As a high school student, it is difficult to manage money, especially around the holiday season. We are officially past the stage in our lives where we can write our friends and family a heartfelt note and attach a seasonal appropriate candy to it. We have to dig a little deeper.
DIY (do-it-yourself) gifts are the best idea because they are cheap to make, and they hold way more meaning as opposed to getting someone a gift card. It shows the recipient that you put thought and love into the gift.
“I would prefer to buy my family gifts sometimes because they would probably not like what I make them,” says sophomore Jenn Horn.
But if you are trying not to bruise your wallet, here are some DIY gift ideas for everyone in you family for under $25!
Parents: You might think that you should spend the most money on your parents because they have done everything for you for most of your life. However, parents love homemade gifts and some even prefer that you don’t spend as much money for their gift. This inexpensive, creative gift will not take much time and won’t break your bank:
52 Reasons Why I Love You: Get a hold of a deck of cards and cover the printed side with paper. Hole punch your cards to put rings through them, and then just write 52 reasons why you love your Mom or Dad!
Candy Cane Sugar Scrub: This is more of a mom gift. It is perfect for her to add some moisture and soften up her winter-dry skin, and it is also a great way to relax during the crazy holiday season. I like this idea mostly because it ends up looking really cute! To make this you will need;
Two cups of white granulated sugar
1/3 cup of almond oil (add the oil slowly until you have a consistency that is not too soft and not too oily)
A few drops of peppermint oil
After mixing all the ingredients, separate it into two bowls and add red food dye to one of them. Now get your container and add the red layer. After flattening it out on the bottom, add a white layer and continue this process until the top.
Siblings: Siblings can be the easiest yet hardest people to shop for. You spend a lot of time with them, and you think you know them inside and out, until it is time to get them a gift. My go-to Christmas gifts for siblings are custom made t-shirts. They are extremely funny and cheap to make. What you will need is:
Transfer paper
Plain T-shirt
Computer
Printer
First, make your design on the computer and then print it onto your transfer paper. After it prints, iron your transfer paper onto the T-shirt and voila!
“I would usually get my brother a gift of something he enjoyed like a ‘Call of Duty’ t-shirt, but I would totally use this idea,” says sophomore Lornelle Mendoza.
Grandparents: This is also another hard category to shop for. However, keep in mind that your grandparents will ALWAYS appreciate what you get them. If you’re stumped on what to get them, try the following:
Glitter ornaments: Glitter ornaments are something your teacher made you do in kindergarten to give to your parents and we are bringing them back because, honestly, they were so cute! To make these, you will need:
Glass/plastic ornament balls
Fine glitter
Glitter adhesive (I recommend Glitter-it!)
First, pour a small amount of glue inside the ornament and lightly swirl the glue around to cover the entire area inside. Pour excess glue out of the ornament ball back into bottle, (or into another ornament ball) and allow glue to dry for about a minute. Then pour glitter into the ornament and swirl around until it’s fully covered. Get rid of the excess glitter and allow it to dry for a few hours or overnight before adding the cap.
Friends: Giving gifts to your friends is probably the best thing ever because you know them so well that you know exactly what to get them. However, if you do not know what to get for your friends, take this idea into consideration! It applies to boys and girls.
Gifts in a jar: Mason jars are super in this season, so just buy a large one from a dollar store and put whatever you want in it. They are the perfect personal and creative gifts you can give to a friend. I like to give these jars a theme sometimes.
For example, if you have that one friend that loves to bake, fill the jar with cute baking supplies. For the makeup guru in your life, fill the jar with sample makeup products. Just let your imagination run wild and try to make your jar as personal and punny as can be.
Hopefully these ideas will prevent you from emptying your wallet this holiday season.
Which of these gifts will you be giving your family this Christmas?