We went a step farther. Early in 2004, our then thirty year old youngest daughter made a radical proposal: “2004, gifts no more!”

She voiced what we all thought: none of us needed the stress, none of us needed any of the gifts we all wasted money on, so let’s stop. There was some resistance from our older daughter, but we held firm and we have never given Xmas gifts again other than to very young children.

It’s been grand!