Holiday times have passed, and with that being said, so has some dough, and I’m not talking about for making cookies.

On average, a person spends $802.45, based on this past year, for presents. 800 dollars for a holiday seems outrageous, however when individuals are spending money, others are making it. Toy and game stores increase their staff by 38% for the busy season of shopping, clothing stores increase about 11%, also, department stores increase by around 11% as well.

However, compared to our fellow Kadets, their money spending during the holidays is far from 800 dollars. Madison May states, “I usually spend 10-20 dollars for each person, and usually get gifts for about 10-15 people.” That’s a whopping 100 dollars and some change, depending on the amount of people. That is obviously explainable, because typical high school students can’t rack up 800 dollars to spend during the holidays. Madison May also said, “An alternative to giving gifts that you have to buy, would be to make coupons for things, like for a day out with each other, or chores for a week.” That would surely be a good gift if it was for your parents, of course, as long as the individual actually does what is said on the coupon.  When I asked Elise Cloonan if she could think of an alternative to buying a gift she said, “Yes! Take a ceramics class because you make gifts for free and your family will appreciate a homemade lumpy mug.”

Not only is money spent during the holidays on gifts, but family trips come into play. Whether it’s a trip to Mexico during the cold winter, or just a drive up to mountains, the expense is a factor. Jenny Beth Maynard explains, “I got the best of both worlds because I skied in Utah at Deer Valley, and in Aspen at Snowmass. When I looked at the prices at Breckenridge and Vail, the day pass was outrageously expensive (shout out to my step-dad for having military discount). Overall, I think the chance to ski with my family was worth the money, and I’m sure everyone else on the slopes agreed.” In addition, the prices of hotels, and living places increase during the holidays, which adds even more cost.

With Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year holidays being passed by, shoppers have a little time to recoup. The next major spending holiday, Valentine’s Day, is expected to reach a record of $18.9 billion this year. The average person taking part in Valentine’s Day pays about $142.31. So, when you’re thinking about buying some jewelry, flowers, etc. maybe take into account that homemade gifts might be more special than material things. Lilliana Hamilton states, “I think it is more special, and it shows that they cared/tried more than buying a gift.” On the other hand, Jenny Beth Maynard already plans to surprise her boyfriend, who lives in Arizona, for Valentine’s day, “I’m already spending about 3 times more than the average person on Valentine’s Day, with a plane ticket for roughly 350 dollars.”

Perhaps, money overrides the true meaning of the holidays, but in another sense, it is an opportunity to enjoy the holiday further.