When the frigidness of winter ramps up and the holiday season is approaching, there is always sure to be people of all ages scrambling to the store to pick up the perfect gifts for their loved ones, colleagues, and even gift exchanges.
The season of love, some may call it, passing on presents is a Christmas tradition that’s been around for ages. The look of joy on friends and family’s faces as they unwrap a box and reveal a sweet surprise will never go out of style.
Now that the New Year has rang in, and the Christmas season has concluded, it’s a great time to look back on the joy and love that is shared through presents!
Snowy Survey
Recently, a survey was conducted to Gateway students and teachers to gather data and quotes about the community’s opinions on gift giving traditions. I’d like to give a warm thank you to everyone who participated and helped the survey and this article out!
First up, the range that holiday gifts cover can span far and wide. Part of the fun can be the surprise! When a pretty, wrapped box shows up under the tree, it could be anything, from clothes, to toys, to anything imaginable!
Out of some commonly seen gifts, the winner for ‘present you’d be happiest with’ was equipment for people’s hobbies, with a whopping 25.5% of this question’s votes! This includes sports gear, art supplies, specific pieces or tools, etc! With everyone having their own hobbies and interests, gifts that cater to them are sure to be fan-favorites.
Taking the silver in interest is clothing, followed by simply receiving money as a present. When given money or gift cards, it lets the receiver have some control over what they buy themselves, while still having the joy that you helped them in buying it!
The two smallest slices of the pie are “Toys, games, or puzzles” and “Beauty or cosmetic products.” They are both tied at a mere 2% of votes. Mattel and Sephora must be shaking in their boots.
On a more controversial note, this question decided to prod on gifts people may not enjoy as much. I can speak for a lot of us when I say I’ve had to smile through some gifts I wasn’t entirely in love with. Nonetheless, it is the thought that counts.
The most ragged on gift from the survey ended up being beauty or cosmetic products, which surprised me personally. It received a total of 17 votes against wanting it! With how popular fancy skincare lines and makeup brands are, it makes one wonder if the survey had audience bias, or if that world is starting to go out of style…
On the other hand, the least amount of people would be disappointed to receive electronics, followed by money. Both those lavish gifts are rather desirable, so it comes as no shock they’d be graciously accepted.
Say It Like Santa
Next up comes a uniquely cool part of conducting the survey: written response and quotes! Getting to hear directly from members of the Gateway community was exciting, and provided great material to discuss and dive deeper into.
The question to be discussed here reads, “What is the best gift you can remember receiving in recent years? What made it so special to you?”
The gifts that stick with people as time flies on are often the most valuable in their hearts. Many participants had beautiful stories of the coolest gifts they’ve gotten!
“I loved to exchange ornaments. They are special because each year when we put them up on the tree, they remind me of those moments and I have lasting memories. I still have ornaments from my childhood and now that my parents are no longer here, they are even more special.”
“I would say my first desk or my first set of catcher’s gear. Having a desk and getting to make it my own was a real sign of growing up, and my love of writing really started there. As a travel softball player getting my first set years ago was so special and I felt like a superhero taking on the world.”
“When my daughter was in kindergarten she gave me a tiny porcelain bell with my birth sign on it. She was at a special children’s ‘shopping’ event and picked it out herself. My favorite gift ever.”
These are all wonderful gifts in the long run, because not only are they usable, they hold deeper value to the people and experiences involved with using them! The deeper meaning of gift giving traditions as a whole is to give love and holiday cheer to those around you!
Other unique gifts listed include: Xboxs, time spent with family, concert tickets, a phone, jewelry, a blanket, a purse, framed photos, a foot massager, and a car! The long list of responses this question garnered brought joy to me, but it’s even better to know those special gifts brought even more joy to the people lucky to have received them.
Reading all the happy words about the different precious gifts felt like the happiness was spreading like a plague! The best joy is shared joy, after all.
One gift that was as cool as it was silly was when a responder received,
“…one of those 1 square foot of land deals where you are the Lady or Dutchess of your land in England.”
Now that’s something you don’t hear every day!
