As we all know, Christmas can be a wonderful time of giving and receiving. Gifts come in many shapes, sizes, forms and colors.
The best part of a gift is never knowing what's coming. Some gifts we can't wait to receive; others, we simply want to forget that they were ever given to us.
Some Top of Utah teens talk about their holiday gift-giving traditions.
Homemade vs. store-bought
Now that times are tough in this recession, people aren't quite sure how to handle the Christmas present situation. What do teens prefer more, store-bought or homemade?
Kaleb Shah, a Bonneville High senior, said he prefers store-bought presents by far, because he has never had a homemade one.
"One time I made an empty paper towel thing to look like Rudolph, filled it with candy, and gave it to my dad. It was pretty awesome," said Kaylee England, a junior at Fremont High.
Morgan Booth, a senior at Bonneville, said her favorite homemade present was a handmade pillowcase with her name on it, from her friend.
"It was so soft!," the senior said.
A pink Blackberry phone tops the list of store-bought gifts for Morgan Thorsted, a Bonneville senior.
"Does a kiss count for a homemade present?" said Jake Combe, a senior at Bonneville.
Ryan Anderson, a Bonneville senior, said his favorite present he has ever received was his pet chinchilla.
"Store-bought gifts are way better than homemade because you can actually take them back if you don't like them!" said Jenna Bosgieter, a Bonneville sophomore.
Priceless gifts
Sometimes the best gifts are those with no price tag.
"I would really want someone to help me baby sit my wild cousins for free," said Alisha Cameron, a senior at Bonneville.
Clearfield High sophomore Makenna Hill said she likes "homemade hats -- I get a lot of them from family and I love it!"
Olivia Martinez, a junior from Fremont High, says if she could receive anything for Christmas that didn't cost money it would be the chance to be Iron Man.
Cookies are one of Christina Medina's favorite things.
"They're not that expensive to make, it lets the person know you were thinking of them, but most importantly, they're yummy," the Layton High senior said.
Garrett Weeks, a Bonneville senior, gave his dad a priceless gift, restoring one of his father's childhood pictures for Christmas for him.
The best gift that costs no money for Nina Hoyle, a senior from Box Elder, would be assurance that college will be OK.
"Songs are always nice, because it comes from the heart, it's not materialistic," said Daniel Patino, a Layton High senior. "Not that materialistic things are bad, but when writing a song you were thinking of one specific person when you created it. I've been writing my mom songs for years now."
A free dream gift for senior Haydan Payan, at Bonneville, would be for a pilot to pick him up in a helicopter, so he could go heli-skiing.
"I would give anyone a big warm hug, filled with love!" said Rikki Sexton, a Bonneville senior.
"You shouldn't have ... seriously."
Some presents might be better off kept by the giver.
"Last year for Christmas, a family member gave me a hideous doll; I had to pretend to like it," Cameron said.
Combe said, "Every year from my grandma, I get a book that is under-aged and is not interesting."
"When I used to be a vegetarian, I received this really ugly purse with a gold chain and it was made out of rabbit fur," Medina said. "I don't know if I didn't like it because I was a vegetarian and I had a rabbit purse ... or if it was because of how tacky the thing was."
Box Elder's Caroline Fife, a sophomore, said she got a flashlight that never worked, which she could have gone without.
"The worst present I ever got was a pink Gameboy Advance. It sucked. It was also stolen not too long after I got it," said Jake Johnson, a senior at Layton High.
Or Hoyle said the worst present she ever received was "the first year 'Santa' gave us toothbrushes instead of candy."
A gift to the world
Many would agree the world needs help of some sort, whether it's world peace or a never-ending chocolate buffet for all. What do teens wish they could give the world for Christmas?
"Me! What's better than that?" said Kade Allred, a sophomore at Fremont High.
Shelley Knight, a Bonneville senior, would give everyone a box of Chick-fil-A nuggets, with Polynesian sauce on the side.
"Unlimited gas for cars, so people could go wherever they want without having to worry about paying for gas!" said Johnson.
Medina said, "People are so different, I don't know if there is just one thing I could give the world, because we are all in different positions."
"I would want to give all the homeless people homes for Christmas, at least for Christmas Day, that way they could have one day of warmth and shelter," said Jaiden Thorncock, a Bonneville senior.
Justin Wheeler, also a senior at Bonneville, said he would give the world unlimited Monster energy drinks.
Or Martinez said, "I would give the world Slurpees because Slurpees are the best."
Ariana Golchin is a senior at Bonneville High School. She loves her kitten Sofee and hanging out with her best friends and family. E-mail her at sprinkling_sugar@hotmail.com.
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