DUmmies Discuss Their Christmas Spirit

[GOBUCKS]

FarCenter (1000+ posts)      Fri Dec-04-09 12:27 PM
Original message
Christmas Giving Is ‘Orgy of Value Destruction,’ Waldfogel Says
Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Christmas is a waste of money because people who give presents overestimate how much recipients will enjoy their offerings, economist Joel Waldfogel said.

“The way we celebrate Christmas around the developed world is with an orgy of value destruction that vaporizes $25 billion per year,” he said in a lecture in London yesterday. “People value the items they receive as gifts 20 percent less per dollar spent than the items they purchase for themselves. These are items that are not well-suited for their tastes.”

Waldfogel, an economics professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, is the author of “Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Presents for the Holidays.” His findings use surveys of people about presents they received during a season that prompts about $65 billion of spending on gifts in the U.S. and a jump in retail sales in Europe and Japan.

“Givers who are in less-frequent contact with the recipients tend to do a lot worse than givers who are in more frequent contact,” he said. “It’s not that grandparents and aunts and uncles are inherently bad at this. It’s that they don’t see the recipient very often, and whose fault is that?”

One obvious way to remove the waste from gift-giving would be to give cash, since that would provide recipients freedom to buy exactly what they want, Waldfogel said. That’s not really possible since social conventions often frown upon using money as a present.

 
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7154525

What is this Christmas? I thought it was Winter Holiday. Anyway, it's on a day close to Kwanzaa.

ret5hd  (1000+ posts)        Fri Dec-04-09 12:30 PM
2. Young nieces and nephews: cash. Elderly: cash. Those in need: cash...
My wife: something that is given thought.
Most everyone else: nada

In other words, i agree with the author.

 

cali  (1000+ posts)        Fri Dec-04-09 12:31 PM
3. I enjoy giving gifts at Christmas. I do it for my pleasure at least as much
as for the recipient. That said, I don't buy new gifts. I make them or I buy things at funky little used stores and I never spend more than 8 bucks per gift. 

I think cali is one of the DUmmies who was bragging recently about making gifts out of table scraps. So be happy if you get one of those 8 dollar trinkets. It doesn't need refrigeration. 

Nikki Stone1  (1000+ posts)     Fri Dec-04-09 12:32 PM
4. This is why I buy few presents, and ask people what they want.
Everyone else gets chocolate, coffee or wine.

 

JackintheGreen (1000+ posts)      Fri Dec-04-09 12:32 PM
Response to Original message
5. Amen!
I've been trying for years to get my family to give fewer presents and NO CHRISTMAS LISTS, which I think are just a lazy crutch.

My deal is this: do not tell me what you want. If I do not know you well enough to give you something you will enjoy and use, I don't know you well enough to justify giving you a present, any present. 

Dammit! I was ready to send DUmmy JackintheGreen a PM with my Christmas list.

azmouse  (1000+ posts)      Fri Dec-04-09 12:34 PM
6. I stopped the Christmas gift nonsense many, many years ago.
Everyone is a lot happier staying out of the crowded stores, spending less money and having less aggravation.

I still see that my mom and MIL have a little something at this time of year but no one else.
Charities get a check. It's a better use for the money than buying someone a Chia Pet.

We haven't heard anything lately about that racist Chiabama Pet. 

[Karin]

It wasn't Cali that introduced the thread on the table scraps gifts.  It was that chick living on the farmette as a charity case.  Whats-her-face.  She was going to take orange peels, coat them in sugar and present them as gifts.  I think Cali did chime in on that thread, though. 

[franksolich]

It wasn't Cali that introduced the thread on the table scraps gifts.  It was that chick living on the farmette as a charity case.  Whats-her-face.  She was going to take orange peels, coat them in sugar and present them as gifts.  I think Cali did chime in on that thread, though. 

Yeah, you're right.

It was the wired gassy primitive, the "grasswire" primitive.

[GOBUCKS]

It wasn't Cali that introduced the thread on the table scraps gifts.  It was that chick living on the farmette as a charity case.  Whats-her-face.  She was going to take orange peels, coat them in sugar and present them as gifts.  I think Cali did chime in on that thread, though. 

You are right. And that reminds me.. When she moved into that charity crib, a room over the garage or something like that, it seems to me she said it was only until winter and then she'd have to find someplace else to flop. So now it's December, and in Wisconsin that's winter, so what's up with that?

[kenth]

I think cali is one of the DUmmies who was bragging recently about making gifts out of table scraps. So be happy if you get one of those 8 dollar trinkets. It doesn't need refrigeration. 
 
Dammit! I was ready to send DUmmy JackintheGreen a PM with my Christmas list.

Well, I'm working on presents for everyone here. I just can't figure out how to make the coffee grounds stick together.

[IassaFTots]

Well, I'm working on presents for everyone here. I just can't figure out how to make the coffee grounds stick together.

Glue Sticks.

[Karin]

Why not try a paste of flour and water to use with the grounds?  Then, you could make joke vomits/dog poo to use in gags.  Would make a lovely gift.  Stick an old turkey bone in it for authenticity. 

[IassaFTots]

Why not try a paste of flour and water to use with the grounds?  Then, you could make joke vomits/dog poo to use in gags.  Would make a lovely gift.  Stick an old turkey bone in it for authenticity. 

Sprinkle on some glitter.  That way it is really festive.

[kenth]

Heck, I'll cut out the middle man and go straight to sprinkling glitter on turkey bones. 

Now we see the dummies reasoning process; cheap AND easy! Thanks everyone! 

[Rebel]

Liberals are completely and totally f'n insane. ....not like that's a new revelation.

To the Editor:

    I believe we should think about doing away with Christmas. Our planet is in big trouble, and giving up Christmas would help to save it in many ways.

    Not having to do extra driving, looking for gifts, would save on gas and therefore on carbon dioxide emissions.

    Millions of trees would not be cut down, allowing them to grow large and to eat up the carbon dioxide which contributes to global warming.

    The land normally used for Christmas tree farms could be planted with fast-growing hardwood forests to suck up even more CO2.

    No Christmas lights or decorations would mean fewer utilities would be used, therefore saving on our natural resources.

    There wouldn't be so much stuff to swell our already fast-expanding landfills.

    I think people would be calmer, happier and less stressed if they didn't have to deal with the holiday. Many who live alone or have no family ties get depressed around Christmastime. There are even increased numbers of suicides. Not celebrating Christmas would mean folks could save money and not go further into debt buying presents that the recipients didn't even want or need.

    Those wishing to celebrate Christ could have their religious and/or family get-togethers and remember Him for whom Christmas was named. It seems like we've gotten rather far away from that.

    Mary Armstrong

    Cazenovia

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/12/to_the_editor_save_the_earth_g.html

[GOBUCKS]

I believe we should think about doing away with Christmas. Our planet is in big trouble, and giving up Christmas would help to save it in many ways.

There's that telltale clue again! Any time you see the word "planet" not used in an astronomical topic, you are dealing with a moonbat. It's 99.97% reliable. Almost as pure as Ivory Soap.

[franksolich]

There's that telltale clue again! Any time you see the word "planet" not used in an astronomical topic, you are dealing with a moonbat. It's 99.97% reliable. Almost as pure as Ivory Soap.

Yep.