"It's the thought that counts"-- or so I thought.

Today, I signed on to Nexopia, only to discover that a new poll was up on the site. This is not unusual, considering the fact that they change the poll every couple days. It was a simple question, or so I thought- "What do you want for Christmas?". There were the usual answers as options, from far fetched things like leprechauns and ponies to the usual things such as CDs or Gift Cards. I voted nonsensically, for "What?" (I don't yet know what I want for Christmas). The thing I was suprised to discover was that a large majority (37.4%) of people wanted money for Christmas. I wasn't that surprised, but I was rather saddened.
In my mind, nothing is a more thoughtless Christmas gift than money. To me, money says "Sorry, I didn't have time to get you a gift, here's some money, go buy one for yourself." Forgive me for being old fashioned, but I thought it was the thought that counted in terms of a present. Personally, I'm elated when I open a great present from a friend that I know must have taken at least a small bit of effort to pick out. It shows me that my friend cares about me enough to think about me as a person and what I might like to receive for a Christmas gift.
However, many teenagers (I apologize for making a generalization, but a fair majority of Nexopia's users are in fact, teens) lately just seem to want money, money and more money. It feels like eventually there isn't going to be such a thing as gifts, people will only receive crumpled bills stashed inside a card. "To ___, Merry Christmas, From ____."
"But wait!" you say, "Times are changing. What's wrong with giving everyone money? Then they can use it for a gift that they would like. Besides, I'm not good at picking out gifts anyway."
Well, my friend, this may be true, but at least a gift shows that you took the time to think of what someone might appreciate rather than taking the easy way out. That's what gift receipts are for anyway--- if your friend or family member really doesn't appreciate your gift, they can always take it back and find something else they would enjoy more. It's also special if your friend understands the fact that you may be crappy at picking out gifts, but tried anyway, for their sake.
This sword does swing both ways though. Sometimes people only ask for money as a Christmas gift (I like to think of these people as "difficult"). Just because they want money however, does not mean that you can't pick them out something you think they would like better than, as I stated before, some crumpled bills. Hey, if you're lucky, it might be something they've always wanted but never really thought to ask about.
Anyway, back to my point. Gifts take time and effort to pick out, money takes a couple of uncaring seconds to thrust into an envelope. My challenge is this: show a friend you care this Christmas- enough to choose something for them that they might get some enjoyment out of, rather than a bill they'll toss at an uncaring cashier without even thinking of your name.
As Charles Dudley Warner intelligently stated, "The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than its value."
Just something to think about this holiday season.