Creative Christmas Gifts & Gift Ideas

Parents think college students should be spending their time experimenting with different careers and planning their future lives.  College students, however, prefer to spend their time experimenting in other ways.  Parents want to remind students that they have family responsibilities and that real life won’t wait for them.  Meanwhile, students are doing their best to establish their own identities and forestall real life.   Great gift ideas for college students must take these two conflicting life philosophies into consideration (I know this because I studied philosophy in college, which was the biggest mistake of my life).

Christmas gifts to let them bask in their laziness

Gift Certificates for Sandwiches.   Sandwiches are to college students what acorns are to squirrels, what cheese is to French people, what Marmite is to people with bad taste.  Typical college freshmen get sick of the cafeteria after 3 months in college and start lusting after expensive sandwiches and buffalo wings somewhere in the townie town.  Many would rather grow emaciated and ramble on about how they never appreciated how good Thanksgiving dinner was instead of eating that purple beef stroganoff or gooey Macaroni they serve down at the cafeteria.  Give them this great gift and they will be eternally grateful. Blenders – Oh man I wish I had had one of these back in college!  I would have been wasting away in Margaritaville instead of wasting away in the frozen hinterland of North America.  This is possibly the best Christmas gift a 21-year-old could receive.  CAUTION: There will be arguments when someone insists on making unusual protein shakes in the thing every day and never cleaning it.  However, such arguments will inevitably be resolved over Margaritas. Pint glasses.  Pint glasses are in historically high demand on college campuses these days, narrowly outpacing pencils and notebooks in most markets.  Get them a few pint glasses and they will probably get quite a bit more use than any other glass, cup, or book in the house.  Note: Due to their youth and their (ahem) consumption habits, college students are simultaneously the most coordinated and the clumsiest people on the planet.  Unfortunately, while this means they won’t break their bones very easily, it does mean that the pint glasses have only a 58% chance of making it through the semester intact. Posters.  College students can never get enough posters.  From the crass (John Belushi slugging that bottle) to the hackneyed (If you see Monet’s Lilies 10,000 times, the college should award you with a minor in art history), you’ll find a wide variety of them to choose from online.  As cheesy as you may find them, they are symbols of unique personality for college students attempting to assert their own individuality.

Christmas gift ideas to nudge them towards real life

Ties.  Ties are notoriously awful gifts for men, unless you give them to male college students.  He’ll probably only wear it twice, in which time it will acquire a stain from some fraternity floor.  However, at least it sends the message of “YOU NEED TO GET A REAL JOB SOON” loud and clear. Framed Photographs of Family.   Most college students are so caught up in themselves that they have little time to consider the fact that they have still a family.  Anything that reminds a college student that their family still exists is a great gift idea.  Plus, you can find easily some unique frames quite cheaply online or at a big box store. Bathroom Mats – For older students who move off campus and live in a 3 bedroom house with 5 other roommates, the bathroom is inevitably a toxic waste dump. Despite the one drill sergeant roommate who creates a dreaded “chore schedule” and berates Snuffleupcus and Big Bird for never doing their share, the bathroom is always the first place to fall into utter grossness.  However, there’s usually one bathroom in the house that gets spared by mud-clad party-goers (Am I the only one who went to mud state u?).  This is the one worth salvaging.   To start, give the kid 2 new bathroom mats and tell him or her to replace the thing halfway through the semester.  It will greatly improve the quality of life for everyone who lives there. New Towels – In the same vein, most students rarely wash towels, replace stinky towels, or even bother to hang towels up.  Instead, they throw wet towels on their beds or their floors and then complain when they get moldy.  Because it will take an average college student 3 and a half years to figure out how to hang up and wash a towel properly, giving them a towel is a great gift idea.

