I guess my real problem here is: I see this results of this system as a systemic failure, whereby the system is worse off through the exchange, via both parties receiving less total value, but the other parties view it as a net positive, since they value (significantly more) aspects of the holiday including, but not limited to: "the experience of receiving a gift", "The social benefits of an exchange agreement", "Mutual trust built by a system of repeated exchange", "The sum total holiday experience", "Enjoyment derived from the act of shopping", "Enjoyment received from thinking of others" etc.
Ie: they believe Inefficiency x normal utility derived per value + Utility derived from the persistence of the system > normal utility derived per value. Whereas I believe the opposite is true.
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Just as Planned.