Well, I think my frugality and empathy steered me the wrong way with a gift one time and I've felt bad about it for almost twenty years. A relative to whom I am not close was laid off from his factory job due to his company losing a contract. He had three children and a fourth on the way. They had to sink a good bit of money into continuing the health insurance from the job (Is that called COBRA?) because she had a complicated pregnancy that did end up requiring hospitalization. So insurance was eating up their savings. And he wasn't able to find new work.
I knew that this family typically really splurged on the kids at Christmas and I heard they were trying their best to do the same this year, even with the very tight finances. (They didn't splurge all the time, just at Christmas.) They would not go into debt over Christmas gifts, but they'd probably spend what cash they had.
At the time, I was poor myself. They normally were better off than me. So I sympathized and thought about what NEEDS might they not be able to afford if they splurged on their kids. I then put together I box of household goods and personal care items. It wasn't much, because as I say, I was poor myself. I put in toilet paper, laundry and dish detergent, deoderants, toothpaste...I don't remember what all. Oh, there was some duct tape in it!
I didn't wrap it but gave it in a recycled open-top box. But I did present it as a Christmas present to their household.
They were not rude and they did say thank-you, but the looks on their faces were kind of odd. I guess they might have been insulted, I'm not sure. Probably they just thought I was weird to give such a thing and call it a Christmas present. Sometimes I'm probably too practical. Because I see these folks so infrequently, I figure they have always characterized me by that incident. So I think I am awfully cheap in their eyes.