Christmas Countdown Day 16: Renegotiate Gift Exchanges!

Has it come time to renegotiate gift giving with friends and family in your life? Whether you've moved on, need to cut the clutter or no longer can afford an obligation to give, changing gift-giving assumptions can be a tricky task.

to do today...renegotiate gift exchanges

Stop the merry-go-round, I want to get off!

Sound familiar? At some point, most of us must face the necessity of shrugging off out-grown gift-giving traditions.

Growing up with a brother and a sister meant that my siblings and I exchanged gifts at the Christmas holiday. A generation later? Add spouses, children, distance and growing up, and gift-giving becomes more stressful, less satisfying with each passing year. Time for an adjustment!

Where has your gift-giving overstepped the bounds? Perhaps it's an exchange with a friend or neighbor that's grown too expensive and elaborate over the years. Perhaps it's adult family gifts, or gifts to old school friends. Office gifts and "Secret Santa" exchanges can mushroom into an onerous obligation.

Will you be the brave soul who calls a halt? Yes, it's scary to be the first to state the obvious: that the given exchange has become unreasonable and burdensome. Nobody wants to be a Scrooge, and most of us feel we're all alone in resenting an over-grown gift exchange.

Surprise! If you feel the ritual has been outgrown, chances are, the other participants agree. Most people heave a giant sigh of relief to reach an understanding in such cases.

Take the lead! By reshaping a gift exchange that's lost it's meaning, you'll save time, money, and stress. Most of all, you'll bring the holidays back to their center: a celebration of life, love and friendship.

Today, review and renegotiate adult gift giving. Can you simplify your family's "unwritten rules?" Draw names and set a price limit for a gift exchange. Could your family dispense with adult gifts in favor of gifts to charity or family service project?

to read today ...

Need help understanding why you give as you do? Examine the unwritten rules of gift-giving--and some tips to reshape stale gift exchanges--with this article:

Cutting Back on Christmas: Understand The Unwritten Rules of Gift-Giving

today's recipe ...

Tender, melting cookies that look just like snowballs! Liven up your holiday goodie trays:

Mexican Wedding Cakes