It's that time of year again when the stresses of gift giving (and receiving) come around. With finals season approaching, and so many other things happening in our lives, it's important that we don't get caught up worrying about these small things. Of course, giving someone the perfect gift is an amazing gesture, but it's also important to realize that it's truly the thought that counts (as cliche as that sounds). At the end of the day, your friends and loved ones will still appreciate that.

Here are some funny experiences from college students that I hope will make you laugh this finals season.

1. "My roommate's Secret Santa had gotten him a mug with pictures of me on it"

"My class was doing Secret Santa. When it was my roommate's turn to open his gift from his Secret Santa, it was a mug WITH PICTURES OF ME ON IT. My roommate's Secret Santa had gotten him a mug with pictures of me on it for his gift. I was very confused. However, my roommate continued to use and drink out of that mug for the rest of the year."

- Simon, 22

Confusion: There are times in college when people become so desperate to find gifts for each other that sometimes you just don't understand how they came up with these gift ideas. When this scenario does happen, just roll with it.

2. "I planned to leave early so that I didn't have to buy a gift"

"My fellowship had a Christmas party with a white elephant exchange but I planned to leave early so that I didn't have to buy a gift."

- Esther, 20

Panic: You check your bank account and question whether you can even afford to buy dinner for another week. Of course, all your money went to buying clickers and textbooks this semester. Best thing to do? Leave early and avoid gift exchanges at all costs.

3. "It was three months into the school year, and my Secret Santa didn't know who I was"

"Freshman year, my class had a Secret Santa exchange. There was one guy who lived in the same dorm building as me, and we had even interacted together a couple of times. On the day when we were supposed to exchange gifts, he went up to me, handed me a gift and said, 'Here, Elizabeth.' I stood there in shock, and everyone else was speechless, including the real Elizabeth. It was three months into the school year, and my Secret Santa didn't know who I was... My name's Amanda."

- Amanda, 21

Surprise: It really do be like that sometimes. What more can you say?

4. "There was this time when I impulse bought a Patagonia fleece"

"There was this time when I impulse bought a Patagonia fleece, but then I accidentally put two in my shopping cart and didn't notice until the email confirmation came out. For some reason, I thought they never got delivered so I called the company and they sent me another and refunded me for the one I didn't mean to buy. In the end, I got three Patagonias for the price of one. Oh. But that's not a gift for anyone. It was a gift for myself. This is just a small depiction of how much of a mess my life is."

- Liz, 20

Selfishness: With the stresses of college and finals season in general, it's important to treat not only your friends but yourself too (even if that does mean 3 Patagonias).

5. "I was legit the only dude amidst a sea of middle-aged ladies"

"So I was at Marshalls/Home Goods today and I was legit the only dude amidst a sea of middle-aged ladies. Since I was shopping in the ladies section for my friend, I got so many weird looks like "Boi, this is our turf. What do you think you're doing here???"

- Thomas, 19

Desperation: Sometimes when you're ballin' on a budget, sacrifices need to be made. If you're planning on saving money, go to more affordable stores like Marshalls or TJMaxx. Unfortunately, this is where the middle-aged ladies tend to gravitate to for their holiday shopping as well. Trust me, those deals are worth it though.

6. "I knew it was gonna be a mob pit on Christmas week, but I didn't care"

"I was shopping for this video game for my cousin that I knew he wanted for Christmas. There was one piece left at this discount store and I knew it was gonna be a mob pit on Christmas week, but I didn't care. I went in ready to storm the place and found the game. But when I found it, this lil scrawny kid was like, 'I saw it first' and snatched it out of my hand. I really didn't care about what he had to say and I was even ready to throw hands for it when my friend who was with me asked the security guard to handle the matter. He looked through the tapes of the camera and saw that I had the game first. He rightfully took the game out of the person's hand, handed it to me and told the girl 'That's not the holiday spirit and Santa doesn't like bad girls.' I just smirked and told the girl to suck it and walked away."

- Karishma, 21

Avoidance: If we're being honest, everyone tends to wait until the last minute to start their holiday shopping. Sometimes, people get lucky and their shopping ends up being more stress-free than they expected. Others aren't so lucky.

7. "Old Navy's $2 socks are the way to go when you have $50 to your name"

"I'd never experienced the horrors of Black Friday shopping until I became a broke college student. Those Bath & Body Works 'buy three get three' deals and Old Navy's $2 socks are the way to go when you have $50 to your name. So if you're a broke college student looking for Christmas gifts for your friends, Black Friday deals become your best friend."

- Mattison, 19

Exhaustion: It may be tiring to participate in, but Black Friday is the best time to score the most affordable deals. If you only have $50 to your name, you really can't be complaining.

8. "Every year during Christmas, there's never anything for me under the tree from my sister"

"Every year, my sister asks me for my Christmas wish list and I get so excited. But every year when Christmas comes, there's never anything for me under the tree from her in the end."

- Michael, 19

Disappointment: Not everything on our wish lists can be fulfilled all the time. Sometimes, we do get disappointed, but that's okay. Just keep telling yourself there's always next year.

9. "Nice things can hide in the humblest of containers"

"It was a frigid winter's day but I was in a very nice lounge, protected from the harsh weather outside. My class was doing Secret Santa. My gift was in a little gift bag with some tissue paper covering it. 'Not bad,' I thought, 'Nice things can hide in the humblest of containers.'

"I slowly pulled out my gift and my eyes were like bowling balls when I saw the letters 'SUPREME.' Did my Secret Santa fulfill my inner hypebeast dreams??? Sadly, he did not.

"I pulled out the rest of the shirt and saw the 'too broke for' in front of the box logo. My heart was crushed, and a few tears may have slipped out of my eyes. My world was turned upside down. However, I couldn't show my disappointment. I couldn't seem ungrateful even though my Secret Santa purposefully and maliciously toyed with my fragile emotions.

"'Hahaha, wow, that's so funny do you like it???' My friends asked. 'lol yeah.' I pretended but I was dead on the inside.

"I walked around with a dark cloud over my head for the rest of the month and vowed never to participate in a Secret Santa again."

- Eddison, 19

Denial: It's sometimes easier to pretend to be satisfied with a gift than hurting the gift giver's feelings. Like I said, it's the thought that counts.

10. "Thoughtfulness is the best gift of all"

"Getting the perfect gifts for friends and family in my life can be difficult, especially on a budget. It's stressful because I want to give an important person something that represents just how important he or she is to me, but it can definitely be hard when you're a broke college student. At the end of the day, I think thoughtfulness is the best gift of all."

- Caitlyn, 19

Satisfaction: Regardless of all the previous jokes made, the fact that you took the time out of your day to think about a certain individual and get something special for him/her is one of the most heartwarming feelings in the world. Be satisfied with the fact that you tried at least, and hopefully the person on the receiving end will appreciate it too.