Checking Out of Gift-Giving

I'm about to send this email to all my family. Poke holes in my logic.

Dear Family,

Firstly, we're thoroughly enjoying being a part of this family. We've learned a lot from each of you and look forward to continuing to grow together. As we plan to start a family of our own, we must examine every aspect of our lives with a critical eye. A glaring inefficiency, in my opinion, is traditional gift giving. It's a tradition as old as time which was intended to win favor, show affection, and develop emotional connection.

In our modern world of abundance, we're grateful to have everything we could need. The idea of giving a thoughtful gift, while pleasant, assumes that the gift-giver knows the preferences of the recipient better than the recipient himself; which is not the case. And if one does stumble upon something that a loved one might find useful, why wait for a designated day to give them that thing? If they can truly find value in that thing, wouldn't it make sense to give it to them immediately? We end up spending our precious time and money looking for gifts for the sake of giving gifts. The likelihood of them being truly wanted gifts is slim and the recipient ends up having to spend time figuring out a purpose for the gift in order to avoid having a cluttered home.

If the gesture is what carries significance, and we can acknowledge that we are a privileged people with all of our needs and most of our wants met, then let's use this as an opportunity to help those less fortunate. The Goldie Family will no longer engage in the tradition of gift-giving. We would be happy to donate to a charity of your choosing on your behalf instead. When a time of traditional gift-giving is approaching, please send us the name of the charity you would like us to donate to on your behalf and we will send you the receipt. We do not expect anything in return. This way, we as a family unit make more efficient use of our time and resources while doing good for the world.

Best Wishes, The Goldie Family