'Tis the season of mindless consumerism. Straight after the rigmarole of Thanksgiving, we have to dive straight into the panic of festive gift buying. Awkward family members, friends and the dreaded work Secret Santa are all conspiring to make us do something stupid and expensive on Black Friday.
As if the buying wasn't bad enough, receiving can also be a minefield. Almost everyone has been on the receiving end of a crappy present at one point or another, and it's even worse when the gift is unimaginative as well as useless. Unfortunately, thoughtless gift giving is so endemic that a viral tweet has had to bring to our attention something that we all need to stop buying.
Many women agreed with @SoAlmondie when she pointed out that CVS-style mini toiletry gift sets are almost always an unwelcome gift. Citing their low quality and lack of consideration for personal preference, some people were baffled by the fact that they continue to be so popular. While it might be the gesture that counts, it's probably about time we admitted that we could be more creative in our panic buying.
