With Christmas just around the corner, anxiety over gift-giving is on the rise.

   Most of the pressure during the holiday season is caused by wanting to give the perfect gift to that special someone.

   Most pressure is caused by not knowing if that special someone will like his or her gift.

   “Not knowing what they want or if they’ll appreciate what you get them,” junior Teresa Leverette said.

   Everyone puts different amounts of thought into the gifts that they give, but overall it just depends on who the person is, how well you know them and how close you are with them.

   “I try to memorize what we’ve talked about so I can figure out what they want,” Leverette said.

   When a family member receives a gift, he or she is more grateful, and the gifts are more meaningful. Sometimes purchasing gifts for family members can be easier than purchasing gifts for friends. According to Leverette, sometimes you do not know what your friends want but you live with your family so you know what they want.

   “You know exactly what your family wants, but your friends might not like it,” freshman Jaylen Parker said.

  Some students start buying Christmas gifts early because of the pressure that gift-giving causes. While others buy their gifts at the last minute. According to Leverette, she started buying Christmas gifts in October. While senior Chandler Stanfill says that he buys gifts at the last minute.

  For some students, money plays a role in what kind of gifts they can get for other people. It limits how much they can spend on each person.

   Inflation has played a large role in the issue of money. The average of how much people spend on Christmas is higher by $105. In 2021 it was $837 and in 2022 it was $942. But money does not always affect the greatest gift that can be given.

   According to Stanfill, one of the greatest gifts you can give someone could just be saying “I love you” or some form of kind words to them.