This is what we do too, but to be fair its only because at our wealth level we can pretty much buy everything we want, within reason. Its different for poorer people. Getting a 42&quot; TV when you can&#x27;t afford one yourself is a wonderful feeling. I hate this idea that now that everything is mass produced and relatively &quot;cheap&quot; we suddenly see ourselves as above it all because we make decent money. Err, not really.<p>The only real reason I decry gift giving on my birthday is because I have so much shit I&#x27;m temporarily satisfied, not because I&#x27;m above having shit. If I couldn&#x27;t afford some of those things and someone got one of them for me I&#x27;d be overjoyed.<p>Its also weird to hear that people think its minimalist to own a smartphone and laptop. Those devices do so many things, they&#x27;re the equivalent of hundreds of gadgets. Or how &quot;I don&#x27;t own a TV&quot; is the clarion call of the intellectual hipster but he spends his days shitposting on the internet, binging netflix, subscribing to hundreds of youtube channels, etc.