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What Does Your Gift-Giving Style Say About You? How Do We Do It Right?
Cash gifts are common in some cultures but awkward in the U.S.
With the unexpected slowdown in global shipping due to backlogs related to the pandemic, gift givers may be facing limited options when it comes to giving consumer goods as gifts this holiday season.
I’m already trying to identify some good holiday gifts to order now so I have something to wrap up and give in December. It’s stressful trying to come up with thoughtful gifts to begin with, but to accelerate the timeline more than a month earlier than I normally would begin shopping is causing even more pressure. None of my kids or nieces and nephews have wish lists ready now.
The easiest answer would be to just give cash, but so many Americans find that crude and lazy (including my husband and his family, 5th generation Americans of Chinese descent). My immigrant Chinese parents and other relatives seem perfectly happy with a red envelope of cash. This is the one time I wish everyone on my gift list was a Chinese immigrant or the child of Chinese immigrants. It’s so efficient to give cash!
I know there are different “love languages” and that giving gifts is particularly appreciated by those who value receiving them. Yet some of us grew up in…