“I made a spoon for someone’s birthday at one point. I don’t do wood working usually, (but) he’s into cooking, so (I made) him a serving spoon,” said Maisy Matthews, a Berkeley High School junior, “I did that, and I hand carved it.”
Matthews has made many unconventional gifts for friends and family since she started crafting. These include shirts with sewed decorations, ceramic mugs, stained glass pieces, burnt CDs, prints, screen-printed items, zines, and Matthews is currently working on making a leather bag and tattooing it.
“I literally spent like 10 hours making this and I didn’t do any classwork for two weeks just so I could make (them) this shirt,” Matthews said.
Although gifts are given year round, the holidays are often associated with gift giving. Many opt to give classic store-bought items, while others select to give gift cards. In fact, Americans are spending more on holiday gifts than ever before. According to CBS, Americans were predicted to spend 7 percent more money than last year on the holidays, which translated to a whopping average of $2100.
However, everyone gifts a little differently — some decide to spend little or no money for the holidays, instead choosing to give something creative or heartfelt.
“My favorite unconventional gift is baking baked goods for my friends, because I think that it really shows that I care about them,” Lex Davis, a BHS freshman, said.
According to Davis, her favorites to make are the “classics,” like brownies and cookies. She loves her friends’ reactions when she gives them the sweets, and really enjoys the process of baking.
“It gives me something to do with my day, and just like spending time on a gift instead of just going out and buying something, (it) really makes it feel like I care about them a lot more,” Davis said.
In addition to making gifts, some people like to give gifts that hit a little closer to home. Phil Halpern, a Video Production teacher at BHS, planned to give away two split leaf philodendron plants.
“The one that’s going to my eldest child is to celebrate the fact that he just applied to graduate school to become a social worker,” Halpern said, “and the one I’ve given to my parents is as a remembrance of my dad’s older brother, Jim, who just died.”
Halpern grew the plants for several years each. They both started as cuttings of a philodendron that his mother-in-law gave to his wife when she was 18 to commemorate her going off to college.
“I love these two particular plants, and they’re better than a gift card to Target for me,” Halpern said.
However, Halpern doesn’t think there’s anything inherently negative about giving a gift card or a less unconventional thing; he tries to give whatever he thinks the person wants or needs.
“I mean, gift cards make sense to me, and I can strive to empathize with the person and see what might work for them in terms of their interests, hobbies or needs,” Halpern said, “(Brake pads are) not really like a cool gift, but maybe money towards brake pads is what my kid wants most. These are the kinds of factors that I try to think about when I’m choosing.”
Meanwhile, for Davis, while gift cards show the receiver that you’re thinking about them, it doesn’t show that you put time and effort into making something for them.
“For me at least, (a homemade gift) is a greater symbol of love than if I just got someone a Target gift card,” Davis said. “That’s nice too, but it’s in a different way.”
Matthews also felt that homemade gifts are more meaningful, especially because she really likes putting time into making something for someone.
“I think it’s mostly about the thought that goes into it,” Matthews said, adding that it’s equally touching to her if someone remembers something she said she liked. For example, someone remembering an offhand comment she made about a certain band she likes and then buying her something related to it, like a t-shirt or CD.
Regardless of what he gives, Halpern “certainly (gets) a lot of satisfaction from those rare inspired moments where you get it just right for somebody.” There’s a lot of ways to show appreciation for loved ones year round — all that matters is being thoughtful.