We think the number of gifts or an expensive gift will impress others.

We impose our taste on another person.

Economist Waldfogel did a study and estimated the loss of value due to folks assigning a lesser value for the gifts than the real purchase value to be 10 to 33%. Indian economists Waknis and Gaikwad conducted a study – Deadweight loss of Diwali and found this loss average at 15%. Data from Europe and other countries mirror this estimate. Estimates for the whole world exceed gifts valued at $1 trillion annually, resulting in a loss of $100-300 billion. While this is an estimate of loss in value annually, the total value of such unwanted gifts left unused will be much higher, probably worth a few trillion dollars.

 

Gift giving in its current state is a huge waste of money. If we add the cost of time to buy the gift, fuel and packing materials and in some cases the shipment costs as well, a huge waste is floating around without any use or happiness. What an economic waste and environmental malady indeed! We are all cheating ourselves and Mother Earth.

 

It is high time, everyone realized that true love is not to be measured by material gifts but by the happiness of being together or even over a telephone call. Physical and emotional care to someone is more important than this material world. May be we can help them by devoting our time and skills for their betterment.

 

The future will be brighter if we all really show care for the poor, the sick, the needy and near and dear ones by showering true love and care. Let's resolve to enable sustainable life on Mother Earth by reducing unwanted gifts; wherever gifts are essential let's gift food with longer shelf lives or "Green" Gifts made of recyclable items, or something "green" like tickets to a sporting event,  movie or stage play or better still by planting a tree in the name of the person in memory of the special event. Or how about a gift certificate at a shopping mall or a restaurant?

 

May be more and more shopping Malls, restaurants and others should come up with the  concept of a Gift certificate, which can be encashed or if not encashed the sum will be passed by the organization which issued the gift certificate for charitable purposes. This way the world can reduce wasteful gifts and the receiver of a gift certificate will buy only gifts that are needed.

 

People will question that this cannot replace a feeling of Love, one treasures from the various events and the gifts therefrom. Such emotional feelings can be "played back" in our memory when seeing the gifted items. Such love is priceless. But we have to realize that our Mother (Earth) pays the price for our emotions and may be our future generations have to suffer because we will be handing over to them a world of junk.

 

Perhaps a future solution for this lies in electronic media like Facebook allowing users to list what they wish to have during the next 12 months. By updating this and allowing friends and relatives to see this wish list of many items, the donors can choose one of them and still keep the element of surprise and shower of the personal feeling of love.

 

The only immediate solution is to remember "Give because you want to give, care to give and love to give, not because you ought to give. That will be the perfect gift ever."

 

Above all, Mother Earth Needs the Right Gift every moment of our breath though our Green Actions.