Junior Simran Mallik, then 11 years old, broke out into a huge smile as she walked into her family room and saw a squeaky new electric scooter waiting for her. Mallik jumped for joy and was overcome by gratitude.
“I would take it around the block and ride it every day,” Mallik said. “It was one of the most memorable gifts I’ve gotten because my parents knew exactly what I wanted and I loved that feeling.”
According to Curious History, gift-giving dates back thousands of years and may go back to the early days of humanity. During primitive cavemen culture, gifts were used to express love or symbolize status. Over time, the act of gift-giving has changed from representing wealth in the afterlife to good luck tokens and favors from the king. Today, they are most often used to communicate an certain message, like a show of appreciation or a celebration of an achievement.
Psychologically, gift-giving is rewarding because it creates connections between people. For the gift-giver, items are sent along with hope that the receiver will appreciate the efforts. For the receiver of the gift, the thought put into the gift is conveyed and a connection is made. These connections provide purpose and satisfaction as well as a better state of mind.
Mallik agrees that gifts bring people together as she recalls a time when her choir class exchanged gifts.
“Gift-giving is a good way to bond with people as well as promote spirit for the holidays,” Mallik said. “In choir’s Secret Santa gift exchange, it was really nice to receive something from other people and to give to others.”
On the other hand, sophomore Jeffery Ma believes that common gifts like money or food don’t have much meaning and only personal gifts create deep connections.
“I think that gifts should be personal,” Ma said. “Anybody can give a gift card or cash, but when you know someone well, you should be able to give a gift that is special or unique, like an inside joke.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American writer during the mid-19th century, said that “the only gift is a portion of thyself. This is right and pleasing, for it restores society in so far to its primary basis, when a man's biography is conveyed in his gift, and every man's wealth is an index of his merit.” Emerson essentially says that personal gifts have more value than those of pure monetary value.
According to physiatrist Neel Burton, experiences are more memorable than material objects; however, objects can represent experiences if they are carefully chosen, no matter how expensive they are.
As junior Michelle Vu opened the door into her second-period class, she saw a cork board with photos and messages attached all resting under colorful balloons. Vu was shocked to see what her best friends had done for her 17th birthday and her smile uncontrollable. She jumped up and down for joy right in front of her teacher.
Vu views thoughtful gifts such as the cord board and balloons as her favorites because a lot of consideration was put into them. Although the board was not a very expensive gift, the effort put into the little details is what made it special to her.
Vu also likes giving gifts because she “loves seeing the reaction,” and they serve as a reminder of “how much [her friends] mean to” her. For both parties, gift-giving serves as a symbol of appreciation that their relationship.
Despite having different viewpoints on receiving gifts, the students interviewed said that living in Saratoga and having lots of privileges means it is better to give gifts rather than to receive them.
“I don’t really need anything and if I want something I can usually just get it myself,” Mallik said. “So, it’s more satisfying and it feels better to give rather than receive.”
