Erstellt am: 16. 12. 2011 - 15:18 Uhr

The Christmas Alternative

How to keep the spirit of giving without the stress of shopping

Well, it's only a week to go. In 7 days time it will be too late; too late, that is, to buy anything more for Christmas. The frenzy of shopping will be over for another year, and we can sit back and enjoy the holidays. Well, sort of. There is still that fear that you've bought all the wrong things for the wrong people, and the whole thing will end up as a disaster.

I must confess to being the world's worst Christmas shopper. I get panic attacks at the thought of it. It's not just the rush and crush in the shops (though I'm not keen on that), it's that awful blankness that goes through my mind when I think "I must get something for....." Admittedly, I've also had a bit of bad luck. A few years ago, my mother let slip that she had discovered a new favourite perfume, but thought it was too extravagant to buy for herself. Bingo - something I knew she would like, and I approached Christmas Day with confidence. Only problem was, her best friend got her a bottle of exactly the same perfume - only twice as big. Of course, mum was very gracious about it, but that didn't stop me from wanting to beat my head on the wall right through until New Year. Such stories are common in my history of Christmas shopping, so I was happy to find myself researching alternatives for this week's Reality Check Special.

So, where did it all start? According to design historian Alison Clarke, the idea of excessive expenditure, over eating and binge drinking at a particular time of year goes back at least a couple of thousand years. The Roman version of the "office Christmas party" was held under the name of "Saturnalia".

With a couple of millenia of tradition, then, it's hardly surprising that the Christmas ritual (which, let's face it, usually has very little to do with the spiritual) is a hard habit to break. However, economist Joel Waldfogel, says we really should try. He says the the whole business carries a distressing imbalance between money spend and satisfaction gained. His recipe for redressing this imbalance lies in either giving gift vouchers, so the recipient can choose what they want for themselves, or giving to charity in the name of the recipient.

This idea is already catching on, with schemes such as those offered by Caritas' Schenken mit Sinn and the Red Cross Help Card being just a few of the ways give something that really will be needed and appreciated by the end recipient, and the present giver and reciever getting the feel-good factor without all the hassle. A goat for granny, or a donkey for Auntie Doris - perfect solutions for the relative who has everything.

Alternative ideas for the alternative Christmas - on Reality Check, 12 noon on Saturday, December 17th.

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