海角大神

Jaiy Dickson鈥檚 family has an unorthodox Christmas tradition: no gift giving.聽聽

For years, the Boston-based law student would pool resources with her sister and stepfather to buy her mother appliances such as a KitchenAid mixer. In turn, Ms. Dickson鈥檚 mother would buy her adult daughters a select item, such as a winter coat. But the family members began running out of ideas for bigger gifts. So, a few years ago, they collectively decided to stop giving presents altogether. As a result, her family鈥檚 outlook on what makes the Yuletide season meaningful has shifted.

鈥淲e get to spend time together and enjoy each other鈥檚 company. We鈥檙e thankful for each other,鈥� says Ms. Dickson during a Zoom call. 鈥淢y friend actually calls it 鈥榗elebrating capitalism鈥� rather than 鈥榗elebrating Christmas.鈥� And I鈥檓 like, 鈥榊eah, I鈥檓 not celebrating capitalism this year.鈥欌�澛�

For most people participating in Christmas or Hanukkah, presents are part and parcel of the season. Whole economies bank on the flurry of purchases that begin in earnest on Black Friday. Yet there are those who, for various reasons, eschew buying stuff for others. Not because they鈥檝e adopted a 鈥淏ah! Humbug!鈥� attitude. Rather, they find greater value in offering nontraditional gifts such as handmade presents, acts of kindness, or just spending time with friends and family. They鈥檙e forms of generosity that aren鈥檛 rooted in materialism.

鈥淭hank you all鈥澛�

The no-gift philosophy can be hard to explain to others, says Jimmy Sapiega, a social worker in McHenry, Illinois. His young nieces鈥� Christmas wish lists include tablets and phones. But although Mr. Sapiega treats his sister鈥檚 family to meal outings, he tells his nieces that cooking together or playing card games is more precious than anything money can buy.

鈥淚 grew up a very spoiled child,鈥� says Mr. Sapiega, who explains he was given several hundred dollars worth of presents each year. During his teens, Mr. Sapiega revolted against the messy clutter he鈥檇 accumulated. He now lives simply and inexpensively.聽

鈥淢y father passed away about 12 years ago, and the last words he said to us were 鈥楾hank you all for being my family.鈥� That鈥檚 really stuck with me ever since,鈥� says Mr. Sapiega in a Zoom call. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l never see a U-Haul behind a hearse.鈥澛�

Renee Bergeron, author of a blog about how to lead an austere lifestyle, established non-gift Christmas traditions for her family. She and her husband have 14 children, five of whom are adopted. (鈥淚鈥檓 a minimalist in every area 鈥� except for kids,鈥� says Ms. Bergeron, laughing over the phone.) Their family-focused holidays include going to church, donating food to homeless people, decorating cookies, and watching a Christmas movie.聽

鈥淲e are 海角大神s, so we wanted to keep the focus on Jesus,鈥� she explains. 鈥淪o we said, 鈥楲et鈥檚 start some traditions purposefully that aren鈥檛 wrapped up in giving actual gifts.鈥欌��

They do make one small concession. Each family member gets a Christmas stocking containing an orange, a candy cane, and one nominal, thoughtfully chosen item. The idea was inspired by a 鈥淟ittle House on the Prairie鈥� novel in which Laura Ingalls Wilder is delighted to reach into her stocking and find a tin cup, sticks of peppermint, a cake, and a shiny penny.

鈥淸Laura鈥檚 father] says something like, 鈥業t鈥檚 almost too much,鈥欌�� says Ms. Bergeron, who lives in Bellingham, Washington. 鈥淎s we read and loved those [books], we thought, 鈥榃e don鈥檛 want every year at Christmas to be bigger and better.鈥欌��

Many parents are wary of trying to top the previous year鈥檚 gifts, especially at a time of high inflation. Ipsos, a market research firm,聽conducted a poll聽on behalf of Shutterfly and found that close to 2 in 3 Americans say they鈥檙e concerned about the impact of recent price increases on their holiday budget.

鈥淎t the same time, when you ask people what鈥檚 important when they鈥檙e thinking about gift giving, the number one thing is finding a thoughtful gift that someone would love,鈥� says Mallory Newall, an Ipsos vice president. 鈥淪o even with economic concerns ever present in our minds right now, Americans are still looking for ways to bring joy and warmth to the holiday season.鈥澛�

Inflation is inspiring many Americans to fulfill Christmas wish lists with items that other people are giving away, says Liesl Clark, CEO of the聽Buy Nothing Project, which she helped found in 2013. Ms. Clark says that the movement now has more than 7 million people participating in neighborhood-based recycling groups, connected by an app and social media.

鈥淥nce I do receive a mountain bike from a neighbor that I can give to my daughter for the holidays, I would then be able to go into the app and click on 鈥楪ratitude,鈥� and then post my thanks to that neighbor,鈥� says Ms. Clark in a phone call from Bainbridge Island, Washington. 鈥淓veryone gets to look on at and witness this expression of gratitude. Everyone feels the joy from that expression.鈥澛�

Another option: Make your own gifts. Michele Guieu, the arts director for the Millennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere environmental group, recently聽wrote an article聽sharing her ideas for creating eco-friendly presents. The San Francisco Bay Area artist makes tree ornaments out of paper bags and found pieces of wood. Last Christmas, Ms. Guieu鈥檚 adult son made a drawing of her and her husband.

鈥淚t goes back to the importance of things compared to the importance of people, moments, experience,鈥� says Ms. Guieu.聽

鈥淢ore time to spend together鈥�

For Susan Kay, from Cooper鈥檚 Landing, Missouri, the most valuable gift is one鈥檚 time.聽鈥淚 would always say, 鈥楴o presents, but your presence is required,鈥欌�� says Ms. Kay over Zoom.聽

Her parents taught her the value of 鈥渞ound to it鈥� gifts, namely helping others do things they haven鈥檛 gotten around to, like winterizing a yard, repairing a step, or fixing a leaky toilet.聽

鈥淚t also gave us the time to visit 鈥� not just then during what we were doing 鈥� but then also because we had saved time by doubling up,鈥� says Ms. Kay. 鈥淎nd so we鈥檇 have more time to spend together.鈥澛�

In the Boston neighborhood of Dorchester, Jane Taylor鈥檚 impulse at Christmas is also to give her time to those who need it most. When she isn鈥檛 volunteering for聽Fair Foods, a nonprofit that helps feed low-income families, she鈥檚 baking Christmas cookies, bread, and gingerbread men for friends and family. When she does buy gifts online, they鈥檙e handcrafted items that benefit a charity. At Quaker meetings, Ms. Taylor sings carols聽that get her thinking about all humankind.

鈥淲e鈥檙e celebrating every life, every baby, every child, regardless of race, religion, any of those things,鈥� says Ms. Taylor during a Zoom call.聽

Inspired by the Christmas story of the donkey that gave up its manger to Jesus, Ms. Taylor also opens her home to strangers.

鈥淚 have rooms in my house that are filled with people, and they are all coming from different countries and different needs,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the whole Christmas story to me. It鈥檚 about giving.鈥澛�

Editor鈥檚 note: This story has been updated to correct the amount of gifts Mr. Sapiega said he received as a child. It was several hundred dollars worth, as Mr. Sapiega shared with the Monitor after publication.