It's that time of year again and people are scowering the stores for the perfect gift while trying to refrain from buying themselves something they just have to have. But if you think about it. People complain about Christmas shopping even though it is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. It is a season of giving, but a lot of people give for the wrong reasons - just because it's expected.

There are usually only a few people - family, friends, even pets - who shoppers really put a lot of thought into. Mostly, people get gifts because they feel guilty when others get them gifts, but those people feel guilty... catch my drift? It's a vicious cycle.

By not getting someone a gift (who knows it is more of a formality) they will feel less obligated to spend (waste) money on you. Not that you aren't worth every penny.

There will always be exceptions to this of course, but people can pretty easily reverse this trend. If everyone gave one less obligation gift this year, think about how much money everyone could collectively save. By pumping money into useless goods, people are really just Hallmarking the holiday even more than it is already Hallmarked. Christmas does center around material goods, but the gift of giving never started out because someone wanted a car, a new dress or a guitar. 

Gold may have been a little costly, but frankincense and myrrh were more from the heart than the wallet back in the days of original gift giving. Maybe Rosemary or Thyme wouldn't be the most ideal gift for your parents or girlfriend, but when you do shell out money, think about why you are doing it and what the gift really means to them. By spending less on necessity gifts, you can spend more money on the people you really want to buy gifts for, or on yourself. 

When all else fails, bake cookies, dip them in chocolate and toss them around with holiday-colored Hershey kisses and people will love them.

Quick and easy Christmas (holiday) cookie recipes

What do you think Christmas is all about?