With the Christmas trees going up, the wreaths being put out, and the stores packed with holiday sales and discounts, many people know this time to be a season of giving rather than receiving. As the school year ends and the days start counting down to Christmas, some students are starting to plan for gift exchanges or participating in a Secret Santa either with friends or classmates.

While giving gifts is important when it comes to the season, some received gifts may not meet the expectations some students were expecting when they gave their gift. According to Lola Akintola, junior, she had participated in a class gift exchange but hadn’t gotten the gift she didn’t quite expect as she had more meaning into her gift.

“The gift had to be in between five to ten dollars. The gift I bought the person was lots of snacks and a singing bear because it was cute and I put a lot of thought into the gift because the person I got was always eating. But the gift I got was most definitely less than five dollars, because it was a sparkly green eyeliner that you buy for little kids. I couldn’t complain to the teacher because it would make me look bad for not being grateful even though it was obviously a thoughtless gift,” Akintola said.

Although Akintola had received a gift from a simple classmate, others weren’t so lucky when it came to gift exchanges throughout the year. Ayanna Hill, junior, had to experience one of these gift exchanges that ended with one of her best friends.

“Me and her friend came together to give her like this big grand gift. We were gonna get her a 16 list of gift ideas like from the movie 16 Wishes. We were going to give her a prize and everything to go with it and then my birthday came around and she gave me some suckers. I wasn’t going to feel salty about it. I just knew the person wasn’t great at gift giving. I wasn’t expecting much from them like a great gift. For me, it did kinda hurt at first. It’s like I was trying but they weren’t trying as hard as I was,” Ayanna Hill stated.

As this time of year is known as the season of giving, Neva Khan, freshman, is more caught up in the meaningfulness behind a gift rather than the price and expense of the gift. While the gift may not be a lot, Khan still treasures the gift she had gotten to this day.

“Last year around Christmas, me and my bestfriend got each other gifts. I got her a journal and she gave me a notebook filled with memories made by us. I really appreciated the effort and care put into that gift. She took the best moments we captured that year and framed them so it will always be there to remember. We have been friends for almost five years, and this simple but meaningful gesture meant a lot to me since we don’t go to the same school. This journal is a way for me to look back and cherish the memories I made,” Khan said.

With time winding towards the gifting season, many students are receiving gifts throughout the holiday season, whether it be a gift they were expecting or not. During this season, it’s important to know that the monetary value of the gift isn’t important as the thought put into the gift will last a lifetime.