Ten dollars aren’t what they used to be.  You can barely feed yourself for one day on $10 (unless you’re Kate Moss and you just don’t eat).  It’s a quarter-tank of gas, three cans of soup, or a six-pack of microbrew beer.  Still, there are plenty of cool and original gifts you can give for $10…

Creative Christmas Gift Ideas #1: An Internet Domain Name

If you have an aspiring web designer in your family, this creative gift idea could definitely work for you.  It’s a variation on the IOU format, except in this case you write “One Free Domain Name” on a card for the kid.  Later, you introduce the kid to www.name.com or www.godaddy.com and tell him or her that you will pay for one free domain name (Domain names range from about $5 to $10).  You’ve just come up with a unique gift idea that’s potentially profitable.  Next thing you know, he could be writing the most popular blog on Nintendo Wii accessories on the internet, starting his own tech company with funding from Google, which allows you to move into a bigger house with plasma screens in every room.  OK so maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but it could allow him to learn some valuable knowledge which he could put on his college application.  Just make sure your kid isn’t a smart aleck who asks for www.money.com (which sold for $9 million several years ago).

Creative Christmas Gift Ideas #2: Flash Drive with Music and Photos

While it’s a very small gift, looks can be deceiving (Remember the bunny from Monty Python?). This actually makes for a pretty unique gift.  Browsing the internet just now, I found several flash drives for $8 – $9 that have between 2GB and 4 GB.  Just buy one of these, burn a dozen cd’s onto it, and then add some of your favorite digital photos to it.  When you’re done, write a little note explaining why you put those particular albums or pictures on it.  If you can’t think of something to write, you can always fall back on the acrostic poem:

Dear Rebecca, I was thinking of you when I put these things on your new flash drive: Rolling Stones albums Embarrassing photos from junior high Beatles albums Embarrassing photos from high school Creedence Clearwater Revival albums Creative photos I took that nobody likes except Mom (you’re going to love them) Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits

Creative Christmas Gift Ideas #3: Magazine Subscription

According to recent research, it doesn’t necessarily matter what kids and teens read as long as they’re reading.  Many famous professors, CEO’s and lawyers spent their youth’s engrossed in comic books and Mad Magazine.  So stop forcing them to agonize over The Canterbury Tales and let them learn to love reading.   Most adults will also appreciate a magazine subscription because it will give them a chance to forget about their burdens momentarily. Among the magazines for which you can get a year-subscription for less than $10:

• Spin
• Game Informer Magazine
• Esquire
• Snowboard
• Elle
• Golf
• Ebony
• Men’s Journal
• Backpacker
• Bowhunt America (I probably wouldn’t encourage my relative to Bowhunt America – perhaps you could find a copy of Bowhunt Animals in the Wilderness far away from People).

Creative Christmas Gift Ideas #4: Model Airplane

While most model airplanes are more expensive, it’s possible to get a decent one for about $10 either online or at a local store (I know Ace Hardware used to sell them, but I’m haven’t been in the market for one of these in a long, long time).  Plus, if you’re a Dad, this will give you an opportunity to do something with your son.

Creative Christmas Gift Ideas #5: Belt

I would wager that virtually every man you know needs a new belt and hasn’t bought one in 10 years, which makes this a great gift for virtually every man you know.  When you’re giving a gift like this, though, it’s important to put the belt in a fancy box and wind it up.  Whipping your brother with it before giving it to him is also acceptable.

Creative Christmas Gift #6: Wallet

Likewise, most men get a new wallet only when the thing literally cannot hold money anymore.  If your husband, boyfriend, father or brother has a tendency to develop a George Costanza wallet, then this is probably the best gift he could possibly receive.  WARNING: Duct tape wallets fall apart and lose credit cards (especially when you’re drinking, but whatever you’ve been warned).

Creative Christmas Gift #7: Football

It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about a soccer ball or an American football.  For boys, balls almost always make good gifts.  It’s not the most unique gift idea in the world, but he’ll probably like it.  Disclaimer: If he dresses up like Harry Potter and plays Magic cards while other kids play sports, get him a badminton racket instead.

Creative Christmas Gift #7: A Group Gift

4 broke people are better than 1!  I always collaborate with my siblings to get something for my parents.  Last year we got them a new toaster.  Year before that, a new chair for the computer.  This year, we’ll probably get them another utilitarian gift (as long as people click on ads!!!).  If we had tried to buy these things with our own money, we would have been strapped.

