Points Mean Prizes

[kingandy]

Is it just me, or are people spending more and more on their loved ones at Christmastime?

I realise that I am not wise in the ways of Inflation and such arcane accounting devices, but when I was young I was told that I could not expect such things as an Amiga Computer or Mega Drive to arrive under the tree; I would have to save my own monies (something I never quite managed to do for the Amiga, in fact, though I did acquire a Mega Drive from somewhere at some point). And, further, had I been wealthy enough to purchase a TV of my own, I would most certainly not have been allowed to keep it in my room until I became a legal adult. Maybe my mum was overly harsh, but it seems insane to me that nowadays people who are substantially less well-off than we were not only buy their children TVs and X-Box 360s but do it specifically to place in their room so they can stay the hell out of the way. Parents peer in the window of Dixons and pick iPods for their children based not on budget or product spec but rather on which case is most suited to their modern lifestyle. And you can bet those won't be their only present, either. People actually get themselves heavily into debt for these extravagant gestures and to my mind it does the child more harm than good, distorting their perceptions of value and money and encouraging the acquisition culture.

I have similar opinions on the subject of gifts for partners, though it is less Kids Today, They Do Not Know They Are Born and more of a sort of faint surprise. I see people stretching their pockets as far as they will go - and further - to buy flashy gadgetry for their other halves, to shower them with stuffed animals and trinkets, and I am bemused. I just don't get it. I am constantly reminded of the friend who, out of some deep-seated urge to demonstrate his love through cash money, spent a fortune on a Christmas scanner, only to find his beloved vastly more entertained by a small wooden turtle and a plastic squid.

Perhaps that makes me a bad partner. Potential suitors beware! I will not buy you the world.

Comments

[kestrana.livejournal.com]

Yes I think people are spending more, or it is becoming more common to spend a lot of money on extravagant gifts to keep up with the Joneses. And in quantity. I try and try to get my parents to understand that getting me one big gift that I really want is far preferable to 50 boxes of crap that I won't do anything with, which is pretty much what I got from them for my birthday. They ask me for lists and then don't buy me anything off them. I know money is tight for them. Just buy me the $20.00 steak knife set that I actually want instead of sending me 15 odds and ends.