Ritual Gifts

There's no such thing as a free lunch and there is no such thing as a free gift. In our culture, we throw celebrations for every event in a person's life, birthdays, mitzvahs, weddings, babies, you name it. If someone is reaching a new place in their life, more often then not they throw a big party and invite their friends and family, and what do these invitees bring...? GIFTS! Gifts are a form of payment for invitations to kick ass soirees. And giving gifts, at least when we were kinds was ALWAYS a competition, who bought Jonny the most rad action figure or who spent the most, ususally determined who was Jonny's best friend for the next week and a half. Gifts are a form of payment or bribery for invitations and friendships repectfully but they are also consolation. Take Christmas for example. I dont know too many people who scramble at the last minute to make sure they are prepared for midnight mass or reinactments of the birth of christ. No, people scramble to get gifts for the holidays. Gifts end up being almost a reward for the hard work and dedication it took to buy gifts for others. In most holiday cases, whomever you buy a gift for ends up buying one for you too. So gifts are rewards. And well, you dont normally receive a reward for free. Noone got the key to the city for sitting doing nothing, someone had to jump in front of a train or pull the child from the burning building.
I suppose there are circumstances where you can give or recieve a gift for free. But then, normally there is a feeling of guilt, like if your girlfriend buys you a shirt, you feel like you should buy your girlfriend something in return. Its a gratitude thing. And maybe gratitude is a form of payment? I feel like you would have to have an odd sort of conscience to not feel like repaying someone for a gift they give you. Unless, okay, take that back, a gift of monetary signifigance one should probably feel like returning the gift. I dont know if a macaroni necklace really constitutes purchasing a gift in return. But maybe I am wrong.
I was raised in a family where if someone does something for you, you do something for them. Favors are returned with favors no matter if they are family or friends. Gifts were returned with gifts. But I was also the kid who gave Jonny the most rad action figure....