Cash Or Gifts?

I find the whole gift card thing kind of annoying. Why go through the rigamarole of exchanging cash for a card, just so someone else can use the card instead of cash to buy something? Why not just give them the cash in the first place? I do not understand it.

I vaguely remember my parents telling me that giving cash was kind of gauche. You gave a gift instead of cash to show that you had really cared. You thought about the person and what they might like and then went to the trouble to go out acquire just that item.

Seems to me that Jews often give cash instead of gifts. (Please correct me if I am wrong about this.) I think it is a very sensible way of handling gift giving. Best thing about giving cash is that the person on the receiving end can combine several cash gifts to purchase one expensive item that no one person would be willing to purchase.

Still, we continue to give gift cards. We use them for small things we know a person enjoys, but wouldn't actually spend their own money on, like coffee from an espresso bar, or music. We use them for children who would be liable to spend cash on candy or some other foolish indulgence. (You, kid, are getting a toy for your birthday, like it or not. And you better play with it.)

Update December 2016 replaced missing picture.