Opinion

Call me a Grinch, but what if we just didn’t buy presents at Christmas?

With less than two weeks to go, let’s try not to reach for the tinsel-covered panic button

Lynette Fay

Lynette Fay

Lynette is an award winning presenter and producer, working in television and radio. Hailing from Dungannon, Co Tyrone, she is a weekly columnist with The Irish News.

The curmudgeonly Grinch has been banned from the McCann household this Christmas
Gifts from Santy are non-negotiable at Christmas, but what if adults agreed not to buy gifts for each other?

Thirteen more sleeps, 12 more Advent calendar windows to open until Christmas Day. However you count it down, this day two weeks, it will all be over.

Has panic set in yet?

What panic, some might ask. I find myself in the unprecedented territory of having presents wrapped and under the tree already – thanks to the insistence of my five-year-old who, like a super sleuth, correctly identifies the extra items in the house as presents and tells me that we need to wrap them.

She promises not to tell anyone what they are getting for Christmas. I feel that she is getting a kick out of her time in the inner circle.

In terms of presents, the older I get, the more I find myself resorting to the boring ‘things that people need’ rulebook.

Join the Irish News Whatsapp channel

I used to be the one in our family who bought exciting, thoughtful, different presents. I am not that person any more because I don’t seem to have enough time or headspace – or perhaps it’s because I believe that no-one really needs anything. I know that I don’t.

I shouldn’t paint myself to be completely boring though. I occasionally redeem myself with concert tickets, or booking an event to look forward to. Experiences are a much better gift than more stuff, aren’t they?

Scrolling through Instagram videos the other day, I came across one where someone was asking ‘Why do we buy presents for members of the family who do not need them?’

Her thinking made sense to me. She asked, if you want the fancy hot chocolate maker, why don’t you just buy it for yourself?

A quarter of adults in the UK are set to buy pre-loved gifts for children this Christmas
Scrolling through Instagram videos the other day, I came across one where someone was asking ‘Why do we buy presents for members of the family who do not need them?’

Her main message was that adults should not buy gifts for adults, we should only buy gifts for children and alleviate the pressure on ourselves.

For those who are lucky enough to be in the position to buy presents for other family members, should we be asking ourselves why we buy into the façade year after year?

I can hear the screams of ‘Grinch’ and ‘cheapskate’ as I type. That’s not what this is about.



This shift in culture could curb the mental load of buying gifts.

We try to telepathically work out what a person might like, without in some cases having seen that person from one Christmas to the next.

Some people drop hint after hint after hint in the hope that their nearest and dearest might buy you the gift you want. Isn’t that exhausting? Why can’t you just buy it for yourself?

We buy in to the magic of Christmas equating to a mountain of things under the tree on Christmas morning. Is that what it’s really all about?

It’s easy to overspend at Christmas
We buy in to the magic of Christmas equating to a mountain of things under the tree on Christmas morning. Is that what it’s really all about?

Think of the number of people who would gladly forfeit receiving a present to save them the stress of rushing out on Christmas Eve to do some last-minute shopping.

Obviously there is one major caveat on my Christmas present re-think. Gifts from Santy are non-negotiable.

He will make his list, check it twice, and deliver presents to all children on Christmas Eve. As long as this happens, does the rest of it matter?

If the rest of us eased up on the gifting madness, it might make life easier for those who can’t afford to be buying lots of gifts at Christmas too.

While I would love to have the courage not to buy presents, I can’t find the strength to break that cycle just yet.



At time of writing I find myself in the smug position of having most of the Christmas presents sorted.

This is an unfamiliar feeling, and also dangerous territory. Dangerous because I now have too much time on my hands to panic-buy online – you know, the ‘I’ll buy this just in case’ or ‘what if’ purchases.

These are the items that I will inevitably shove in a forgotten cupboard, so if I forget to buy anyone a gift, I have the emergency stash.

How many of us have forgotten about the emergency stash only to remember it in June of the next year, when the biscuits or sweets are nearly out of date?

Less than two weeks to go. Let’s collectively try not to reach for the tinsel-covered panic button.

If you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article and would like to submit a Letter to the Editor to be considered for publication, please click here

Letters to the Editor are invited on any subject. They should be authenticated with a full name, address and a daytime telephone number. Pen names are not allowed.