Christmas is almost here and people are rushing through stores trying to find what gifts to get for their friends and family; a gift guide would make things much easier.

Finding gifts for younger children is always so simple:  you can never go wrong with a toy. Go to the store and grab them a stuffed animal or some Barbie dolls.

Let’s say someone has a 10 year old boy, or even girl, they would love the new Lego set and it will leave them building for hours, having fun. People often get worried about their kids getting gifts and only being entertained by it for a couple of days, but getting them something they can work on, and have fun while doing, might keep them occupied for more than a few hours, because it is something they can look forward to doing.

If you want to get your child into sewing, go with the ‘Sew Your Own Fluffy Cat Pillow’ toy. This gives them something new to try, and by spending time working on their toy/gift, they will be proud of what they made. Lafayette High School Juniors Keegan Reider and Noah Amor both weighed in on good choices for children. “Legos. Legos are a good idea” Keegan said. “A bouncy ball that they can’t choke on,” was Noah’s suggestion.

Since teenagers have often outgrown the toy gift solution, it can be more difficult to find them gifts. However, they will usually tell you exactly what they want.  They might even say, “You can get me anything really.” They don’t need a lot of gifts because of how expensive their gifts get. Getting them decorations for their room, new clothes, a new phone, or even concert tickets are what they might just need.

The teenage years is when people really start getting into new things, like picking up a n

ew hobby. Those who have artsy interests, will be happy with new paint, pencils, brushes, or anything to do with art. If they play a sport, a new pair of shoes or cleats are perfect. Even teens with a musical interest could use a new device for their instrument, or a new instrument itself.

If you have a girl teen, they are more than likely getting into makeup, which is a great gift idea. A guy teen, they are either into sports or video games. A perfect gift for them, and even girls who are into gaming, would be a new gaming console like the ps5 or the Xbox series X. Finding Christmas gifts for teens can always go one or another, being hard or easy. Lafayette High School Sophomore Mattie Smith, suggested, “Anything with food, teens always love getting food.”

Parents are another matter.  It is so difficult to find a gift for your parents. If you are still in school, there is hardly any way for you to buy the things they want, unless you have a job. If you don’t have an income, you could easily make them something. You don’t have to be incredibly artistic to make them something because parents will accept anything their child takes time doing. Some parents enjoy sewing and cooking, so making them an apron you decorated or getting them some thread and needles would be very much appreciated. For the parent who is passionate about cars, they would be happy with either drawings, paintings, or even photographs of nice cars.

An easy gift to make are coupons. For something your parent likes to do, or extra chores around the house, you can cut out paper and write on each one. You can write something you can do for them or something you guys can do together for fun, the whole idea is up to you.

When Christmas comes around, it can be one of the most difficult times of year, but there are so many ways to make it easier. One of them is having a guide for Christmas gifts.