Christmas is a beautiful time of year, it’s a time where everyone is going on vacation, spending time with their families, and buying or exchanging gifts between their loved ones. Buying the perfect gift for the people you love is very difficult and sometimes pricey. Gifts are memorable and they’ll always be remembered which is why it’s important to get that special someone something special. 

The struggle that comes with this is that sometimes your low on funds, or the gifts on their wish list just aren’t around your price range. You still want to get them something amazing but you’re scared that they’ll be disappointed since you didn’t get them exactly what they wanted. The thing is that Christmas is expensive and you shouldn’t bury yourself in debt just so that you can be satisfied with the presents. Being stressed out because you don’t meet their expectations isn’t worth it, and feeling overwhelmed from the pressure will only make it worse for yourself. It’s better to be honest and set a realistic budget that you can actually stick to and find smart ways to save your money so that you can waste a reasonable amount when christmas is near. The best time to get an affordable gift for someone is while stores are having their sales and to use up store coupons.

Sometimes we don’t have money at all, and don’t have enough time to get the presents either, so we have to rely on our creativity and our resources to come up with a self made gift. 

Sophomore, Tatum Gomez says, “ My parents don’t spend much on presents because Christmas isn’t about presents for us.” Gomez goes on to explain that they try to buy more sentimental gifts instead of bright and flashy items because they want something that’s truly going to touch their hearts. Like most people she likes to shop online for her presents because it’s easier and it’s very busy this time of year at stores. Gomez doesn’t want to take credit away from in person shopping, because she expressed that sometimes you have to be there in person to find the perfect gift. She goes on to say that the amount of money that she’ll spend on a person depends on how close the person is to her. Gomez says that the best gifts you can receive are the ones that you’ll always have a special connection with, and that you can truly see when someone puts effort into their gift despite the money. When it comes to spending money, Sophomore, Perla Juarez, doesn’t have a budget and says, “I like to go to stores like H&M, Levi’s, and boot barn in the morning with my family instead of going at night because it’s more peaceful and there’s no rush.” Juarez says that she likes to spoil people with presents and that she always goes all out when it comes to Christmas because she likes to set the bar high. 

Sentimental gifts have an underlying message and show how personal the gift is, meanwhile superficial gifts just show how much money you have, and don’t speak to the person nor will it be treasured. The small details in the gift will always be cherished and are the types of gifts that you’ll have your entire life instead of something that’ll lose its trendiness. These are the types of gifts that may not be expensive but are way more valuable because it truly shows that you care. Some intimate gifts you can give to your loved ones are a customized collage with precious photos, or a meaningful necklace with hidden meaning. We need to communicate with our feelings instead of money to show how deeply we appreciate them.