Maybe you’ve got a really big family (Octo-mom anyone?).  Maybe you spent all of your money on your kids and you need something for your wife that costs less than an extra value meal at McDonald’s.  Whatever your reason, we’ve got you covered with some great, cheap gift ideas.  Read on…

Creative Christmas Gift Ideas for Under $5

#1: DIY Gift Ideas

If you’re looking for a Hail Mary and you’ve got some spare time, you could try one of these DIY gift ideas.  People are usually so impressed that you spent some time on them that they won’t care that you deliberately spent next to nothing on them.  WARNING: These projects might require A WHOLE HOUR to complete.  For me, if I have to choose between making gifts for family and watching TV, I generally elect to do both.  In which case, I generally injure myself and fail to complete the project.  In which case, I go further into credit card debt buying a last minute CD Rack.   Anyways, here are 4 DIY gift ideas that anyone can do:

1. The Photo Collage. Buy a piece of poster board for $1.99, print out a bunch of photos (at school or the office or your best friend’s house), cut them up and assemble them on the board.  Most people, particularly family members, will be touched by such a thoughtful gift.  Also, they’ll be so starstruck by pictures of themselves from 5 years ago (“I used to have hair!  Do you see this?  Look at this!”, they’ll think it’s the best, most unique gift they’ve ever received.
2. Bead Necklace or Bead Eyeglass Holders. Roll over to your local hippie bead store (you’ve smelled that place before, admit it) and pick up an assortment of beads and a string.  Slide them on the string and tie the ends.  Whallah!  Original gift.  CAUTION: It’s a little tedious.
3. The Dreamcatcher. It’s a piece of wood with some feathers hanging off of it.  Come on.  Provided you’re not trying to watch TV at the same time you’re gluing it together, you probably won’t glue your fingers together.  By the way, does anybody know how to unglue your hands?
4. The Family Video. If you can dig up your old family videos and put them together onto a DVD, it makes an amazing family gift.   If you don’t have any old family videos, but you do have a video camera, you could start taping your family members at Thanksgiving and editing footage together during your spare time.  As far as Christmas gifts go, this one is very time consuming, but ultimately more rewarding than almost any other gift you could give.  Costs include DVD’s and cases (which, as I noted before, can easily be “borrowed” from friends.

More Unique Christmas Gift Ideas for Under $5

Creative Christmas Gift Ideas #2: The Fruit Basket

All you need is some fruit and a basket.  And maybe a few red napkins snagged from your wife’s company Christmas party.  Bam.  Fruit basket for Grandma and Grandpa.

Creative Christmas Gift Ideas #3: A Playboy

This is quite possibly the most exciting gift that a young man can ever receive.  It might not eclipse a PS3 in terms of awesomeness, but it’s neck and neck with a package of fireworks.  NOTE:  This really only works as a gift from an older brother to a younger brother or a father to a son.  If my Mom had gotten me a Playboy it would have been just weird.  So weird.

Creative Christmas Gift Ideas #4: Thrift Store Magic

Thrift Stores and Garage Sales are great places to look for unique gift ideas.  While most of what you find is junk, you might dig up a really cool painting, old transformer, jacket, or broken down 1971 Ford Pinto (“Please Please Please take it away from here.  Please.”).   Plus, they might give you some stuff for free if you bring them your old clothes.  Although I’ve never tried this bartering maneuver, it seems like a decent way to get a-hold of some unique gifts!

Creative Christmas Gift Ideas #5: An Afternoon at the Horse Races

At the horse track near where I grew up, tickets cost $1 and hot dogs cost $1 every Sunday.  If you’re treating another person, this allows for 2 tickets, 2 hot dogs, and $1 for long shot bets (a Superfecta costs something like 5 cents and can pay $50).  I guess it’s a little seedy, but this is a perfect gift for a college roommate or a deadbeat boyfriend.

