I adore the holiday season. The sweet treats, friends, family and cute decorations give me serotonin. It is much needed to power through the end of the semester. Nothing is better than decorating my apartment with friends or watching a good holiday movie. Something about multi-colored Christmas lights and fuzzy socks brings me joy and comfort. However, one downside to the holidays is the MAJOR dent in my bank account. I love exchanging gifts with family and friends! It is a part of my love language, but finding meaningful gifts on a college girl’s budget can take time and effort. Here are some of my favorite presents that are budget friendly to give this season!
Coffee or Tea Lovers Dream
This may seem a little cliche, but to friends or family members who cannot function without caffeine, this gift is for you! You can gift a decorative mug in your price range (I recommend Anthropology or Target) and then fill it with tea bags or their favorite coffee beans/cups. When it is down in the mug, wrap it in thin iridescent wrapping paper to tie it together. Then I usually beef up the gift with a $10 Starbucks or Dunkin’ gift card.
Self-Care Kit
Who doesn’t have stressful days or even weeks? Behold your solution! For this kit, you will need a small basket and confetti filler. Then, depending on who you are gifting it to or your price range, you can fill it with goodies. My filler suggestions include essential oils, candles, pillow spray, face masks, lip masks, candy and lotion. Once you place all of your self-care items in the basket, I would wrap them again in thin wrapping paper to pull them together.
Hoodie Lovers
This gift idea may require you to get crafty! While scrolling through the Urban Outfitters app, I saw the cutest crewneck when I was supposed to be doing homework. It was a tie-dyed heart crewneck, and I thought I could make it! I found tying techniques and patterns on the internet to mimic the Urban crewneck. Instead of spending $50, you can order a $13 white crewneck and a $16 tie-dye kit from Amazon. This can also be done on hoodies or shirts! This can also be a fun girls’ night craft idea.
Graffiti Hearts
This is another DIY! Depending on who you are giving the gift to, Amazon sells a wide variety of canvases, plain skateboard decks or canvas totes. Those cute heart print canvases on Pinterest might not be too hard to recreate. You will need to buy some spray paint cans from Michaels in the colors the person likes. When spraying, make sure that you are outside or in a well-ventilated area. This is so important, or otherwise, you will inhale the chemicals. Once you are done spraying the hearts, for extra precaution, I recommend using a gloss spray to protect your hard work.
These were some of my suggestions for fun presents for the holiday season. I hope it helped, whether in giving inspiration or copying the idea. Happy gifting!
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