By Kira Lu ‘20, Feature Editor

A year or two ago in morning meeting, Dr. D started off announcements by encouraging four hundred fifty students and teachers to consider what we value in a gift. He suggested that instead of asking for tangible gifts for the holidays, we should instead seek out an experience. He asked the students and teachers what the best gift they had ever received was, hoping someone would answer with an experience; Ms. Mahoney shared about getting a hot air balloon ride for her eighth grade graduation. Even though it might not always be plausible, the purpose of an experience instead of a material gift shows how gifts should be a reflection of thought and appreciation for them to take on their true meaning.

Each year, gift giving takes over every store and website during the  holiday season; whether you love giving gifts or hate it, you are bound to take part in it somehow this year. In an article published by the Harvard Business Review in 2010, the author argues that in addition to mere obligation, the purpose of gift giving is appreciation. It’s not necessarily the gift with the most expensive price tag attached to it that can achieve this purpose, but rather the person and the thought that comes with it.

At Newark Academy, “Secret Snowflake” is commonplace around the holiday season in different groups, from student council to peer group. Each person in a group writes his or her name on a piece of paper and blindly takes a name out of a hat. Each person surprises someone with a gift, and each person receives a gift. It both echoes this idea of the value of gift giving while also perpetuating how gifts can be a meaningless responsibility. Lori Sun ‘20 reflected on her own participation in a secret snowflake gift exchange: “I never know what to get people and the gifts I get never end up being useful.” We have all been either the givers and receivers of a generic box of chocolates or a gift card–both of which take away from the meaning of giving a gift. Though many religious holidays, such as Hanukkah and Christmas, have developed gift giving aspects, some families choose not to give gifts because they believe that it takes away from the true focus of the holiday. In contrast, this gift giving tradition could also have developed for good reason–getting family members and friends gifts could unite people under a holiday and contribute more to the meaning of a season. Gift giving can play a huge part in group bonding, especially in settings such as freshman peer groups. Receiving, and giving, the perfect gift is enough to brighten anyone’s day. Furthermore, gift giving encourages people to get to know each other better. The expectations for a secret snowflake gift exchange are much different than those of traditional gift giving because of its set up.

Overall, though the meaning of gift giving has taken on many shapes and forms, it is definitely here to stay. While the “Secret Snowflake” style of gift giving robs it of its emotional value, the sense of unity that it creates, along with the holiday spirit that it generates, cannot be replicated with anything else.