After the holidays, many enter January with new resolutions, weight goals, and loads of new gadgets and clothes. Chances you got another turtleneck from your grandma are high and the odds there was a receipt is slim to none. Graciously accepting a gift is an art form that many find hard to perfect.

So, the question becomes... how do you hide your actual feelings towards that burnt orange neck strangler or any other unwanted gift you receive? Moreover, what is a today’s definition if a gift? Should it be an item off of a pre-made list or is it something less calculated and more off the cusp?

I visit these questions because as young adults, we have limited funds and want or need items every year. Practical expensive gifts such as socks, tennis shoes and coats are on the top of many people’s lists. Although we need them, they are expensive and not exactly the first thing we would want to spend out money on.

Let’s be real, buying socks isn’t quite as exciting as buying a new pair of earrings or a few drinks. Because it is less exciting, we all wait for the holidays, put them on the list, and hope to God that some special someone notices the list and decides to purchase the utilitarian items.

Although ideal, this is not how gift giving works.

Clearly, if you did not want to buy yourself socks, neither would a loved one! It is boring and unoriginal to buy a college student necessities such as coats or tennis shoes. If an item was on a list, it emphasizes the false assumption that you know the person less. A list sometimes indicates a lack of closeness or knowledge for the person you are buying for, which clearly is not desirable.

It is a sticky situation in where a list is filled with items we need, but writing those items down is another nail in the coffin. It is dull and conventional to gift something off of a list, yet they are the things we want and need the most. A gift to me is something sentimental and meaningful. Weather on the list or not, it is always the thought that counts.

On the other hand, I did need a hat for winter! Who knows. I have decided that it is up the person and gift giver to decide what is expected, or maybe both can be possible! A small something on a person's list plus something that made you think of someone.

A gift is in the eye of the beholder. It should be something practical and wanted, yet thoughtful.