If there's a social expectation of coming with a present to your nephew or cousin or mother or whoever's birthday, or at Christmas, or whatever, and you know no

If there's a social expectation of coming with a present to your nephew or cousin or mother or whoever's birthday, or at Christmas, or whatever, and you know no-one wants to have a discussion about different ways to do things... what do you do, other than buy some silly thing that ticks the required social box? Genuine question. I've tried a few little things myself, but with very little success. There just is an established set of patterns where you have to buy certain things, or else there'll be mumbling behind your back, and there doesn't seem to be a way around it in the short term (other than accepting the mumbling).