Student Xmas Gift Guide

A few ideas for Christmas presents which won’t break the bank.

christmas christmas presents student christmas

Once again, Christmas time is looming scarily close on the horizon and if the thoughts of Christmas shopping are making you feel a little more ‘o’ holy crap’ than ‘o’ holy night’ then panic not!

Take a few deep breaths and step into my student gift grotto, with all ideas under a tenner. Sorted.

 

Ideas for Girls

Homemade Limoncello:

This is a great gift idea as you can get a few presents out of this to hand out to your nearest and dearest – empty glass bottles can be either recycled from ones you already have or can be bought from TK Maxx really cheaply.

You’ll need:

  • 1 Litre Vodka
  • 12 Lemons
  • 2 Cups sugar

Juice the lemons and either discard the juice or use for something else. Cut up the skin and place in a large bowl and add the sugar.

With a potato masher, press very firmly down to release the lemon oil into the sugar, do this for about 5 minutes. Add the vodka and stir well.

Store in the fridge overnight. Strain the limoncello and decant into smaller bottles. Tie on a gift tag for a personal touch.

 

Bailey’s hot chocolate kit

In a clip-lock jar, (again, these can be bought at TK maxx for pretty cheap) half fill with hot choc powder and cover the rest in mini-marshmallows.

Tie a mini Bailey’s bottle to the side.

Cookie making kit

A similar idea to the hot chocolate – Fill a large jar with all of the dry ingredients of your favourite cookie recipe (choc chip, smarties, oats etc). Decorate as you will, attach a gift tag with instructions and any extra ingredients they will need (normally just butter/oil/egg/water), tie a cookie cutter on the side if you are feeling extra generous.

 

 

Homemade sugar scrub

In a bowl, mix 250g granulated sugar with 2 tbsp essential oil (of whatever scent you like – most home baking departments in supermarkets will be well stocked in most flavours) and a drop of its corresponding colour (e.g. purple – lavender, orange – orange…obviously.., pink – peppermint candy cane).

Sprinkle one layer of sea salt, then a layer of sugar, and repeat until full. Write instructions on an attached gift tag/label.

 

Nail varnish stocking filler

I think the picture explains all. So sweet.

 

Ideas for your other halves

A Thoughtful picture

Get the lyrics from ‘your song’ on a piece of paper, cut into the shape of the tree and hang your initials from a branch in hearts. Warning: not one for booty callers.

Mistletoe

SO simple but sure to put a huge smile on their face (let’s just hope Bieber didn’t ruin it too much for you).

Just a bunch of mistletoe with a tag attached reading “It’s Christmas time so you should know we keep the tradition of mistletoe….”

 

 

Rudolph Beer

Let’s be honest girls, buying a six pack of bud is as good-a pressie as any for our boys, so put a bit of extra thought and love in like in this cute picture.

 

 

Ideas for the family

Get one of your favourite childhood photos of you as a kid with your sibling or parents and recreate it as accurately as you can.

Alternatively blow up a life sized childhood photo, cut exactly in half and cover half of your face with it and take a new photo. Parents and grandparents alike will love this!

 

Family Christmas Decorations

Simply get around 10 pictures printed in black and white (snapfish.com usually have some sort of crazy cheap deal on), get two copies of each and stick back to back. Get some clear glass baubles (again, these are dirt cheap and can be found everywhere), cut to shape, and insert.

 

 

And there you have it, Christmas sorted. Now go drink some mulled wine.