It might be November, but Christmas is lurking around every corner. Red and green accents fill up store displays while Mariah Carey slays the radio waves with “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Mom might want a gift certificate for a spa so she can have a relaxing day off of work, and Dad would probably love the newest and coolest tool Home Depot has to offer. Buying gifts for family members may be easy, but what about your friends? Gift cards are practical, but they serve as a confession of forgetfulness or lack of creativity. With these gift ideas, you can be the best friend with the best gifts!
1. Concert Tickets
Whether the concert is hours away and requires an entire day of jam sessions in the car or at a local venue and allows the opportunity for dinner at your friend’s favorite restaurant, the gift of live music works for the friend surrounded by posters of her favorite bands and artists on her walls. Selecting your friend’s favorite music act shows her that you pay attention to and care about her interests making you the perfect friend. If you like the performer, buying concert tickets is like buying one present for two people. The two of you can enjoy a night of live music and dancing together, one neither of you will ever forget!
2. Photos
This one is for the ladies on a budget. Unfortunately, Christmas time does not put a hold on obligations like rent checks and water bills. Spending money on gifts for family members and friends can be difficult, but the most expensive gifts aren’t always the best gifts. Extra thought and creativity can overshadow a price tag. Instagram and Facebook profiles make it easy to save pictures and print them out at a number of locations. Drug stores usually have cheap photo services, which means the final step is to think of a way to arrange the photos. Should you buy frames to put them in? Should you make a collage? The possibilities are endless.
3. Sports Merchandise
If your friend spends countless hours watching games and sporting her team’s colors, sports memorabilia is the way to go. Common merchandise like jerseys, hats and bumper stickers are all over the Internet. For a friend with a girly side mixed with college sports or major league baseball loyalty, Victoria’s Secret has a collection for both that makes comfy look cute. While your friend cheers for her team, you can help out by making her the best fan.
4. Something of yours she keeps borrowing
Does your friend constantly borrow your favorite dress or that eyeliner that makes her eyes pop? If you pay attention to slight details like these, the perfect present is at your fingertips. If the item is something as small as eyeliner, you can give her a gift bag filled with your other favorite makeup. She will appreciate that she no longer has to ask to borrow from you, and you can finally start wearing those heels your friend wore the last three weekends.
5. Her favorite television series
This gift allows you to never run out of ideas for Christmas presents. Television series bundles can be out of your budget, but individual seasons are reasonably cheap. Giving season one this Christmas means you can give season two next year. Your friend never has to worry about missing an episode because every episode of “Boy Meets World,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Friends” and several other beloved television series are available for decent prices online. If you throw in a bag of popcorn and candy, staying in on a Friday night sounds like the perfect plan.