People often fixate on finding the perfect gift, leading to stress over the effect that a gift will have on the receiver. According to a 2023 study by market research consultancy The Circus, 71% of Americans find themselves anxious about gift shopping, and two in three people find it difficult to find the perfect gift. Choosing a present is meant to be an expression of feeling, but it often leads to a focus on materialistic value rather than love or affection. This quest for perfection can create unnecessary pressures, as givers must put a great deal of effort into guessing the receiver’s preferences in order to decide on the best gift. With so much thought and logic needed to make a final decision, gift-giving can seem like a chore for the holidays. While gift-giving brings unity to communities, it also encourages people to fixate on finding the absolute best gift for another person. After all, disappointing a loved one, especially during the holidays, is very undesirable.

Gift-giving can also impose financial burdens on people shopping for quality items. When looking at a gift’s worth, many instinctively turn to the price, which is often used as an estimator for how much the giver is willing to invest into the recipient. Unfortunately, this idea can pressure buyers into purchasing more expensive gifts to win the other over. According to a study conducted by the National Retail Federation in 2019, Americans spend an average of $659 on gifts for coworkers, friends and family. This consumption has led to 54% of shoppers feeling financially burdened by the holiday season, according to a survey conducted in 2023 by financial services company Bankrate. The gift-giving season in and of itself is a positive concept, but the price of an item being a metric of comparison is clunky and improper. A gift should matter more when it is of high sentimental value to the recipient, not when it costs more. Evaluating gifts with its monetary value draws attention away from the emotional meaning behind the gift and encourages shoppers to choose the most expensive option.

One could argue that gift-giving is a great way to express love and appreciation. Under the best-case scenario, this would be true, but gift-giving in the current sense is a far cry from its original intentions. Pointing out the flaws of the culture as it stands today also offers a possible pathway to resolve these issues: Focusing on the sentimentality and warmth that a gift brings, rather than how much it costs to buy or what brand it is from, is much more of a win-win for both the giver and the receiver than a mindset that wears out the giver or makes the receiver feel unappreciated.