Ungifting

When I told my brother about how I ended up with a mittful of Starbucks cards, he called it Ungifting and suggested I might be on the leading edge of a new trend. I’ll share the story and let you decide. 

I was meeting some friends for lunch. They’re good pals and former coworkers. We’ve shared a lot of laughs and frustrations and we’ve each been mad at each other, and said so, at least once. That’s a real, true friendship.

Because it was December and the one friend is a very crafty and giving person, I thought I should bring them each a little gift. So I purchased some Starbucks gift cards, tucked them into little handwritten note cards, and off I went. As lunch drew to a close, it became clear that a gift exchange was not part of this occasion. I felt I would make them feel bad if I presented them with something and they couldn’t reciprocate so I kept the cards in my purse. However, I did treat them to lunch.

Ungifting. Buying a present with the intention of giving it away, only to change one’s mind for various reasons. Did I do the right thing? I still think I did. No harm was done. I still picked up the tab for lunch, which meant I gave in another way. Do you agree?

I’ve been using the Starbucks cards myself. Last weekend I tried a Holiday Spice Flat White that I never would have chosen without a gift card to swipe – and it was delicious! It seems to me that everybody wins.