Is it true giving feels better than receiving?

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This question occurred to me after receiving answers to another posting. Being this is the Holidays, and at least here in North America, there is a huge push, to buy things to show our family and friends how much we care about them, I have been thinking about the purpose of gift giving. Businesses, want to make a profit and their advertising says, the bigger the gift, the more it costs, the more you are showing your love. This to me is definitely faulty thinking. Love should not have a monetary value. My family and I, have often said amongst ourselves, that we're blessed. We have a roof over our head, food to eat and we're safe. We have enough money to meet our needs, and are not really lacking for material things. Out of the realization that we did not NEED anything. We threw out the possibility of donating money or items to those in need, in our family's name, instead of giving each other gifts that we didn't need. Although that idea did not come to exact fruition, last year we chose to host our local community Christmas dinner. I had a great time! I spent time with those who were lonely and did not have any where else to be. I have volunteered, in times of need before, and I believe that by getting outside of myself and volunteering to help someone who needs it gives me a big emotional boost. It helps me to get out of my own "rut" and truly find a reason to try to improve things, instead of complaining about life or the world and how "bad" the world has become? Have you ever tried to give when you were struggling? Did this help you out of a negative space? What is your purpose of gift giving over the holidays? Have we lost the true meaning of the Holidays with our focus on monetary value?