All I want for Christmas is…

Written By:
Hannah Rosenberg

Published:
Jan. 06 2010

‘Tis the season for giving, whether you celebrate Kwanza, Chanukah or Christmas. Here are a few guidelines and simple rules of etiquette to follow to ensure the happiness of all the people on your list. When your group of friends is large enough that it would require major funding on your part to give to everyone, the question of inclusion arises. Who, if anyone, should you exclude? If you decide to splurge and buy for everyone, be sure to spend somewhere in the same range for each recipient. “When I’m shopping for a really close friend or one of my family members I usually spend between 30 to 50 dollars and if it’s just for my friends, I usually spend like 20 dollars each,” sophomore Chris Kittleberger said. Another rule of thumb is to make sure that the gifts are equally personal; a personal gift for one means a personal gift for all. Also, be sure to remember to ask for a gift receipt at the register, to make returns easy and convenient. If you are looking to spend less money, baked goods are an inexpensive and delicious way to treat your friends and can be made in mass. For the artistically inclined, a handmade piece of art is often well-appreciated by parents and other family members. “If you’re giving something to someone close to you, you should give them an actual object that means something,” sophomore Deborah Kopp said. “I also think that hand making a card to go along with your gift is more meaningful than just buying one.” Gift cards can sometimes be controversial. Proponents argue that the gift card is an easy way to give the beneficiary a chance to buy something of their own choosing that they would really like and put to use. “Visa gift cards are really good gifts to buy because they’re not restricting and you can use them anywhere. Other gift cards can be good too, just make sure you don’t give someone a Mc Donald’s giftcard,” senior Seun Akande said. Arguments can be made, however, that gift cards are impersonal and easily lost or forgotten by the recipient. “Don’t give gift cards, they don’t mean anything,” junior Marshall Botto said. “It’s cocky because it says exactly how much you spent on them and depending on how much you spent, you don’t want to make them feel cheap or offended by the amount.” Re-gifting can also be seen as something to avoid. By re-gifting, you may be risking ill-feelings with both the original gift giver and the gift receiver. “Re-gifting is really bad because it’s cruddy. If either person finds out they’ll realize it doesn’t mean a lot to you and it’s also just really cheap,” junior Dustin Silvia said.