As the time of holiday gift-giving approaches, I want to re-visit an experience of mine, to support your gift-giving decisions this season.  Gift cards have been and continue to be popular ways of satisfying a gift for another.  They are easy actions when you don’t know “the perfect” gift someone would want to receive, but you have a sense of the types of interests they might enjoy, such as, music, entertainment, videos, or clothing.  I, too, have used gift cards in the past for children’s birthdays, nieces and nephews, professional colleagues and teammates on sports teams.  However, I have finally come to the conclusion that gift cards are not a good idea, and I have stopped purchasing them.  Here’s why:

Rummaging around an old wallet, I found a Toys-r-Us gift card. I thought, surely this is trash. There can’t be any “cash” on this card; my children are well into their teens. This gift card is more than 10 years old. My curiosity caused me to call the number on the back of the card and plug in the sixteen digit number; to my surprise, delight and alarm, “your balance is $39.43.”  To finish this card, I went online and ordered stocking stuffers for family members.  I added this card to the several that I happened to find after the factover the years.

Regardless of whether I have a unique problem misplacing gift-cards, the larger question remains:  How many unused gift cards are lost, that go unused and unappreciated?  What is the total value?  Well, I’ll tell you.  According to Consumer Reports surveys over the past few years, more than 25% of all gift cards, or better than $8 billion dollar’s worth, of cards have gone unused. This figure is staggering and growing.  These are the most popular reasons they were not redeemed:

• Over half (58%) of consumers indicated not having the time; followed by not finding anything they wanted (35%).
• Nearly one-third (32%) of respondents who have unused cards from last holiday season did not use their gift card because they forgot about it.
• A good proportion of consumers (7%) will never redeem their gift cards from last season because the card is lost (3%) or expired (4%).

My suggestion this gift-giving season … wonder into your gifts for others.  When you are curious about your receiver, the answers to what he or she would most like to receive come easily.  See if you can suspend all desire to get it right or get the perfect gift.  See if you can simply be with the person you want to appreciate with lightness, intention and wonder.  Let go of figuring out the perfect gift and see what emerges.

Also, consider good old fashion homemade gifts of food and sweets.  Edibles are consumed and enjoyed in the present.

If all of the above fails, there’s always the real deal, cash. Put a ten spot in your card with your genuine expressions of remembrance. Cash, as they say, is king.  Skip gift cards and make certain you use yours when they arrive.