I am unsentimental to a fault. I brag about not wanting gifts and I rarely give them. I just don’t have the warm, fuzzy memories of opening presents and feeling delighted, or giving the perfect present that makes someone squeal. I remember my disappointment when I got a brand-new blue Columbia bike for my sixteenth birthday; and a set of my very own keys to my mother’s car. It’s a shame I was so ungrateful… I really liked that bike. Being a parent, and being an aunt, carry some heavy responsibilities when it comes to gift-giving. I played the game at first. I was on Devon Avenue early on Black Friday with the newspaper clipping in hand. I waddled to my car loaded down with toys that come in very big boxes. There were no video games then, and one could still make a splash with a crappy toy, just as long as it was . Read next feature >