Hi there! Christmas is approaching. Some celebrate it (for varied reasons) and some don’t. I personally do, since I grew up in a Christian family (though I’m not religious) and it’s what we’ve always done. Gift-giving is something I also do; I give only to key figures in my life, but this year I’d like to be more deliberate about it (hence some of my questions below).
This 2014 thread is the most I’ve read about EA vis-a-vis Christmas. I’m pretty curious how the rest of the EA community thinks of and celebrates Christmas, so I typed up some questions and would love to read some of your answers below (feel free to pick any).
Questions:
Do you celebrate Christmas? Why or why not? (For example: religious reasons, company, etc.)
If you do celebrate Christmas, what are some of your traditions? If you don’t celebrate Christmas, what do you do around Christmas-time?
What’s a Christmas gift you would give someone interested/very engaged in EA (i.e. what would excite someone in the EA community, given what you know about it)?Would be cool to get EA or non-EA related suggestions. Some ideas: Hosting a Christmas charity fundraiser for a charity they’re passionate about, matching a donation, an EA-related book, plant-based food, letters/personalized scrapbooks, premiums on software or productivity apps they use, etc. (EDIT: I edited this question to distinguish giving gifts to people involved in EA)
What’s a Christmas gift you would give someone not interested/involved in the EA community? Are you particularly conscious about it being EA-aligned or not?
What’s a Christmas gift you personally would want (whether EA-aligned/not)?
What are your overall thoughts on Christmas or gift-giving (E.g. do you discourage gift-giving? Do you enjoy Christmas)?
Thanks for reading/answering! Happy December :)
P.S. Thanks to Aaron Gertler for the new title suggestion!
On #3, I personally have very strong feelings that gift-giving should be about celebrating your loved ones and your relationship with them, not trying to change anyone. I would not give an EA-related gift to a loved one unless they were also interested in EA.
Thanks for your answer! I agree, you have a good point. I think I was asking more about what’s a gift someone really interested into EA would like (e.g. I’d be pretty excited to get a nice EA book) but if they’re not interested in EA, if anyone would be conscious about what they give (e.g. if they’re vegan but don’t give a vegan gift). You have a really good point about the meaning of gifts, thank you!
The only ‘EA-aligned’ gift I would give someone would probably be a book, if I thought they’d be interested in it. Fundraisers don’t really sound like a gift per se because they’re not specific to a person, and I think it’s easy to come across as ‘preachy’ if you give someone a gift that you know they don’t really want.
Thanks for your answer ! I agree with not giving a gift to someone if they wouldn’t want it. I mentioned this in a reply to a comment above, but I think I was asking more about what’s a gift someone really interested into EA would like, which might include a fundraiser/donation to a charity they’re passionate about. But if they’re not interested in EA, or wouldn’t be interested in it, it would probably come across not so great. Thank you!