When I was growing up outside New York City, my best friend’s family had an unusual Christmas tradition: Each gift could cost no more than a dollar.

This was the ’60s and a dollar went farther than it does today, but it still didn’t go very far. I seem to remember my buddy giving his mother a vegetable peeler.

Of course, the idea wasn’t to be cheap but to keep the real spirit of Christmas.

I know it’s a cliche to gripe about holiday commercialism, but after spending an hour in the mall the other evening, I wish there were some way to rein in the vulgarity.

I reached my disgust threshold after getting the hard sell for a book of gift certificates entitling each recipient to 20 minutes in a water-powered massage machine that looked like a cross between a commercial dishwasher and a coffin.

At my house, we’ve compounded the loss of Christmas spirit by falling into the habit of prioritizing our requests. Even worse: In recent years, I’ve asked for gift certificates from specific stores, to be sure of getting the electronic gizmo with exactly the features I want.

It’s not the thought that counts — there is no thought. It’s the cash value.

And yet, thinking about the best presents I ever got, they were all surprises. So this year I’m promoting the idea of skipping the request list, at least among the adults.

I’d like to know how other people handle these issues.

So let’s have another contest — along the lines of the cheapskate and complainer contests we did a while back.

Do you set a spending limit?

Do you ban requests or encourage them?

What’s the best present you ever got — that you didn’t ask for? This should be something unexpected, like the time my anti-motorcycle mother gave me custom Harley Davidson tools.

What’s the best present you ever gave — again, that wasn’t expected. This should be something that demonstrated how perfectly you knew the recipient.

What gift got the most bang for the buck — the most pleasure despite its low cost?

What was your most clever gift?

What were the biggest duds you ever gave or got?

And so on …

Categories aren’t limited to these.

I’ll be the sole judge, and there will be no appeals.

And, as always, there’s no prize other than fame.

But I can tell you this: The winner of the Cheapskate of the Year contest, the man who reused his dental floss, was interviewed by news organizations as far away as Australia, and he and I have on-camera roles in an important forthcoming documentary on the history of flossing.

Send entries to brownj@phillynews.com and include a phone number.