I want to start an "opt out of Christmas gift giving/receiving" movement. I don't want gifts and I absolutely hate shopping for them. In my opinion 90% of the gifts I give and at least that many that I receive are total junk I don't want. I see so many of the extended family type gifts that are items that seem to be manufactured and marketed specifically to provide people with some cheap piece of junk they can pass off as a gift. The kind of crap no one would ever buy because they wanted the item, just some cutesy crap that allows them to cross a name or two off their list of obligation. I hate it so much it makes me want to yell. I just want out of the whole thing.
EDIT: maybe I could modify the movement so that it only precludes store-bought gift giving. So if someone made cookies, or a sweater, or quilt, or beer, or a dog house, or whatever, then that's fine. Just no disposable gifts.
My MIL bought for the entire family some total junk as seen on TV knife that has a stupid thing hanging off it that acts as a guide so that all your slices are the same thickness. I like to cook, so I have good knives. There's nothing in the world as awesome as having truly good knives to use when cooking, imo. They make all the difference. So anyway, I wouldn't use the piece of junk serrated blade $2 knife in the first place, and in the second place I know how to cut things uniformly and I can cut things much thinner than the thinnest setting of this stupid knife she gave me. I'm not trying to be unappreciative, but at the same time she bought everyone in the family one of these knives because she apparently found a bin full of them at big lots or something and was happy enough to be able to say she was finished with her x-mas shopping. I would have loved to save her the time and money and just tell her to cross my name off the list and don't get me anything. If it went both ways that would have honestly been the best gift I got this x-mas for the amount of stress I wouldn't have to deal with next year.