Many people’s idea of the holiday season is spending time with loved ones and bundling themselves in front of a fire drinking hot cocoa, but sometimes it is not always this whimsical. When it comes to gift giving, many are stuck on tight budgets around the winter season, so an expensive present might not be an option. While many people have the “go big or go home” mentality when it comes to gift giving,  sometimes the best gifts are the personal, little things. For some, Christmas has  seemed to lose its magic this year due to COVID-19, which is separating families and making it harder to deliver gifts because of overworked delivery services. With everything going on, get-togethers with friends and family are harder to coordinate.  

“The fact that [family and friends] go out of their way to get something I want is really special,” sophomore Hallie Presley said.  “Even if I don’t 100 percent like a gift, I love the fact that they even got me one,” 

Christmas time has earned the nickname “stresstival” due to the tradition of spending lots of money or dedicating lots of time to making gifts. Although the intent is there, sometimes it is the small things that really hit the mark with gifts. 

“I think it is more of a thought that counts with me,” Presley said.  “ If a family member goes out of their way to get me something they think I would like, then I would be happy.”

Times like these call for even more personal and thoughtful gifts.

 “People will have to send over gifts and will FaceTime or Skype or use other meeting services to contact family,” freshman  Nathan Bedell said. “Some people won’t be able to eat together like normal. ”

Overall, the Christmas season is always shifting in many ways and the perfect gift will always be a bit of a challenge to find, but the intention the gift giver puts into the present is all that really counts. Gifts such as homemade ornaments or pastries set the mood for the Christmas spirit. If someone is into a certain fandom or topic make them something they would enjoy!

“When giving gifts, it is always nice to see the recipient’s reaction, it makes me feel like I did a good job,” Bedell said. “When I see them happy, it makes me glad they liked what I picked out.”