season of giving

post college and among my circle of friends, the practice of exchanging gifts during the holidays had all but vanished. gift giving was reserved for birthdays and accompanied by treating the guest of honor to a fancy dinner. even within my family, the focus for gift giving has shifted to the little ones, and rightly so. in my opinion, christmas is all about the kids.

not that i don't enjoy gift giving, i just hate feeling obligated to do so. . and no place is the burden heaviest as it is at work. of course, for my superiors and associates there is no question or reluctance to give a token gift. instead, it becomes this stressful, expensive, and massive ordeal.

will i offend X if i don't get them a gift?

s**t, now i have to get Y a gift because Y got me a gift!

f**k, i forgot to get Z a gift!!


bah humbug.