By Allison Mudge

There are 24 shopping days remaining until Christmas and as of last week it seemed most students had not started their shopping yet.

“I’m not sure,” said senior English and cinema studies major Stephen DeMonico of when he would start shopping. “I [wasn’t] going on Black Friday.”

“Black Friday” is the name given to the day after Thanksgiving which marks the official start of the holiday shopping season. It also is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. In 2004, about 10 percent of total holiday transactions occurred on Black Friday, according to The Boston Globe.

In addition to starting their shopping at Thanksgiving, many students said they would shop at malls or shopping centers in or near their hometowns simply because it is cheaper.

Lisa Miller, a senior communications and cinema major, said she has more options at home.

Miller, who is from New York, said she will probably do most of her shopping downtown or in SoHo, an artsy neighborhood in lower Manhattan.

In spite of her many options, Miller said she selects her gifts carefully.

“I’m more about gifts that are meaningful and significant,” she said. “I’m not into iPods. The gifts need to fit your personality.”

Despite Miller’s aversion to iPods, the new video version of the mp3 player is topping the wish list of freshman chemistry major Dan Gotteib.

Digital cameras were the only other item that seemed to come close to rivaling the popularity of the iPod.

“Digital cameras are always popular,” said Kathy Revollo, a customer service manager at the Landmark Center Best Buy. “They’re a hot item all the time, but especially at Christmas; that’s usually one of the most popular gifts.”

The Xbox 360, which came out last Tuesday, will also be popular and, since it is a brand new system, the games will also sell well, Revollo said.

DVD gift sets like “Seinfeld” Season Five and Six, “Lost” Season One and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” are another popular option.

Charles Wente, a middler journalism major, is purchasing “Curb Your Enthusiasm” for his father. He said he will probably get something from Crate ‘ Barrel for his mother.

As for his own gift, Wente is not going the technology route. He asked for a ticket to travel to El Salvador, where his roommate is from.

“I’m going to visit him and other friends that I have [there],” he said.

In addition to his family, Wente will probably purchase gifts for his two best friends, one of whom is his roommate, he said.

Some students, like Katherine Hou, a sophomore political science major, said they don’t really care what they get.

“I’m more excited about what my friends will come up with,” Hou said.

Hou and her friends participated in a Secret Santa last year, and she said they probably would again this year.

Though media or digital-related gifts may top many wish lists, books remain a standard for gift giving.

“We have Oprah’s recommendations and they’re always very popular,” said Sam Atoui, store manager of Barnes ‘ Noble at the Prudential Center. Oprah’s current selection is “A Million Little Pieces” by James Frey.

New releases, art books and board games are popular during the holiday season as well, Atoui said. As for the newest “Harry Potter” book, “it seems like everyone already has it,” Atoui said.

It may be difficult for some to come up with gift-giving ideas, but there are certain items that are difficult to go wrong with – after all, it is the thought that counts.

“Money, movies and DVDs, media, gadgets are all good gifts,” DeMonico said.