A reader writes:
Gift giving is misunderstood as being primarily for the benefit of the recipient. The reward from gift giving comes from spending the time thinking about what your sibling/parent/friend might want. This frequently takes a great deal of time and involves asking others what the person in question enjoys. We often come away learning something about others that we didn't know before. Hence why we intrinsically feel that gift certificates are "lame" gifts, even though we realize that the certificate, or even cash, would objectively be the most useful gift. Gift giving is for the giver, not the recipient.
Another agrees:
I love giving gifts. I never ask people what they want. I use the opportunity to explore what I know about the person and what would be the right intersection of myself and that individual. It’s an extremely rewarding process both in figuring out the gifting and then experience the outcome. This non-believer is a lover of Christmas.
The Dish 