Good Weekend had some interesting numbers in its Number Crunch feature:

Estimated proportion of Australians who received an unwanted Christmas gift in 2007:
65 %; amount spent on them : $985 million

compiled by John Croucher, Professor of Statistics, Macquarie University

So if you’ve heard me speak, read this blog regularly or read my book you will already know my single purpose is to ‘change gifting in Australia forever’. Have you ever seen a better argument for why!… This number speaks for itself. What a great waste. Not only do people who get these gifts feel disappointed and unappreciated – but worst of all they will either regift it (give it to someone else) and further the misery or create landfill with them.

Give them something that will make them feel great!!