I hate receiving gifts. No, really.

The Moral Conundrum of Gift Giving under Capitalism.

“What do you want for Christmas?” is the most hated, anxiety-inducing question every anti-gift-receiving person dreads. No one ever believes us when we say we don’t want anything; they insist they have to get us something and we can’t go empty-handed on Christmas. So, when we eventually concede, throw a bone, and ask for understated consumable gifts such as soap or food, we are never listened to or taken seriously, and we end up always facing the thing we didn’t want the most: a gift. Oftentimes, multiple gifts.

Now, I get it. I love buying gifts for people. I love planning the lists and wrapping presents or making them, posting them and all the thought that goes into organising personalised ways to tell people I love them and care about them. However, everyone I give gifts to enjoys receiving them, whereas I don’t.

Why Some People Hate Receiving Gifts

I lacked vocabulary for my dislike of gifts when I was younger. Of course, children enjoy receiving toys, but it got to a point when I began receiving things I never wanted or asked for, purely for the sake of the gift-giver saving face, and it made me feel uncomfortable. No matter how little I asked for, I would still get more gifts, even from…