As college students, we don't always realize that there are amazing ways to purchase our friends and family gifts that they actually want without breaking the bank. While it's not easy to do this, it is pretty simple if you do your Christmas shopping earlier than December 23rd (which, let's be honest, happens more than we'd all like to admit). Here are some guidelines to follow to drop the stress of the Christmas shopping:
1. Shop Online
I know this one is hard, but it's the most important. If you're online shopping, whether it be Amazon or a store's website, it makes it a hell of a lot easier to stop yourself from buying unnecessary, overpriced crap that you only want because you passed by it. This way, you're typing exactly what weird shirt your little brother mentioned he wanted from his favorite store and you aren't tempted by the $99 pair of boots you kind-of wanted once. While you may be missing out on the little fun of shopping at the mall during the holidays, this way is just safer. Believe me. (Disclaimer: if you wait to do this one until the last week of December, no one is getting their gifts on time).
2. Find Out Exactly What Your Secret Santa Wants
Discretely, of course, but try... and I mean try hard. The problem with Secret Santa is that no matter how close you are with the person who's name you've pulled from a hat, there's always a dilemma deciding what to get them. Contact their mom, sister, best friend... whoever! Because if you know what they want, it stops you from buying four different items that they'll never touch. Find out what they'll love, and they will forever be happy that you didn't get them something generic.
3. Remember That It's the Thought That Counts
No matter how cheesy this sounds, it has been and always will be true. Anyone, and I mean literally anyone, would rather have a well thought out and effort filled home-made picture frame with a great memory inside over that $32 candle from Bath&Body Works that smells like gingerbread. Let's be honest, they probably bought that candle for themselves already, so get them something that's sentimental. It works every time.
