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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Pitt chapter.

It’s almost time!! The holidays are right around the corner and if you are anything like me, you can’t wait to buy your gifts at the last minute. Literally. Last year, I got all my gifts on Christmas Eve. You’re also probably looking for cheap and easy gifts to give your family! Stick with this list and save your bank account!

Make a picture album or a picture collage!

One year, I made my dad an album with pictures of us throughout my life and a collage of words that described him. My dad is a total sap when it comes to homemade gifts, so he loved it! You cannot go wrong with homemade gifts!!

Give them a movie night gift!

Get a $5 DVD at Target, some popcorn, hot chocolate, and candy, and set up a night to watch movies and just be together! Perfect for families, friends, or your significant other!

Chocolate

You literally can’t go wrong with chocolate, unless they’re allergic. Then I advise not to get them chocolate.

Gift Cards

My baby brother (he’s, like, 13, but he’s still a baby) and I always get each other iTunes cards like every year. It’s only like $15 and we both love music, so it’s perfect!

A spa day!

Nail polish, nail polish remover, and anything else that you would want to put in the gift! I put nail polish, a nail file, polish remover, cotton balls, facemask, and a nail buffer into a small jar. The total was about $15-20.

Ask your parents what they want! It’s usually something really simple!

One year my mom asked for a tennis ball on a string to hang from the garage so she didn’t hit into the table with her car. My dad usually says just a heartfelt card/homemade gift or a Lamborghini. If they say they don’t want anything, skip to the next idea.

Your presence.

You’ve been away at college for a while, what better gift than yourself! Put a bow on your head and announce to your family that you ARE the present. Merry Christmas, Mother.

If your family member has a sense of humor, get them a jar of marbles.

Put marbles in the jar and on the outside write “Look, I found the marbles you lost!” We always tell my grandpa that he’s lost his marbles (AKA: He’s crazy.) and last year I made him this gift! He thought it was hilarious and it’s sitting on a shelf in his house.

Other homemade stuff!

Paint a picture, write a poem or a story, make an ornament, or anything else you can think of! Pinterest has a lot of ideas too! I painted a poem onto a canvas with Pitt colors behind the words and the poem was so deep that my mom cried. I won Christmas that year.

Image credit: 1, 2, author’s own.

Thanks for reading our content! hcxo, HC at Pitt