The age old debate: does the thought really count? Is it more important that a gift holds significance in your heart, or that it is a gift someone can get frequent use out of?
70.6% of responders stood their ground that a gift with deeper meaning or thought holds the most value to them. When given the option to describe their reasoning, many great responses were brought up.
“I like the idea of personal presents, even if they don’t cost much. This truly means a person thought about me and my likes and dislikes, and put something together based on knowing me and not some material item that has little significance. The gifts from the heart always remain at the forefront of my memory during the holiday season.”
“I like the personal present because it shows how much someone values our relationship. I think when they come up with a gift idea, no matter how small, it is so much more special. As an adult I can generally buy my own items but I cannot buy memories and special moments with loved ones.”
An experience that stood out among the crowd was,
“In my most recent move my best friend Matt made me a collage of his favorite memories of us in pictures. It made me cry and I have it hanging next to my bed now. Knowing that you have someone who cares enough to go out, get pictures made, take the time to put it together, and who really gets you means more to me than any material gift. Whenever I have a bad day or miss my bestie I look at it and know he’s always here with me and how lucky I am to have a person like him in my life.”
On the other hand, there’s no harm in a good, useful present. If a material present is valuable enough, someone will likely think of the friend who gifted it to you when you use it!
One responder batting for the material team said,
“I think I most times forget the personal things after a while but if I have the material things I will see it and remember who gave it to me.” Good points were made in defense of both sides!
What do you think about this debate? Feel free to drop a comment down below this article and voice your thoughts!
Gift-giving is a very double-sided blade. Part of the fun comes from picking out the perfect gifts for your loved ones… searching stores, and online, until you find just the present that’ll make their eyes sparkle! But the other part of the fun comes from being the one unwrapping a gift box and seeing that item from your wishlist. Both aspects are fun, giving and receiving!
72.5% of responders find the gifting and pampering side of the traditions more fun, while 27.5% swing to the other side of the gifting interaction. No judgement, but I know I have a ton of fun being on the receiving side of holiday gifting…
The two most common answers for the best time to shop were, “A month or two before the day” and “As far in advance as I can,” tying with 33.3% each. Better to be safe than sorry!
As nice as it is to live on the edge like the 2% that voted, “Last minute,” trying to purchase gifts too late could lead to stores being sold out. Even with online store purchases, there’s the risk it won’t ship in time. But, hey, we all have guilty pleasures.
Smaller Statistics
- When it comes to stuffing stockings, 80.4% of responders say their households do, with the remaining percentages splitting to 9.8% that stock stuffings “some years” and 9.8% that don’t at all.
- 49% of responders would be fine taking a fun experience (i.e vacation, sightseeing, quality time) over receiving physical presents. 41.2% are fine either way, and 9.8% scream “Give me the gifts!!!”
- Secret Santa gift exchanges have been participated in by 86.3% of responders! Have you ever been in a Secret Santa game? 13.7% of the responders have never!
Put The Fun In The Holiday
As a fun bonus, participants of the survey were asked a final question, unrelated to gift-giving: “What’s your favorite thing about the holiday season?” The answers were warmer than a cup of hot cocoa.
Responses such as, “hanging out with family and friends,” “the magic of the decorations,” “the chilly weather,” and “the festivities,” surely bring tons of smiles to this winter season. That’s what the holidays are all about… Love, community, and eating a whole ton of cookies.
Other nice answers included: food, the music, the snow, quality time, the break from work and school, the atmosphere, and, in character for this survey, the gifts!
Wrapped-Up Like A Present
With the help of Gateway community members, teachers, and students, I was able to gain awesome data to compile this opinion article. I’m deeply thankful to all responders who gave me numbers, written responses, and tons of Holiday cheer to work off of.
While the Christmas season may be over, that does not mean the joy needs to be. Random acts of kindness can bring smiles all year round, strangers and friends alike! Make a bit of time in your day to do something nice for someone you care about. Smiling is contagious, after all!
Have any of your own opinions on gift giving you’d like to voice? Got any gifts this year that brightened your holiday season? Leave a comment down below and let us know what jolliness you’ve encountered over the 2024 holidays! There’s always room on the nice list.
