On Choosing Christmas Gifts, No Holiday Gift-Giving, and COVID-19 Being Psychologically Over
This month’s top reads are all about the holidays. With a global pandemic, gifts to buy (or not), and an unstable political climate, this year’s holidays are going to be tougher than ever. With advice on the psychology of gift-giving, taking a year off, and how to deal with feeling “over” COVID-19, these three articles will help you navigate the end of the year.
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How to Choose the Right Christmas Gift: Tips from Psychological Research
To say gift-giving can be hard would be an understatement. Figuring out what to give someone for a birthday or Christmas present can take up an incredible amount of bandwidth. But, according to a psychology paper in the journal of consumer research, it’s often simpler than we make it. For one, pick gifts from their list. Second, don’t stress about money. It’s been shown people care more about the thought and effort than they do about money. And third, keep in mind that the reason we give gifts is to strengthen our connections and to make people happy.
It’s Okay To Not Give Presents This Year
The pandemic has raised another question among households: Is it okay to not buy gifts at all? With increasing strain on budgets, it can be nerve-wracking to give gifts this year. And even if you have the extra money, gift-giving (something that already leads to unnecessary stress) can become tortuous when there is so much else happening. Other people measure their love for others by giving gifts and worry that if they can’t, it will make their friends and family believe they have turned their back on them. This year, talk to your extended family about pausing on gift-giving, and if you really don’t want to stop, homemade cookies never go out of style.
The Psychology of Being “Over” COVID-19
With the holidays right around the corner, it’s normally a time to travel and visit family. But this year, being close to the ones we love means we need to stay as far away from them as we can. The pandemic is still ravaging the world. And after a year of constant worry and stress, it’s understandable to feel “over” COVID. When threatened, our bodies mount defensive mechanisms to keep us safe. And while this is a good thing and has allowed us to survive, our brains weren’t built to withstand the prolonged stress and uncertainty the pandemic causes. It can feel after all this time that we just don’t care anymore, that we are going to see grandma virus be damned. But remember, that’s your impulses talking. We will beat the virus, but until we do, stick to Zoom.
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