Christmas Presents for College Students

A stereotypical college student is characterized by the following traits: broke, hungry, and prone to wearing dirty clothes because mom and dad never made them learn to do the laundry. All three of these characteristics, broke, hungry and dirty, make them an easy demographic to do holiday shopping for.

Baskets
Non-perishables baskets- Both students who live in a dorm and students who live off campus can never have enough Thai Kitchen noodle bowls, microwavable soups, boxes of Easy Mac, or instant mircowaveable rice packets. Load up a large canvas grocery bag, a big holiday basket, or even a large box, with all the non-perishable or microwaveable staples. Don't forget the peanut butter and jelly!

Home-made treats- Does the idea of eating meals out of the above basket on a daily basis make you loose your appetite? Take pity on students who eat this steady stream of processed carbs and powdered American cheese and give them something they haven't had all semester- home cookin'. Some items may not last them for from Christmas until they head back to school, so consider giving this as a New Year's holiday gift. Or send them home with home-made goodies that can be frozen until they leave, like fresh fruit smoothies, vegetable soup and, don't forget, cookie dough. Who says you can't use a toaster oven to whip up a fresh batch of mom's chocolate chunk cookies.

Laundry basket- Sure, students are a bit lax when it comes to taking care of laundry. Partially, it can be blamed on mom not being around to do it for them. But another obstacle is the hassle it takes to lug laundry down to a Laundromat, dig up correct change from under the couch cushions, and sit around the mat waiting for the loads to finish. It just makes laundry unpleasant. Plus, the cost of detergent and fabric softener can be a deterrent. To encourage cleanliness, try giving the student on your shopping list a holiday laundry basket filled with laundry essentials. A plastic or woven basket can be filled with detergents and fabric softeners, bleach or bleach pens, stain remover sprays, and rolls and rolls of quarters. That takes care of everything but the sheer boredom of waiting for laundry. Perhaps another nice friend or relative will take care of this by gifting a video iPod.

Small appliances:
George Foreman Grill- Students who are afraid to use their stoves, or who don't have one will enjoy using the George Forman Grill to cook low-fat chicken and burgers. These counter-top appliances are small enough for storage in a dorm or efficiency apartment.

Panini Press- What's easier for a student to make than a sandwich? A couple of slices of bread some cheese, lettuce, tomato slices… it's a well-balanced meal with no cooking required, and all of the necessary ingredients are affordably priced. Encourage students to spice up their cheese and tuna sandwiches with a Panini press or sandwich grill. These appliances sit on the counter top, plug into the wall and heat up in a matter of minutes. When the press is hot and ready, put, place the fully assembled sandwich on the press and close the lid. Wait for the light to indicate that the sandwich is ready, lift the lid, remove the sandwich and eat. It's that simple.

Gift cards
Grocery store gift card- Not sure what kind of diet your little undergrad will experiment with next semester? Or maybe you just want to make sure he or she has the money to eat something besides PB and J's should they choose. A gift certificate in any amount at a grocery store located near the student's university or home is a good gift for a student. Or, to make sure the student is cared for in all aspects, not just hunger, give a Target gift card in any amount, where he or she can grab all the essentials, food, clothes, furniture and school supplies.

Starbucks- Where there's a college or university, there's a Starbucks. Let's face it, where there's a population over 20, there's a Starbucks. Late night cram sessions make caffeinated drink a must. Why choose a Starbucks card over any other coffee gift card? Starbucks offers a program where the card purchaser can automatically "re-load" the card monthly with the amount of money you choose, making year-round giving easy. Like magic, the student will find the card's life extended in January.