Scroogenomics

For the discussion question this week I asked you guys on facebook to tell me about a great gift that you had received, and what made it a great gift.

I really appreciated the responses. It’s fun to share those stories because there is something special about receiving a gift from someone. God created a physical world for us to live in where we can give a hug, or share a doughnut, or sit a table and drink coffee with a friend. And it is a part of our culture to take special time to show our care for family and friends during the holidays.

Digging In:

Once upon a time I stumbled on a book called Scroogenomics at Barnes and Noble. And I thought it was really interesting. Basically, this economics professor was teaching, in a funny way, how little value some of the gifts we receive have to us.

What makes a poor gift?

Scroogenomics describes this poor gifting by describing value destruction. He tries to make it clear that we give gifts that are worth less than what we paid for them, or are even worthless to the recipients:

“the aisles are blocked not just with panicked shoppers, but also with tables covered with ‘gift items’. In the aisle near the men’s clothing department you’ll find lots of golf-themed knickknacks—mugs festooned with golf balls, golf club mittens, etc. Would anyone buy this stuff for him-or-herself? Does anybody want it?”

I struggled to buy gifts for my father-in-law for years. We do not have the same tastes, and anything he needs, he can purchase for himself. So I have stood next to the golf-knicknack , and the packers knickknack table, wondering if I should pick something like this up, but after reading Scroogenomics, I instead bought him a box of high quality golf balls instead, not having golfed since I was 16 years old, and hoped that it was a practical gift.

No one wants to give or receive a gift that is worthless. So what can we do? 

What makes a great gift?

We can give someone permission to have something that they haven’t been able to afford. (Buying a gift card for someone for something that we know that they really want would be an example of this. Jerry’s parents giving him an iPhone in response to his patience and responsibility is another example.

We can give someone access to something that they didn’t even know existed. By doing research, or by sharing our expertise in an area, or by scouring the shelves of a thrift store, we can discover something and give it as a gift that our loved ones didn’t even know existed. Ally’s cat that doesn’t give mom an allergic reaction would be an example of this.

We can make sure that our gift “functions as a conduit of warm feelings between the giver and the receiver.” An example of this would be writing a really nice card along with the starbucks gifts card. Or even making a bracelet and writing a note.

This is the way that Scroogenomics teaches us to give gifts. In this way we could give someone a gift that is priceless instead of worthless. The teacher who taught me to play a strategy board game when I didn’t even know those existed, gave me a priceless gift that has brought me countless hours of enjoyment. The note that my mother-in-law wrote to send with my birthday card was worth at least as much as the $40 of cash inside.

What about God? What does God have to say about giving gifts?

The main thing that I think God has to teach us about gift giving is found in this section of Scripture:

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

-Luke 6:32-26

This teaches us what true, Christian, charitable giving is. It is only a gift, if it is given freely. As Christians, we can do well to put these words of Jesus into practice.

It can be hard to give and to receive without repayment. But I believe it is worth fighting to keep a gift a gift. Let us make it clear to the world that Christians do not give as the world gives. If someone gives you a gift and you were not expecting it, do not apologize. Say thank you. It was a gift.

If you give a gift and do not want to be repaid, then make that clear. “I just wanted to give you this. No need to give a gift in return.”

Even more difficult is to teach ourselves to give with the right attitude. Remember that you have been given the world. And it is the least we can do to give good gifts to those people in our lives.

Give one good gift to someone this year that is not expecting a gift from you, and you can show them a sliver of the kind of undeserved love that God has shown us.

Reflection:

Who is the difficult person on your Christmas list? What makes it hard to find something for that person?