Think about a gift exchange in your own life that DID NOT occur on a specified holiday (birthday, Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter, etc.).
Discuss the ‘strings' in your gift exchange by answering the following questions: What was the relationship between the giver and receiver?
Had previous gifts been given? What prompted this exchange? What was given/received? Was price a concern? Was the gift considered ‘appropriate' - or did some aspect of it feel inappropriate and cause tension between the giver/receiver? Was this exchange in response to a previous exchange (i.e., established reciprocity)?
How did the exchange alter or enhance the relationship between the giver and receiver? Were there feelings of indebtedness that were created or alleviated by the exchange?