Buying Christmas gifts

By Manpreet Kaur,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

Finding presents for those you care about can be hard. The most important thing is to pay attention.

Aileen Avery, a gift expert and author of “Gift Rap: The History and Art of Gift Giving”, says that remembering something your friends and family wanted in the past is important.

“The fact that you paid attention is the real gift here and the gift itself will be much more meaningful,” Avery said.

Pay attention to what they say: would they rather prefer a meaningful gift or are they more of a gift card person?

Sophomore Selam Carver has heard many adults say they prefer something with deep meaning.

Carver would make her mom gifts such as cards and DIY presents when she was young. She suggests for people to go to Pinterest.

“[Pinterest] has some of our age group [DIY present ideas] and they are very artistic,” Carver said.

It shows how much you care because of the effort you put into making something for them.

“Giving someone the gift of time is precious,” Avery said.

When sophomore Elijah Withrow was younger and did not have a job, he would use his creativity. Withrow used to give his parents presents he made in class.

“I made a bunch of artwork [in class] like a mask and a bunch of poems,” Withrow said.

Baking cookies or holiday treats for family members who love sweets is always an option. Wrapping up the treats in cute and creative ways is a bonus. This is another way to show how much you care.

Planning ahead is also important. Sometimes you don’t find what you are look for.

“Keep exploring [stores] until you find the gift you are looking for,” Withrow said.

Another way to prepare for holiday shopping is planning your budget and getting a job.

Sophomore Yasmine Jebali starts to plan her budget ahead of time.

“You could babysit or do something similar to that to pay for the presents,” Jebali said.

Sophomore Katie Gibson also plans ahead with research.

“I go online and look for coupons and deals,” Gibson said.

It is also important to keep an eye on the holiday sales, you might just find something perfect and affordable.

To get a gift that someone will absolutely love you could also look at their social media to see what they enjoy doing or what their interests are.

“Buying something in a category that fits their likes will hit closer to home run than just guessing what they like,” Avery said.

Give something that reminds you of the recipient. An example could be something you both connected over, such as a music artist and you could buy them something related to that artist.

“Put your personality and feelings into it,” Avery said.