I really enjoy lying in a warm, comfortable bed, especially a little groggy from sleep. I’m happy to wake up an hour or so ahead of my alarm so I can have that experience. That said, if my mind is really racing with anticipation of the day’s concerns, it kind of wrecks the lie-in. I’ll get up an hour or two early, have an extra special breakfast, start chores or some other thing I didn’t think I had time for.

Wow. I thought I lived in a pretty walkable part of Atlanta. I really only use my car for the grocery or a ‘big’ shopping trip.

• Convenience store 2 km
• Chain supermarket 1.5 km
• Bus stop 1.3 km
• Park 300m
• Big supermarket 2.5 km
• Library 2.7 km
• Train (subway) station 1.3 km
• Downtown Atlanta 13 km

It sounds like your compulsion to bring them gifts is very similar to their compulsion to give you a red packet.

It also sounds like there’s a power dynamic in this exchange. That is, for some people, gifting is an expression of power: boss gifts employees without anything in return; older family gift younger; etc. If you want to be right in your own head, then you can pass the red packet down the line, and you can stave off your discomfort in the future by not gifting up.