"Surely, she bathes! Let's buy body wash!"

If there's one thing I can't stand at Christmas, it's being forced to buy obligatory gifts for people I barely know and certainly know nothing about.

It's not the money that's an issue, it's the time investment. It's the fact that I'm dragging myself from store to store in a vain attempt to please someone whom I haven't called or hung out with since the previous Christmas. The fact that, really, I have no idea if they'll appreciate it beyond the gift-giving gesture, and the fact that I'm stressing myself unnecessarily when I have much better things to think about.

I find myself locked into an endless mental repertoire as the minutes tick by: What do they like? What do they wear? Is this too cheesy? Do they already have this? Am I the only one who thinks this is cute? Is this going to be relegated to the junk drawer or re-gifted to some unsuspecting recipient?

I suspect retailers like L'Occitane stay in business over quandaries like this. When was the last time you thought, "I really need some fruity-smelling lotion and coordinating body wash!" Chances are, never. Why? Because of the stockpile in your bathroom closet, a trove of sweet pea and lilac-scented gifts from Christmases past. Gifts from people who don't know anything about you, so they resort to the lowest common denominator - "Surely, she bathes! Let's buy body wash!"

If only gift-giving etiquette allowed for a ceasefire of sorts. "Don't get anything for me, I won't get anything for you." Time saved, stress saved, and a whole lot less lotion and bath products on the horizon.