To some extend I tend to agree with nova about Christmas... I was writing a wishlist this year and after extensive thinking i figured that i really didn't want anything at all... I mean, there are some things which i could use, like cd's and stuff, but it's not really anything i can really appreciate, since I could buy those cds myself, really... it's not really personal.
I can see a point when it comes to small kids, cause they wont have any money, so they need christmas to get toys, but when you get older and actually earn some money yourself, this becomes irrelevant... except if your parents are giving really huge gifts, I guess.
BUT! it's not all bad, cause i got some color pencils and drawing paper, which i would never have thought of buying myself... so now I'm gonna be really artistic!! yay
So the point is that i find it pointless to exchange gifts that we could just as well buy ourselfs, but when it comes to gifts that actually mean something to you, then it's a wonderful idea. But then, if you give people something that actually mean something to you, then you could give that to them all times of the year... that's true, but I find it nice to have an occasion of some sort...