Student Outlook -- Huong Thai

Christmas. It’s that time of year again when shopping is at its best

and buying last minute presents is not too uncommon. Some of us tend to

wait until the day before Christmas to do all of the shopping while the

rest of us do it much earlier. There are about four weeks left until

Christmas, and a lot of sales are going on at most retail stores. For

instance, the after-Thanksgiving sales took place over the weekend, and

many early bird shoppers woke up as early as 5 a.m. on Friday and stood

in long lines. They were then rewarded with a lot of freebies and almost

75% savings on many Christmas toys and presents.

The incredible sales this year, however, were, in part, due to the

recent national tragedy, which greatly affected our economy. Most stores

are reducing the prices much lower than usual. Hopefully, there will be

an increase in the sales by this Christmas. If many shoppers turn out

this year, they will definitely enjoy the great low prices and also help

retailers stay in business. Right now, the myriad of shoppers who have

been raiding the stores in the past week is beginning to show a positive

sign that our economy can recuperate by 2002.

Even though this year’s Christmas sales are much better in prices than

the previous years, the traditional process of Christmas shopping is

still there. From store to store, we try to search for the perfect gift

at the “perfect prices” for everyone on our list. From the youngest on

our list to the oldest, most of them usually want the latest, most

expensive gadgets that are available. Still, even though the prices for

them will be lower this year, we should not get too entrenched with

shopping that we forget about the deeper, intangible meanings of

Christmas.

Is Christmas all about giving presents to our loved ones so that they

can be happy and thank us? Is it about receiving the most expensive or

coveted product out there so that we can be joyful? Yes, it can be both.

But it should be more about a time when we can get together with our

loved ones and give to them the most valuable and coveted present there

is: our love. Even though we can have a lot of money and buy the best

presents for our friends and family, does giving them really express our

love and appreciation?

Usually, that only expresses our wealth. This Christmas, enjoy the

great sales, but keep in mind that our love cannot be truly replicated

into the presents that we give. Instead, we should be more thoughtful,

especially in these hard times, and try to see Christmas for what it

really is.

* HUONG THAI is a sophomore at Estancia High School where she is the

editor of El Aguila’s opinion page. Her columns will appear on an

occasional basis in the Community Forum section.