Part 2: More Free Gifts

A few months ago, I got pretty sick (like requiring a doctor sick).  Lacking proper insurance (like any good blogger should), I got stuck with the x-ray bills and the doctor fee.   As I sat there eating ramen with chopped up hot dogs and thinking about how to earn some extra dough (blogger wet t-shirt contest anybody?), it dawned on me that my girlfriend’s birthday was only a week away – and 4 days before payday. I needed to come up with a creative and thoughtful gift idea, and fast.  So I pulled out my pirated copy of Half Baked and skipped straight to the scene where Dave Chappelle takes Mary Jane on the date.  I had issues with taking money from homeless people, but I did appreciate his thriftiness, which gave me a few unique gift ideas:

Cheap Gift Idea #9: The Hand-Me-Down

This gift idea is very similar to the ReGift, except in this case, you just grab something off your shelf and wrap it up make it look new.  For most items (shoes, your old cell phone, the eggs that expired last week), it’s pretty obvious if you’re giving someone a hand-me-down.  However, there are a few cases in which you can convince someone that they’re receiving a brand new gift which you personally selected after hours of deliberation in Walmart.  Some ideas:

1. Unread Books. They might require a bit of dusting off, but as long as the cover isn’t faded or the spine wrinkled, you’re good to go.  Textbooks don’t count, college students.  Neither does The Scarlet Letter, high schoolers.
2. Unused Fancy Pens. I got a bunch of these from my great aunt when I was a kid, but I was never sure what to do with them.  They’re just pens, right?  Wrong.  Once you get into the business world, having an impressive pen can get you a long way – from starting a conversation with your boss to convincing people at work that you’re not lying when you tell them that you write books on calligraphy.  Actually, that’s a lie.  But it will be a nice way of explaining the thoughtful gift to the person you’re giving it to.
3. That Box of Chocolate That Your Old Girlfriend Gave You But You Were Too Sad to Eat When She Dumped You. Is that just me?
4. Leftover Arcade Tokens. “It’s hip it’s cool it’s Noah’s arcade.”   This would totally work for a younger brother who doesn’t understand the value of money yet.  I’m not sure what age they discover the value of money, but whenever it is, it is truly a black day for gift ideas.

More Questionable and Cheap Gift Ideas

Cheap Gift Idea #10: The Bouquet

This thoughtful gift will warm your wife or girlfriend’s heart and might pay dividends for you later.  Just make sure you step up your game and pick some serious flowers.  I’m no gardener, but I do know that 4 limp daisies won’t win her affection.  Think of cunning ways to find bigger game like tulips or roses, such as poaching from that cranky old lady’s garden down the street.  You could also try to lift a few flowers from a public garden (Seriously, who cares if you take flowers from a median?  Why do cities even plant flowers in medians?  Aren’t there better things to spend money on, like free flowers for every deadbeat boyfriend to give his girlfriend?)  In any case, the worst that could happen in either situation would be a cranky old lady berating you.   The thought of being verbally abused by a cranky old lady is pretty terrifying, actually, but I guarantee you’re faster than her.

Cheap Gift Idea #11: Shells

You can create some unique gifts out of shells.  For instance, you could make a necklace or bracelet of shells.  Or, you could put a bunch of shells in a jar with some flowers and call it art (for hippies only).  You could also make a Calder-like thing that hangs from the ceiling out of shells.  Whatever, be creative.  The best part about shells is, of course, they’re free!  If you live close to the ocean, ramble over to the beach on a Sunday with your sweetheart and go hunting for shells.

Cheap Gift Idea #12: The Song

For those of you overflowing with creativity, you could always write a song dedicated to a person.  Just describe them: Jenny, you have big brown eyes And weird yellow hair ties You knock my socks off With your artsy artist’s loft Please forgive me that I am a broke fool Maybe this song will make you think I’m not such a tool. I didn’t mean to run over your cat Even though he was a little brat Ahhhh Jenny. (Repeat until she tells you to stop) In case you're wondering, we're not together anymore.

Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas Part 1: Free Gifts

The stores are open, the Christmas sales are on, and you need Christmas gifts for your wife, husband, kids, dog or imaginary friends.  It would be easy to get them all the best gifts money can buy if it weren’t for one teeny little problem: you don’t have any money.  None.  You’re like Kanye West, “broker than Ethiopians just tryin to eat at last.” But before you start planning your rap career (“I COULD WRITE THAT **** AND GET DRUNK AT AWARDS SHOWS JUST GIMME THE CHANCE!”), you might consider one of the creative gift ideas I’ve presented for you below.  So whether you’re a broke hipster, student, clerk, teacher, or anyone else with less than a nickel in their pocket, I think you’ll find a great gift idea here to give your loved ones.

Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas #1: The Mixtape

Technically, you need a CD and a computer*, which cost money.  But I trust you can find a way to “borrow” a disc from a “friend” and use then use their computer for a few minutes.  The real trouble is what to put on the darn thing.  People are awfully particular about their musical tastes these days, but there are some tracks that are guaranteed to warm even the coldest soul’s black heart.  While I would recommend a few standards (Jingle Bell Rock, Run Rudolph Run, Skinny Puppy), try to mix in some of the songs that defined the year that was.  If you’re completely at a loss, head over to www.artofthemix.org, to get some ideas or just rip off a mixtape. *Unless, that is, you choose to make a tape cassette mix, which is a creative gift idea that's fatally flawed.  Tapes only appeal to a very small population of aging and nostalgic hipsters.  In order to make one of these bad boys, you would probably have to borrow a tape player from said aging hipster, which means you would have to hang out with said aging hipster and maybe listen to Brian Eno, which makes this option out of the question.

Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas #2: The Art Project.

WARNING: Once you turn 12, you can’t just scrawl a few stick figures on a page and say “This is me and this is you and you are bigger because you’re Mommy and I just pooped.”  If you’re a kid, though, your parents absolutely love everything you draw.  “He’s the next Pixar animator” they’ll coo at your misshapen elephants and hapless transformers.  So never fear!  Break out the colored pencils and get to scribbling!   By the way, if you don’t have any art supplies, just borrow them from your teacher.  Not only does this save money, but it will also probably raise your grades by at least one grade level.  See, teachers love to feel like they “have an impact on your life.”  Trust me on this one — I’ve fallen for this stunt at least once before. If you’re a little older (a teenager, say) you can still get away with an art project gift, but you’ve just got to put more effort into it (In case you were wondering, “effort” doesn’t mean stealing a painting from your friend’s house, Spicoli).  Lucky for you, many art projects don’t really require a ton of artistic skill.  Check out this post for more info…

Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas #3: Bake!

A batch of Christmas cookies makes a great gift idea.  NOTE: If you have to use the kitchen and baking supplies of the person you’re giving the cookies to, then you should probably reconsider (unless they participate, in which case you’re sisters, right?).  Nothing says I love you like a giant mess and an oven fire.

Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas #4: The I.O.U.

Using your family members like credit cards is generally not advisable, but exceptions can be made. You’re walking a thin line between looking broke and looking heartless.  Also, kids generally don’t understand IOU’s (Can you imagine?  “This is my gift!  A piece of paper!  Waaaa!”).  Still, here are some possible IOU’s which could turn out to be just the cool gift idea you're looking for:

1. • A back massage
   • A foot massage
   • Hard labor – painting the house or planting a garden (No, taking out the trash doesn’t count)
   • A trip to the zoo/beach/mountains (anywhere that doesn’t require tickets!).  This one’s a bit sad, but your time is money (and you have none)!
   • Dinner at a restaurant that you have coupons for
   • Sexual favors

Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas #5: The ReGift

Basically, when you regift something, you’re giving away a gift someone gave you that you didn’t like.  Regifting is a dangerous move, as evidenced in Old School when Will Ferrell gives Luke Wilson the bread maker that Wilson got for him (then Ferrell tries to give it to a kid later in the movie).  It’s hilarious, but it’s a movie.  Of course, regifting is perfectly acceptable as long as nobody finds out, so just make sure it doesn’t slip after one too many eggnogs.

Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas #6: Stray cats or dogs

Just make sure the person actually wants an animal.  Can you imagine how awkward it would be if they didn’t?  I think this was an episode of Who’s the Boss.  Also, it goes without saying that the animal should not have rabies.

Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas #7: Mistletoe

If both you and your spouse have had down years, then mistletoe is the most romantic gift in the world.   Like the Beatles said, All you Need is Love, right?  Of course, your wife might not see it that way… More Free Gift Ideas here…