Picture the glittering snow, the frosty store window displays, the red ribbons – picture your best friends, the people you spend all your free time with. What are you going to get them this year for the holidays? If you’re at all like me, you have several wonderful friends who are equally deserving of a thoughtful gift. As much as we love our friends, we high schoolers don’t have disposable income to buy presents for everyone. So what’s the appropriate thing to do?
There are four equally great options for passionate, penniless pals like us:
The first is to make something. Yes, creativity! Pinterest and Etsy are amazing sources for thousands of crafting ideas. It doesn’t take skill to make something; you don’t need prior experience. There are countless choices – perhaps your friends would like a handmade bracelet, a painting, or a pillow. I personally enjoy sewing things for my friends. Don’t be intimidated by the task, and if it doesn’t look the way you want it to, remember that the present is special because you made it yourself.
Your second option is to do a gift exchange. If you’re getting together with a group of friends during winter break, consider this method. Draw names, and then you only need to worry about purchasing the perfect gift for one person instead of seven. This is a nice tradition because everyone sits together and each person has one gift to open. It also detracts from gifts, which means you can emphasize enjoying each other’s company instead.
The third option is to write each person a card. It sounds lame, but you’d be surprised how much it means to a person to receive a card. Your words have such a profound impact on the people around you. If you’re like me, you tell your friends you love them constantly. But if you’re not, it’s a really nice reminder. Gather scissors, glue, sparkles, and buttons – make some cards!
The fourth option is a guaranteed success: food. There are so many fun holiday treat tutorials all over the internet, namely Pinterest and YouTube. Bake something sweet, wrap it in a pretty package, and you’re done. This is a great idea if you’re worried about giving gifts of unequal value.
Whatever you decide to make or buy for them, your friends will always appreciate whatever you decide to give them this holiday season. If you have the money to spend on gifts, you can do so, but you shouldn’t feel pressured to give anything to the people who are happy just to spend time with you.
