As you get older, the answer to the familiar question of "What do you want for Christmas?" becomes increasingly difficult to answer. By the time you are in your late teen years/early 20s, you are aware of your family's financial situation and so you feel bad asking a distant aunt for an expensive gift when you know she has to buy presents for ten other people at least. There is also the problem of if you are in college, you don't have time for hobbies so you honestly have no idea what you would like to receive. After a gift I received last year, a 100 count of colored markers, I really got into the coloring book trend and still enjoy it even if I do not have much time to work on pages.

After painting pumpkins with friends this past October, I have come to realize that I really enjoy painting and almost anything to do with art. That is why the first thing I have on my Christmas list is art sets with paint, oil and acrylic. I also like the idea of being able to share my creative expression with friends and family or to even just hang it on my walls at home.

The second item on my list is gift cards. As impersonal as they sound, I always ask for some type of gift card because of how useful they are. My favorite types are from iTunes so I don't have to pay for my student subscription to Apple Music with my own money. I also really like Origin gift cards because it is easier for me to buy the video games I want without having to put pressure on my family members to find the hard copies in stores and trying to explain my games to them.

Overall, the gifts you ask for don't have to be extremely complicated or expensive and at the end of the day, it's honestly the thought that counts because gifts are not required even from family members.