It’s that time of year again! You know, the time of year when people feel obligated to buy something for coworkers, family or friends. It used to be called Christmas, but now it’s “the holiday season.”

So what do we do to scratch the itch? Why, buy a gift card, of course. Gift cards are nice, small, attractive, and — guess what — they don’t require any thought toward the person you are gifting.

I suggested to someone recently that instead of even bothering to buy gift cards, why don’t we all just stick a $20 bill in an envelope and sit in a circle and pass them around until someone says “stop.” Then we can all open our envelopes and act surprised and pleased that we got just what we wanted.

Please don’t misunderstand me. Gift cards do have their place. If you don’t know me and want to say, “Hey, thanks for xyz” or “I really liked an article on your website,” feel free to buy me a gift card as a way of expressing that thanks.

But if you are a friend or a family member, don’t bother. Either slap the green stuff in an envelope and don’t pretend that you really took time to think about me for Christmas, or spend fifteen minutes of your precious time thinking about what I might really like.

Is that too hard nowadays? Have we forgotten how to give gifts? Are we so stinking busy that we don’t have time for the bare basics of human existence?

Show someone you care about them this year. If you only do this for ONE person, think about that person long and hard enough to decide what you want to buy them (besides a gift card!). Buy it. Wrap it yourself. Write a personal note on the box or insert a card with it.

Let them know you thought enough of them to think of them.

What’s your take?