I can't imagine being with a woman who expected hundreds of dollars of gifts every occasion. I guess it's my luck that my past girlfriends just wanted something personal and had some thought behind it, and I'm the same way. Every long-term relationship I've had, we'd buy each other stuff all year anyway. But then, I'm usually attracted to low maintenance, sensible women - my last gf forbid me to buy her flowers, because they were a waste - but buying her a potted plant was encouraged, because she could take care of it.

Vday has always been a challenge for me, because I do not agree with nor support the diamond business, I've known about the blood diamonds years before that movie came out, I knew about DeBeers' monopoly and abuse decades ago, I just will not buy diamonds. Other precious stones, maybe, if I can find out where they came from, but diamonds, no way. That can get...difficult.

As for my family and friends, once you get out of the 20's, gifts are pretty much forgotten, and that's fine. A card or a phone call or a dinner out means more to me than some "stuff". All of my siblings are the same, we exchange cards and phone calls, and if we're around we get together and have a big family breakfast, but Xmas presents are all about their kids, we're fine just drinking coffee and watching them open presents.

I dunno. As I get older I get less materialistic - I get itchy when I start getting too much stuff, and I start giving stuff away, or throw it out, or donate it. Less is better. Don't give me presents, it's stuff, and I don't want it.

The humor is, in WoW, I'm the opposite, I'm a complete pack rat and my toon's banks are full and guild bank is stuffed with stuff.