Beating the heat of Father's Day

By Michelle Evenson, Jessica Kahlfeldt and Laura Schwinn

All across the city of Phoenix, people are sweating. They are walking around, foreheads drenched in sweat, hands grasping cold water bottles in hopes of a reprieve from the heat.

The dry heat of Phoenix, bearing down on people scattering around town, has nothing on the heat of shopping for deadline holidays like Father's Day. Young Phoenix citizens answer the question: How do you beat the heat of shopping for Father's Day?

Finding the perfect gift for her dad can be like turning up the furnace in the middle of an Arizona summer for college student Taryn Johnson, "I hate holidays!"

Johnson said the heat of shopping for Father's Day is double the burden for her because she is not just stumped about what to buy for one dad; she has two. Johnson's biological parents are divorced and re-married, so she shops for her dad and her stepfather each year.

Eventually she said found random gifts for both dads, which really put the heat on her budget.

For others, celebrating the person who acts in a fatherly way for them is as simple as a day at Chase Field. Jesse Santos, 12-year-old, decided on a expensive approach to Father's Day but has a plan for dealing with the financial burden.

"I bought my grandpa tickets to the baseball game," Santos said. "My grandma bought them but I have to pay her back."

His brother, 15-year-old Jonathan Santos, said he mows lawns and saves his money in order to pay for the gift he has planned for his grandpa.

Instead of stressing so much about the gift, Jonathan said he looks forward to listening to his grandpa talk about his favorite memories of his times with his brothers and him on Father's Day.

Jonathan said his grandfather is special because he took his brothers and him in after their parents were unable to care for the children.

In a time when spending money can make the heat of buying a gift that much worse many people choose to focus on spending quality time with their dads.

"There is just not a lot of reason to spend money when you can just spend time with each other," said college student Chelsee Chandler.
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Jesse Santos, 12, says he will be on his best behavior for Father's Day. Santos will take his grandpa to a baseball to celebrate the holiday. (Photo/Laura Schwinn)

College student Chelsee Chandler says Father's Day is about more than spending money. According to Chandler spending quality time is more important than purchasing a gift. (Photo/Michelle Evenson)