When did we all collectively decide that we were going to spend an arm and a leg on birthday gifts for our friends, especially in this economy?! Forget a homemade birthday cake and a gift card to Dunkin', you're expected to chip in hundreds of your well-earned smackaroons so your entire friend group can gift someone a Gucci bag or a seafood dinner. Seems a little much, doesn't it? Folks knowingly put pressure on others, especially in group chats or other group settings, so you feel inclined to agree to whatever the majority decides on. Even if you feel like you can't financially swing it, you're put on blast for everyone to see. So, when you finally put your foot down, your friend group will either ostracize you or, in this story's case, admit that they've hated the expensive gift-giving for years.
The overly insistent couple who started the "tradition" fails to understand that if someone decides to opt for a separate gift instead of pitching in hundreds of dollars for a group gift, then it goes without saying that they don't want to be a part of it and likely can't swing it at the moment. Scroll below to read about the fallout.
