Gift Cards: Yea or Nay?

Finished finals, turned in my last paper of the semester, and spent the rest of yesterday (as well as today) schlepping stuff from our apartment to the new house we're renting. I'll post more on the move soon, but suffice it to say, it's going to be a great place for our family.

While making my umpteenth trip back and forth between places, I heard on the radio that, according to this American Express survey from a month or so ago (not sure how I missed it then), 66% of Christmas shoppers plan to give gift cards this year, a nearly-ten-percent jump from last year's survey. Here's why:

"Among those planning on purchasing gift cards, two thirds (66%) want the receiver to choose his or her own gift, and a large majority (57%) say that the option of giving gift cards has changed how they think about shopping. Seven in ten (73%) say they finish shopping faster with less stress. Shoppers also say they will go to the mall and stores less often, including Thanksgiving weekend (60%), some will likely get their holiday shopping done earlier (59%) although other shoppers say they plan to start later because they know they can always get a gift card (45%)."

How do those receiving the cards feel about this trend? Apparently they don't seem to mind:

"By letting people get what they want for the holidays, gift cards have changed the dynamics of post-holiday shopping. According to the survey, a majority (56%) say they return fewer gifts when they receive gift cards. A third (32%) will redeem their gift cards within a month, and nearly one in four (23%) will redeem their cards within six months. Seven percent say they plan to redeem gift cards during the post-holiday week."

The survey goes on to talk about who people are buying gift cards for, as well as that those giving gift cards have no expectation of receiving a thank you note from the recipient.

In listening to the story today, it seems obvious that the trend of our nation's gift-giving frenzy this time of year revolves not around what someone wants to give, but what someone simply wants. Perhaps it's too subtle an observation, but when I listened to all the commercials following the story, this was their clear theme.

Full disclosure: I'm not much (okay, I'm not any kind) of a gift-giver myself, so I don't stay up nights thinking about this. But for those who are (and those who do), is what's keeping you up your indecision about what exactly you want to give to someone else, or are you losing sleep trying to figure out exactly what the other person wants? Again, it's a subtle difference, but it seems to me the latter causes a whole lot more stress than the former.

A friend of mine and I were talking about this (sort of) at a recent Christmas party we were both attending. As we were discussing the latest books we had been reading, George made the comment that he loves the holidays because his family always gives him some new books to read for the new year. However, when he's asked what books he would like, he tells them to pick out something they think he would like, rather than him tell them what he wants. He says he's never disappointed with their selections, and his library stays a little more varied than it would otherwise as a result.

I like that philosophy, but I recognize that it takes time and thought. Is the gift card phenomenon simply a function of limited calendars and creativity (it certainly doesn't seem to be due to a limited pocketbook)? Do you buy gift cards for others, and if so, what's your main motivation? And if you don't, why not (and what do you do instead)?