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The Guide to Affordable Christmas Gift Shopping

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

It always comes down to the last minute. The week of Christmas, we find ourselves frantically searching through every store in the mall for a gift…any gift…that we can give to that family member or friend that’s impossible to buy for. On top of that, we have to find a fabulous gift while dealing with the budget of a college student. Can you say impossible? Well, don’t worry collegiettes, we’re here to save the day! Here is a list of awesome gift ideas for all of those people close to us, for under $20!

For mom– If your mom is anything like mine, she’ll try to let you off easy by saying she doesn’t need or want anything for Christmas. I never take no for an answer, though. For something with a little flair, look on Etsy and buy a cool candle holder or vintage scarf. They have tons of awesome handmade and vintage goods.

For dad– Men are always more difficult to buy for. For dad, if he’s an outdoorsy guy, grab a nice pair of hiking or skiing socks and put them in his stocking. It’s practical and he’ll be thankful for such a caring daughter when his feet are nice and warm on the slopes. Not the adventurous type? Opt for a classic tie to spruce up his work wardrobe.

For your brother– Whether he’s your best friend or you can’t be together in the same room for more than 5 minutes, he’s still your brother. Give him a cool picture frame with pictures of you two together in it, like the one from Urban Outfitters pictured below. This is a creative way to show him you care! Or, try finding something that relates to his hobbies. Is he a total lax bro? Get him a poster of his favorite team to hang in that terribly messy room of his.

For your sister– Is she a girly girl? Try a pretty jewelry dish like the one from Urban Outfitters pictured below. Functional and fabulous…we love it! Is she more of a bookworm? Head over to Barnes & Noble and pick up one of the current bestsellers, or just grab a gift card so she can pick one out herself!

For grandma– Gram will love anything you get her, that’s just in their sweet nature. Maybe a new pair of comfy slippers to wear around the house, or a personalized coaster set with pictures of all of her grandkids? She’ll love it!

For grandpa– If your grandpa is the wine and cheese type like mine, you could buy him a new cutting board or personalized corkscrew. If not, pick him up that book that he’s been saying he wants to read but still hasn’t gotten around to buying.

For your best friend– You know everything about your best friend…partially because she calls you every 10 minutes with a new story. With that much phone use, why not get her a cool new phone case? Forget those boring one-color plastic cases and opt for something a little more flashy, like this case from Etsy that’s only $3!

For your boyfriend– And we finally come to the dreaded boyfriend gift. This might be the ultimate gift challenge. Don’t panic yet, ladies! First, come up with a list of his interests and then base your purchases off of that. Music junkie? Grab that new album from his favorite band that was just released. You get the idea!

Sources:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=20969606&parentid=A_DEC_JEWELRYBOX

http://lansystems.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/christmas_shopping.jpg

http://www.etsy.com/listing/104868563/pierced-ceramic-candle-holder-orange-and?ref=sr_gallery_22&ga_search_query=candle+holder&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=all

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/advice/gift-ideas/under-20-gifts#slide-2

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/advice/gift-ideas/gifts-under-20#slide-1

 

Juliana is a senior Media Studies, Journalism and Digital Arts major with a minor in Global Studies at St. Michael's College. She serves as managing editor for her college newspaper (The Defender), is an online student ambassador for St. Mike's, writes a personal style blog (littlecupofj.com) and is an editorial intern at WellWed Magazine. Juliana hopes to move back to Cape Town after graduation, where she spent her spring 2014 semester abroad and work as a magazine editor or as an online/social media coordinator. Her favorites include blogging, all things pink, peonies & proteas, elephants, iced coffee, whistling, running and catch phrases.
Lauren Mazzoleni is a junior at Saint Michael's College where she majors in Digital Arts, Media Studies, and Journalism and minors in Psychology. Lauren and Alexandra Brenock are the two campus correspondents for Saint Michael's HC Branch. At Saint Michael's, she is a student blogger, a tour guide, and a disc jockey at WWPV 88.7 FM. Many of her friends would say that when she is not busy attending her classes or working on HC articles, you could find her watching many of the shows she always DVRs (Glee, Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, etc), shopping on Church Street in downtown Burlington, and hanging out with her friends from Saint Michael's and from her hometown in NH.