Which of these cultural traditions would you prefer?

I like it right on time and on my schedule to get gifts

Spontaneous!

Schedule, but it's only the lesser of two evils.

Now this is food for thought.

I'm always messing with the schedule. I prefer spontaneous gifts. "Hey, I'll get this!" I like to just buy dinner for everyone now and then. When I have a sweetie, I'll often show up with some little trinket or send her a couple of dozen roses with a card saying "Happy Thursday! I bet you thought I'd forget." To me, gifts don't mean the same thing when there's some kind of implied obligation behind them.

I don't understand

Hell, give whenever.

I want an other option. Spontaneous sounds good, but despite your definition that it's the same, it's not. Most people just stop giving gifts when it becomes "spontaneous". Scheduled gift-giving isn't so bad, either. Yes, it creates a big retail surge that has warped everything, but such things probably help our economy to keep running smoothly, and that economy is why we're all relatively fat and happy (and have time to mess around with website like this).

I like a schedule but spontaneous is fun too.

spontaneous gift giving!!!!

Good question. Instead of gift giving, I'd rather spend time with someone. Material things are not important to me. I'm a gracious receiver, but don't need gifts. This last meeting with my MinuteMen group, I received a very thoughtful gift from the hostess of the social gathering, a little book called "The Candle in the Kitchen". A little book of stories, poems on pearls of wisdom and God's blessings. My friend Mary, said it was a "spontaneous gift"...she said he thought of me when she saw it. She didn't have to give it , because there was no gift exchange for the group. It was a lovely evening, good conversation, sharing of food/drink.

If I had to choose, I'd say spontaneous, because it's more from the heart, personal thought, not because you are expected to give.

I can't decide. Both sound nice.

I like spontaneous generosity best.

spontaneous

uhhh.....if I am giving, I prefer it to be spontanious. If I am the gifteeee, I prefer it according to schedule.
Somehow that makes me feel selfish.

Spontaneous.

Spontaneous. I hate the feel of obligation to people I don't care much about or know very well. That expectation a person may feel from to get a gift.

Spontaneous, it would mean someone thought of me for some reason. Not that they felt they were obligated to give me something because of a holiday.

Spontaneous.

Okay, the word "spontaneous" starts to look reallllly weird when you see it too many times on the page.

I like it when gifts are given according to schedule. It gives me some pattern to break. Although, if I am late for my mom's birthday . . . . she gets mad.

"Given according to schedule" sounds very cold and harsh - but I do like the tradition of gift giving for birthdays and Christmas.

spontaneous, but i feel that many people would not get into the habit of giving anything..................

Unexpected is nice, but this giver prefers a schedule.

I have gift-giving. My gifts suck.

I don't have faith in spontaneous generosity, considering that most people aren't exactly spontaneously generous. I need my designated days of gift-giving to assure me that I'll get SOMETHING out of the year.

Gifts according to schedule

Spontaneous.

I used to pair up w. a friend & we would take turns exchanging gifts valued at $20 or less. There was no schedule but when I gave a gift then it would be their turn to give a gift & it would come randomly, whenever we could afford it. So I might get a gift but not give a gift for a month or whatever. It was understood there was no time limit but you couldn't give out of turn. Everyone likes to get surprise gifts and this was a way of feeling special for getting a gift & for receiving one.