For those who celebrate Christmas in their homes, you all know that it’s a time of giving and retrieving. However, sometimes you don’t always get the gift you were expecting. But it’s the thought that counts, right? Despite that, deep in our hearts, we all want that “perfect gift” that we’ve been dreaming about all year. That new phone, skateboard, xbox, and so much more. Yet some people are just very bad at reading our minds, and instead get us something way out of the ordinary.

If this has happened to you, you are not alone. Some of the worst gifts given to teens at Tahoma High school include things like too small of clothes, objects that would never be used, or food that couldn’t be eaten due to allergies. For example, a Junior from Tahoma High School, Rae Rigtrup talks about a gift that she was once given that ended up being of no good use to her. “I got a tan handbag that was stuffed with Korean newspaper and the bag looks horrible. I still have it only because my late great grandma gave it to me, but it’s definitely nothing I would get.”  Yes, gifts like this are pretty common for teens to receive. The question is, why? Why do parents or other family members of teens have the hardest time choosing gifts for them? One theory is that teens are no longer in the “toy stage” where they just want the cheap plastic barbies and cars, instead they are into phones, computers, video games, or any other electronics. These types of gifts can get pretty expensive causing most parents to get gifts such as clothes, shoes, etc. However, buying clothes and shoes can be a gamble; they may not fit, the kid doesn’t like the look of it, or it’s not trending anymore. So what’s the last resort for parents to lean towards? Gift cards, this way their kids can use that money to buy what they want.

Just getting a gift card under the tree can be pretty boring though, so parents always try their very best to stay on top of the trends and your growth rate, to fill up the bottom of your Christmas tree. So, if you get something for christmas that isn’t what you were hoping for, don’t get too upset, because your parents are trying, it’s just a little more difficult in this day and age of life.