Is the Most Popular Gift and Tradition Surprising in 2020?

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Man holding Christmas presents laid on a wooden table background

Sophia Bowman

Is it time to go shopping again for those presents? Those gifts that warm other’s hearts and create bonding moments. The bows and the ribbons and the wrapping paper. But, there are also traditions people like to uphold that puts them in the true holiday season. As of 2020, there have been certain gifts and traditions that have been on the rise in popularity. New technologies have been released left and right, so people are jumping on that. Some of these technologies include a Roku Streaming Stick, Apple Airpod Pros, robot vacuum cleaners, hair tools for drying, brushing, and volumizing at the same time, bluetooth speakers, noise cancelling headphones, big flat screen TVs, and Nintendo Switches. Along with these items, people are subscribing to things like Disney+, Netflix, HBOmax, Hulu, and more. This is a result of people being stuck in quarantine and having very little to do. With these technologies people can stream shows, do house work, listen to music, try new things without going out, and just keep busy overall. But even with all of these technologies, people still are buying one gift that is most common for this year especially: hand sanitizer. Because everyone is always keeping cautious during Covid-19 and making sure that they keep clean, hand sanitizer can be an easy present that will be very useful. They make bottles of all kinds; some bottles are travel squeeze bottles, some are pumps that can be displayed, and some can even be attached to things like backpacks or purses. However, people did not stop there. They continued to make hand sanitizers more advanced. Now there are hand sanitizer travel dispensers where people can motion their hand by the dispenser and the solution will come out. This is especially convenient with multiple uses and multiple people. 

People are not only focusing on their shopping bags this year. They are focused on keeping traditions intact even through Covid-19. Some original traditions before pandemic life included decorating, watching holiday movies, baking, shopping, and gift giving all with family and friends. However, there is no gathering this year, so unless with a quarantine group, this is not possible. So, people are trying to come up with new ways this year to make the holidays special. Some of these new traditions include giving back to the community such as donating old clothes or giving food to food banks. This way the less fortunate during the holidays don’t struggle as much this year, especially with the Covid-19 conditions. Another new tradition is having a virtual gathering with family and friends. Everyone can enjoy opening their presents and eating snacks while socializing on zoom or any other communication app. People have also started sharing those secret family recipes with others so that they can make those holiday meals and get in the spirit. The last common tradition of this year includes family and friends giving gifts through the mail or sending a sentimental object to another to remind them of times together. All these traditions comfort people during the holiday season and make this year a little more special.