Christmas and New Year are just a few weeks away and it’s the time of year again when people shop around for gifts that are intended to make others happy.
Late last month, a friend of mine asked for my postal address because he wanted to send me a greeting card. First off, I was surprised to see that a man in his 50s had such a sentiment for sending New Year cards, and moreover doing it so much in advance.
In this digital age where he could send the best wishes online in just a few clicks, he still prefers the traditional way of using stamps and the service of the Thai Post Office in delivering happiness.
But he has a good reason to do so. The cards he is about to send were created by disabled artists and his buying of those cards means he is also helping people with disabilities. Upon learning that, I suddenly his enthusiasm for this once-a-year activity in sending out the charitable cards.
But despite such a buying-for-a-good-cause idea, Christmas and New Year have still become very commercialised, which encourages big spending on presents, particularly at department stores and gift fairs.
Myriads of potential gifts are available and people are willing to spend hours hunting for one they believe their recipients will be happy to receive once the gift box is unwrapped. But is this always what actually happens?
The authors of Scroogenomics demonstrate a different scenario when presents are unwrapped. They are recipients may not be so merry about getting something that is not on their wishlist. Worse, they have to pretend to like it. Sometimes, I myself fall into this awkward situation, having to pretend how much I appreciate getting a scarf, when not even a Hermes one can give me a thrill. Still, I have to beam away and utter a little wow to keep the giver happy
The scarf then become a new never-to-be-worn piece in my cluttered wardrobe.
Scroogenomists went on to note how gifts can be useful to some people and useless to others; the letter is economic waste.
The theory was coined by Joel Waldfogel, a professor at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton business school.
Six years ago the economic penned Scroogenomics, outlining the ponitlessness of Christmas giving and describing the holiday season as an orgy of wastefulness.
The economic waste is not only wallet-flattening but time-and effort-consuming in fiding presents beyond mundane coffee mugs, cotton towels and toiletries that are beautifully wrapped as enticing gift sets.
The choice made by the giver, which often fails to please the recipent, who might also undervalue the present, is another concern for the Scroogenomists.
It’s the thought that counts, not the price of the present. But when people deem themselves a generous Santa Claus, they may go over their budget in buying gifts.
In fact, after all , the true spirit of the holiday season is giveing, rather than complying to convention. It is then that the joy of giving with emotional value will truly be appreciated by the recipient.
I used to be, but no longer am, a victim of Christmas consumerism, nor am I waiting for any Santa Claus to bring me gifts since my room id aleady cluttered with unused stuff, some of them New Year gifts from last year.
คริสต์มาสและปีใหม่ห่างออกไปเพียงไม่กี่สัปดาห์ และเป็นเวลาของปีอีกครั้งเมื่อคนร้านรอบ ๆ สำหรับของขวัญที่มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อให้ผู้อื่นมีความสุข ปลายเดือนที่แล้ว เพื่อนของฉันขอที่อยู่ไปรษณีย์ของฉัน เพราะเขาต้องการส่งบัตรอวยพร ก่อน ปิด ผมแปลกใจที่เห็นว่า เป็นคนในของผสมได้เช่นความเชื่อมั่นการส่งการ์ดปีใหม่ และนอกจากนี้ ทำมากล่วงหน้าในยุคดิจิตอลนี้ที่เขาสามารถส่งดีที่สุดต้องออนไลน์ในเพียงไม่กี่คลิก เขายังชอบวิธีการแบบดั้งเดิมของการใช้บริการของไทยไปรษณีย์ในการส่งมอบความสุขและประทับแต่เขามีเหตุผลที่ดีดังนั้น เขาจะส่งบัตรที่สร้างขึ้น โดยศิลปินคนพิการ และเขาซื้อบัตรเหล่านั้นหมายความว่า เขายังช่วยเหลือคนพิการ เมื่อเรียนรู้ที่ ฉันก็เขากระตือรือร้นในกิจกรรมนี้ปีละครั้งในการส่งออกบัตรการกุศลแต่แม้ มีเช่นการซื้อการได้ดีสาเหตุความคิด คริสต์มาสและปีใหม่ยังเป็น commercialised มาก ซึ่งสนับสนุนให้ใช้ในการแสดง โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งที่ศูนย์การค้าและงานแสดงสินค้าของขวัญขนาดใหญ่อานุภาพของขวัญอาจมี และคนเต็มใจที่จะใช้ชั่วโมงในการล่าสัตว์สำหรับหนึ่งเชื่อว่า ผู้รับจะยินดีที่จะได้รับเมื่อกล่องของขวัญ unwrapped แต่นี่เสมอสิ่งเกิดขึ้นจริงหรือไม่The authors of Scroogenomics demonstrate a different scenario when presents are unwrapped. They are recipients may not be so merry about getting something that is not on their wishlist. Worse, they have to pretend to like it. Sometimes, I myself fall into this awkward situation, having to pretend how much I appreciate getting a scarf, when not even a Hermes one can give me a thrill. Still, I have to beam away and utter a little wow to keep the giver happyThe scarf then become a new never-to-be-worn piece in my cluttered wardrobe.Scroogenomists went on to note how gifts can be useful to some people and useless to others; the letter is economic waste.The theory was coined by Joel Waldfogel, a professor at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton business school.Six years ago the economic penned Scroogenomics, outlining the ponitlessness of Christmas giving and describing the holiday season as an orgy of wastefulness.The economic waste is not only wallet-flattening but time-and effort-consuming in fiding presents beyond mundane coffee mugs, cotton towels and toiletries that are beautifully wrapped as enticing gift sets. The choice made by the giver, which often fails to please the recipent, who might also undervalue the present, is another concern for the Scroogenomists. It’s the thought that counts, not the price of the present. But when people deem themselves a generous Santa Claus, they may go over their budget in buying gifts. In fact, after all , the true spirit of the holiday season is giveing, rather than complying to convention. It is then that the joy of giving with emotional value will truly be appreciated by the recipient. I used to be, but no longer am, a victim of Christmas consumerism, nor am I waiting for any Santa Claus to bring me gifts since my room id aleady cluttered with unused stuff, some of them New Year gifts from last year.
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