Students use thrift for gift giving
- posted: 04 Dec. 2007
- scrolllifestyle@byui.edu
With Santa on his way in less than a month, many gift-givers have already begun their yearly Christmas shopping expeditions, and each goes about his or her merry way just a little bit differently.
Students who have married siblings with families of their own often find Christmas shopping most convenient when gifts are distributed between families rather than between individuals.
“It’s hard to buy things for each person: It gets expensive,” said Sarah Bang, a junior studying English, who uses this tactic.
To eliminate risk of depriving students’ bank accounts more than is necessary for holiday shopping, some take to buying gifts that look more expensive than they actually are.
James Brandt Curran, Jr., a senior studying communication, remembers with a smile the year he found a vase that could easily pass as a fine example of glassware, and which he was pleased to pay $10 for. He gave it proudly as a Christmas gift, Curran said.
To save money, Curran also looks for sales on DVDs at Wal-Mart.
“I buy a plethora of DVDs and I give each family three. It’s frugal,” Curran said.
The idea to shop at Wal-Mart often enough that he can be known by employees on a first-name basis and get even further reduced prices, Curran said, is not a bad one.
Along with deciding on whom to give presents to and how to save the bucks, shoppers also decide how early in the season they’re willing to shop.
Bang is often one of the earliest shoppers of the season. She recalls a previous year’s early-morning adventures where she and her family began standing in a line at 2:00 AM in what proved to be a futile attempt to land her cousin with a much-desired camera.
“I think they stopped about 5 people in front of us,” Bang said.
Others prefer to do their Christmas shopping a little — or a lot — closer to the actual holiday.
“I’m a late shopper. I’ll sometimes begin looking for presents a day or two before Christmas,” said Eliseo Garcia, a sophomore studying biology.
The Christmas season also poses the question of where to shop, and not everyone decides to leave home.
“I’m kind of addicted to on-line shopping,” said Taci Smith, a senior studying social studies education.
Smith said she appreciates the ease and comfort that come with shopping from home. Movies and books, as well as clothes for her little sister, are her favorite selections to make.
Smith also enjoys making gifts sometimes. Right now she is knitting a scarf which she plans on giving to either her brother or her dad.
“It’s going to be a really ugly scarf, so I’ll give it to one of them since they’re family — they won’t care,” Smith said.
No matter how that Christmas shopping is completed, friends and family can be almost sure to receive a few smiles under their Christmas trees. 
