[Alex]
Jon Chait, TNR’s curmudgeon-in-chief, returns with a golden oldie: his broadside against gift-giving captures the spirit of the season rather well, I think.
Like Chait, I too made the mistake of attempting to persuade a girfriend that gift-giving was really an unacceptable form of emotional extortion. Much to my surprise, this argument proved controversial.
I think this was what is called a "life lesson".
The Dish 