12/13/10 – As Christmas time continues to creep up on us, people are rushing towards malls to find gifts for their family and friends. The holiday season means more spending, and hopefully, more discounts. The malls have already been promoting holiday sales, including 20 to 30 percent off regular prices.
“I went this past Saturday to the mall and already got almost half of my Christmas shopping done because so many things were on sale. I had to get them before they sold out!” said Ashley Kim, sophomore at Flintridge Preparatory School.
Students like Kim enjoy buying and giving gifts because of the rewarding experience of making someone else happy.
“I feel like I’m on top of the world when I see all my family members’ faces as they open the present I got them. It almost looks like they’re smiling so much it hurts! It’s the best and most rewarding feeling ever!” exclaimed Katherine Bogaard, a Flintridge Prep sophomore.
Some of the gifts ideal for parents these days would be a Tempur-Pedic pillow or slippers, anything from Crate and Barrel or Williams Sonoma, free coupons to do chores around the house, or if you really don’t know what to get them, a simple, yet meaningful hug and kiss is worth the world to them.
Gifts that seem to be popular among teenagers these days are the iPad, a Flip video recorder, money, and iTunes/Starbucks gift cards.
“My number one thing on my Christmas wishlist is money so I can just shop all I want!” Joyce Hu, a sophomore, said. She enjoys shopping for clothes. “I love winter clothes way better than summer clothes because you can accessorize so much more!”
However, Christmas shopping can be very stressful.
“I can never figure out what to get for some of my friends so I end up circling the mall about three times before just giving up and coming back the following week! It is so frustrating sometimes!” complained Keina Sumiyasu, another sophomore.
“Christmas shopping sort of ruins my Christmas spirit,” Derek Wong, a sophomore, exclaimed. “I just get really stressed out about how many gifts I have to buy, what I have to buy, and where I can go get these gifts!”
Hopefully, students burdened by shopping can remember that it’s not the gifts that matter as much as the love shared between family and friends, and there are many ways to express your love for them, including all the ways money could never buy.
