As Christmas approaches, people have started sharing their wish lists with friends and family. Though people are still asking for universal Christmas gifts such as candles and blankets, many gifts have gained popularity with teens this year. This is mainly through social media and specific influencers, as well as commercials and online advertisements. One of the most popular advertisement platforms right now is TikTok shop, with new advertisements and deals daily.

Teacher Catherine Bloomer talks about her experience using these new platforms while shopping for herself as well as her children.

“I will say I have survived the TikTok shop, earlier in the year I bought some cleaning tools from it,” Bloomer said. “I was nervous at first that it might have been a scam but it is real and worked great, now I’m thinking about using it again.”

There are also specific trending gifts right now due to social media. People have started making gift baskets with specific names for each season, such as boo baskets for Halloween, or burr baskets for Christmas. These baskets typically include an assortment of different smaller gifts like perfumes, books or candy. Junior Kaleigh Hiskett talks about the new trends she’s observed.

“I’ve noticed on social media that people have started giving a lot more gift baskets or gift bags with things like stanley cups or sweatshirts,” Hiskett said.

While gift giving is a fun and sentimental activity, it gets expensive especially when you have a lot of people to shop for. There are gifts that are cheaper and just as heartfelt. Stores like TJ Maxx, Target, SHEIN, and 5-Below offer cheap gifts. Sophomore Lizzie Condon shares some great, inexpensive gift ideas.

“I think some really good budget friendly gifts that I like to get my friends are Tree Hut sugar scrubs, lotions, and candy,” Condon said.

As kids get older, they start asking for more pricey durable gifts that are not in their gift giver’s budget. Sophomore Maggie Mendez also talks about the price of gift giving and how it affects the holidays.

“I have noticed that gift giving has gotten a lot more expensive this year, so some good inexpensive gifts would be gift cards and accessories,” Mendez said.

Gifts don’t always have to be bought at the store either, sometimes the best gifts to give are handmade to show your appreciation for the receiver.

“It’s always special when someone makes a homemade gift for you, it just means so much to me knowing how much time and effort was put into it,” Lily Hennkens (11) said.