Heck, if you’ve got the funds and the will, some cash or scratchies in a card never goes astray.
A national consumer survey from Australia’s largest logistics company, Team Global Express, shows Aussies are getting set to regift and return millions of underwhelming gifts this December.
That doesn’t include the bits of plastic crap that go straight into the bin.
More than 90 per cent of the things we toss because they’re unwanted, or broken, go straight to landfill and stay there.
Christmas is a time of year when we have a powerful opportunity to say no to more garbage and yes to more time with family, more tasty treats and a more relaxed holiday vibe.
So before you rush out the door on a last-minute gift-buying spree, take a deep breath, put down the credit card and make some cute Christmas bikkies to share instead.
