I had an aunt and uncle felt it was crass to give money as a gift, and that also it was bad luck to give someone a wallet or purse that was empty. I remember getting a wallet from them every year for my birthday from like the age of 5 through 15. But the deal was that the gift was the wallet, and any of the cash inside was immediately spendable and didn't need to be put in the bank like other birthday money.

Weird family traditions I suppose.