Gift and giftcards...

So, gift giving is a big part of Christmas. Well, at least it seems like it with all the retailers' marketing plot. Since it's only normal to both give and take, there's this chinese saying - li shang wang lai, lai er bu wang, fei li ye? - Translation - To give and receive; if it's only to receive, then, it's rude/impolite... Wow, that rather awkward, but, you get the gist of it.

So, for my trip to Richmond for Christmas, these are the presents. Not bad wrapping huh?

So, back to gift giving. I still remember it's never easy to buy a gift for a person. Those nightmarish trips to the store, trying to buy a birthday gift for friends. It's funny that it's harder to get a gift to the person that you are closer to. Guess is, the closer you are to a person, you have more data to cipher through to get to the perfect gift.

So, the kind-hearted retailers save consumers a ton of time by having gift cards!!!
Gift cards are great!!! Because all you need to know is whether your friends shop at that retail at all. So, say, if he/she drinks coffee, Starbucks giftcard and you are set. (Or maybe Dunkin' Donuts, especially if you are in MA.) If he/she buys electronics or play console/computer games, then Bestbuy. If he/she reads, then, there's Barnes and Noble, Borders, and even Booksamillion. The list can go on and on. So, the picture above shows all the gift cards that I have. Other than Exxon Mobil cash card (got that from my credit card reward points instead), I received all the others as gifts or prizes. So, anti-clockwise - Dunkin' Donuts, Olive Garden, Starbucks, Barnes and Noble, Bestbuy, Exxon Mobil and Booksamillion.

So, what's better than gift cards?

CASH!!! That's how the Chinese do it. No wrapping like you need to wrap presents (I don't consider putting cash into red envelopes and wrapping), No special retail store to redeem your gift card, just cold hard cash. People might say that's not as sincere as choosing the perfect gift. My defense - cash teaches one to manage his/her money. And, with the money, he/she can definitely buy the perfect gift.

D-5... Will be back home for Lunar New Year for 2 weeks!!!