Learning to Say No During the Holidays

Gift giving abounds during this time of year, but few realize that their gift giving endeavors can be categorized into separate gift giving categories. The current economic situation has prompted many to ask those more fortune for help this holiday season. One individual claims he has received Facebook messages and in person pleas from friends asking for financial help for the holidays. When someone with more helps someone with less, the gift is classified as an “empathy gift.”

Some gift giving, though, is done out of obligation and not out of empathy for others. These obligatory gifts range from pitching in to buy a holiday gift for a boss to purchasing gifts for your child’s teachers. However, with all the requests surrounding gift givers during the holiday season, gift giving fatigue can set in quickly. Requests from charities, school districts, family, and friends can cause many gift givers to cut gifts back or refrain from giving gifts all together because of the strain the requests create.

See Paul Sullivan, In a Time of Giving, Learning to Say No, The New York Times, Dec. 16, 2011.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (WealthCounsel) for bringing this article to my attention.