As a general rule, there tend to be two types of presents: gifts that people want to receive, and gifts that the gift-giver wants someone to receive. The perfect gift can be chosen by finding a balance between these two more radical options so that the gift chosen will be both thoughtful and useful.
Molly Trautman, a senior at AFHS, feels that asking what gifts one wants can be an efficient way to choose a present, saying, “While guessing is all good and swell, you can’t go wrong with asking what they want. You will get some neat answers as well!” Asking friends and family exactly what they want would be the safer, easier option when going shopping for presents, since the gift-giver does not need to worry about whether or not someone will like their gift. Plus, they don’t need to spend time agonizing over what presents will be useful. However, there can also be a downside to this option, as there will be an absence of mystery and thoughtfulness on Christmas morning. Instead of spending time and energy agonizing over giving the perfect gift that represents someone’s relationship and what they know about someone, the gift will be expected and unsurprising. One cannot underestimate the importance of thoughtfulness when it comes to gift-giving.
The other option, besides asking outright what someone wants, would be investing a good amount of time in thinking about the person getting the gift. When picking out a present, keep in mind the receiver's likes, personality traits, and perhaps some inside jokes or meaningful memories. Ivelys Garcia Sanabría, another AFHS senior, says, “I choose something that best tailors to someone’s likes, interests, and personality. Something that captures the essence of them.” This approach can create a more meaningful experience on Christmas day, but also has some drawbacks, including the high amount of effort needed to choose the perfect meaningful gift. For those who struggle a bit with creativity, it may be far more difficult to come up with ideas. Still, for the right person, it may be worth the extra effort to create a more personal gift.
Quarantine has made in-person shopping infinitely more difficult; however, thanks to the internet, online shopping can be a very valid and useful option. For example, Redbubble and Etsy have the reputation of the ideal websites for creative gifts, from custom phone cases to creative coffee mugs. Of course, Amazon would be the number one place to go for online shopping, with its wide variety of gifts, reasonable prices, and fast shipping (especially with Amazon Prime), allowing Amazon to easily suggest and ship ideal presents for friends and family.
Finding the perfect present can be stressful, especially with so much pressure to have the gift be both thoughtful and practical. Still, it completely depends on the person receiving the gift. The end result should always be making someone happy, even if that means caving in to buy someone a specific item that they ask for, or ripping hair out trying to think of a creative personalized gift. For those who don’t have any specific present in mind, it may be worth investing the time in learning more about them to find a gift that matches their personality. It will likely take more energy and effort, but when they open their gift on Christmas Day and shine brighter than the tree, it will be well worth it.
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