This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Texas chapter.
Now that December is upon us, there are two stressful tasks that must be taken care of within the next few weeks: finals and shopping for holiday gifts. HC Texas may not be able to help you hit the books and ace your finals, but we can help you alleviate some of the stress from having to shop for gifts for all of your friends and family members within a college student budget.
For the roommate:
Bella Donut Maker ($23.40 at Amazon)
Next time a late-night snack craving hits, your roommate will be able to whip out their donut maker and make seven delicious donuts to satisfy their craving. There’s no deep-frying and it’s easy to use with a non-stick baking tray. And maybe if your roommate is nice enough, they’ll share a few with you.
For the mom:
Massaging Bed Rest ($99.99 at Brookstone)
Instead of having mom go to the nearest massage therapist, allow her to experience the same thing without leaving her bed. This bed rest has a built-in massager that targets muscle relaxation with high or low speed pulses. The bed rest is covered in an ultra-plush material and comes equipped with a LED light, large side pockets, and a built-in cup holder.
For the dad:
Craft a Beer Home Brewing Kit ($45.00 at Amazon)
Your dad may not be the ruler of the kitchen, but he could test out his beer brewing skills with this starter kit. Complete with a glass jug, tubing/clamp, rubber stopper, air lock, thermometer, funnel, racking cane, and step-by-step guide, this kit will make about 10 12 oz. bottle beers. With 100% malt extract, specialty grains, fresh hops, and high quality yeast, dad will make the leap from beer drinker to beer brewer.
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For the friend who likes to give back:
TOMS Sunglasses ($88 at TOMS)
TOMS may be more known for its cute, comfortable shoes, but they have a line of eyewear that helps benefit yet another charity. With the purchase of one pair of TOMS sunglasses, you can give sight to one person through prescription glasses, sight-saving surgery, or medical treatment. These cute sunglasses become even cuter once you know where the profits are being directed.
For the music lover:
Apple iPod 2GB Shuffle- Newest Model ($49.99 at Walmart)
The latest model of the 2 GB iPod shuffle is small, comes in many different cute colors, and is capable of holding up to a couple hundred songs. Apple’s latest model also has a cool, new feature called the VoiceOver button. With a quick tap of this button, you’ll hear the song title, playlist name, or even battery status.
For the football fanatic:
NFL My Team M&Ms ($59.99 at My M&Ms)
As your friend cheers on their NFL team, they can also be snacking on their favorite candy with customized M&Ms featuring their team’s colors and logos. All NFL teams are available as a customizing option. This deal comes with a 9” team logo dispenser and three 7 oz. bags of candy.
For the beauty queen:
Sephora Collection Color Daze Blockbuster ($49.50 at Sephora)
With this collection, your friend won’t have to purchase another eye shadow or lip gloss for a long time. The compact, expandable palette features 148 formulas, finishes, and textures that will conjure up hundreds of different looks. With 64 different eye shadows, 12 different eyeliners, 48 different lip glosses, and more, your friend will have hours of fun experimenting.
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For the techie:
Gadget Charger for the Car ($49.95 at Red Envelope)
Disguised as a cup of coffee, this cleverly designed car charger is able to charge up to three electronics for your tech-savvy friend. There are 2AC outlets in this cup for laptops, DVD players, camera chargers, and phone chargers. There’s also one USB power port for iPods and cell phones. Just simply plug the cup into your car outlet to keep all of your important devices charged and ready to go.
For the boyfriend:
Call of Duty: Black Ops II for PS3 ($59.99 at Best Buy)
If your man did’nt already wait in the long lines at the midnight premiere for this highly anticipated video game, give him the gift that he has been waiting for. His attention might be diverted from you for a bit because of Special Strike Force missions and zombie apocalypses, but he will only love you more for gifting him with the ultimate gaming experience.
A gift anyone would enjoy:
Amazon Gift Card
If your creative juices have ultimately failed you and you can’t think of a single gift for that one difficult person, you can’t go wrong with an Amazon.com gift card. It may not be original or heartfelt, but it’s practical, making your money well spent.