WEST WINDSOR, Dec. 20 — The holiday season is always one of the most magical times. Festive decorations light up houses and streets, a variety of holidays are celebrated, and students and teachers get time off from school to spend with loved ones. Receiving and giving gifts has always been one of the most exciting parts about this time of the year, and here at South, gift-giving is part of our school culture.
Gift-giving at South reflects the thoughtfulness, creativity and joy that students have during the holidays. Many students have already given gifts to their teachers or parents. But when it comes to giving gifts to their friends, students often take a different approach.
“I think getting gifts for family or teachers is a bit more formal,” said Rohan Vellanki (‘27). “With my friends, we all have inside jokes and we know a lot about each other and what we want, so it’s definitely different.”
For some students, buying gifts for their friends might even be easier than buying gifts for family members. Emily Kim (‘26) said, “I have an easier time picking gifts for my friends because I feel like a lot of the things that they like, I like too. So when I pick out gifts I just think, what color of this would they like, would they like it, and would they use a lot of it.”
While gifts like clothes, candy and stuffed animals may be popular choices, there is not one gift that fits all. Media sources like the New York Times have recommendations for what to buy, but the choices range from water bottles to lip balms and more. So how do students decide what to get their friends?
“It depends on what they like and who they are as a person,” said Vansh Chimaladinne (‘26). “I plan on giving my friends a wide variety of gifts, depending on who they are as a person and what they would find most useful and convenient. This could mean clothing items, things they can put in their rooms, or even handy stuff I see on the internet that I think they would enjoy.”
To add some fun to their gift-giving, some have participated in popular gift exchanging games. One especially popular one is Secret Santa. With origins dating back to the 1970s according to CBS, Secret Santa is an anonymous gift exchange activity where participants are randomly assigned to give a gift to someone without the recipient knowing.
“I think Secret Santa is the best way to connect with people during the holidays, and the suspense and surprise is very fun and filled with anticipation for people involved,” said Kim, who is playing Secret Santa with her friends.
For some, Secret Santa has become a beloved holiday tradition. Visa Ramanathan (‘25) said, “We’ve been doing it [Secret Santa] every year since freshman year.”
No matter what you decide to get for your friends for the holidays, or how you choose to deliver your gifts, remember what these gifts represent; each gift reminds us of how much we value our friendships and brings a little more magic to the holiday season.
“It’s a nice gesture to do for your friends just to show that you appreciate them and vice versa,” said Vellanki. “If they get you a gift, you just know they appreciate you too.”
