This holiday, the students at Morton East debate on what the best present is to have underneath the Christmas tree.

As the holiday season makes its annual appearance, people start to rattle their brains attempting to think of the perfect present. Friends and family members who think they know you best proudly bestow their gift, and it ends up being an itchy sweater. According to Finder.com, approximately 23% of adults admit that their friends are the ones who give them the worst gifts, closely followed by their in-laws at 14%. Yet, searching and buying a present for every person on one’s nice list is already a precarious task, meaning that searching for the perfect gift is near impossible. According to Finder.com, 61% of adults in the country claim that they always expect at least one unwanted gift on Christmas, the most disliked gift being household items. Many argue that the season of giving can be nothing less than flawless, but research shows that a vast number of people are overthinking the situation. Amusingly, the NYPost.com states that in a survey taken of over 2,000 Americans, it was found that 81% of them prefer receiving practical items as gifts, such as health care products, during the Christmas season. The state of the matter is that the perfection of the holiday is often overcomplicated, especially this year that has been like none other. The Christmas spirit revolves around the idea of love and family. Therefore, the presents holding an extra sense of love are appreciated. The NYPost.com states that in a recent spike since 2016, 1,700 people agree that the thoughtful, homemade gifts have become the overall superior gift. Members of the Morton East family have also surveyed their options and have made their own decision. In a recent poll of 13 Morton East students and faculty, eight decided that homemade gifts reign queen over the five who voted upon the materialistic gifts.

“I would rather get a homemade gift in order to forget about the price tags because nowadays people are too obsessed and too worried about the notion of gift-giving and often time presents lose their sense of connection. Leaving the question, do you really know the person or are you just trying to impress them,” said Cicero resident Marisela Gonzalez.

Receiving a gift made straight from the heart can be seen as the ultimate power move, being gifted with the notion of thoughtfulness. Meaning that items bought directly from a store are often seen as careless, but the base judgment, in the end, is the fact that the heart wants what the heart wants.

“I would prefer to get the gift I most want this Christmas season no matter the price because it has honestly been a tough year, and I really need the win,” said junior Andres Grajeda.

Entering a store and immediately feeling like you found the perfect gift for that one person makes all of the stress from Christmas shopping worth it. Nonetheless, when the clock winds down, the main point of the holiday season is to enjoy the festive time and quiescence aura among loved ones.

“To me, it doesn’t really matter because, at the end of the day, someone still thought of me and I still ended up with a beautifully wrapped gift in the clutch of my hands with my family by my side,” said sophomore Denisse Gonzalez.

On behalf of the Morton Pony Express-News, have a happy holiday and break. Good luck in the New Year!