Lauren Skinner-
Bring on the holly and mistletoe. The holiday dinner and the holiday cheer. But don’t forget to get those presents early! Come on, get real. Between school, studying for finals, work, etc., who really has the time to buy presents early?

Some people say that last-minute shopping is irresponsible. Does it really matter when you buy the gift? People should just be happy that someone cared enough to get them something. It shouldn’t matter when they bought it.
Presents are always a plus to the holidays, but why are they all we talk about? Family and being with loved ones was once the only reason for the holidays.
Buying presents shows someone that you were thinking of them, it doesn’t measure how much you care for them. How is someone going to know when you bought the present anyways? It’s not like there is a time bomb that goes off when people open their gifts telling everyone when they bought it. So as long as you don’t tell them, they will never know. If they ask, tell them it’s none of their business.
People should get off their high horse about when you should buy the presents and just be happy they got something.

Jessica Payne-
Christmas is supposed to be a time to celebrate with the ones you love. Putting up the tree, decorating the house, buying gifts for family and friends – these used to be annual Christmas traditions. Now, everyone thinks they’re too busy. There’s always school, jobs, extracurricular activities, etc. Yes, I know. I am a teenager too.
But what I don’t understand is how these are excuses for not shopping for Christmas gifts. I don’t know about you, but when someone buys me a gift, it’s painfully obvious if they bought it merely days before Christmas.
I would much rather receive an inexpensive present that shows a lot of thought than something with no meaning behind it bought at the last desperate second.
As teenagers, we’re all plenty busy. Let me be the first to be a witness to that. It’s just not a good enough reason to put before your family and friends. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t get all of my Christmas shopping done by the first of December. One thing is for sure though: you won’t see me at the mall on Christmas Eve.