Struggling to answer the dreaded question from grandma, “What do you want for Christmas?” or tired of always saying “I don’t know what I want?” Let’s face it, most of us love ripping open wrapping paper on Christmas morning and getting gifts. However, now that we’re in college, it’s hard to figure out just what we want. Of course, there are many necessities like food and laundry supplies, but you can buy those things any other time of the year. Now’s the time to get things you actually want. Although this may sound easy, sometimes it’s hard to figure out what you want or what to get someone. To help you out, I’m going to give you the sleighs and neighs of Christmas shopping for college students.

SLEIGH: Fast food gift cards are an amazing gift. As college students, we obviously don’t always have a lot of time on our hands to make food. Furthermore, eating out all the time is very costly; therefore, these will help us save money. Some fast-food restaurants around Storm Lake are McDonalds, Dairy Queen, Subway, Jimmy Johns, Arby’s, and Hardees. However, if you want to support locally owned restaurants, a few around Storm Lake are Plaza Mexico, Grand Central, Smokin’ Herford BBQ, and La Juanita’s. 

NEIGH: Do not get a college student a printer. Along with most other colleges, BVU has printers that students can use for free, so they don’t need a printer. In addition, printers can be difficult to find a place for in a dorm room.  

SLEIGH: Outlet extenders are a great gift. Sometimes after a long day, we need to charge more than one device at a time but don’t have enough plug-ins to do so. 

NEIGH: Do not get your college student self-help books. If Aunt Jennie gives you a book about organization or time management, what is she saying about her observations about you? While you may think this will help, it probably won’t because one, they probably won’t end up reading it, and two, college is a place where young adults learn how to live on their own. They don’t want someone trying to teach them how to live a certain way when the whole point of the college experience is to become independent.

SLEIGH: When we were younger, we hated getting socks for Christmas, but now I’d love to get socks. Socks are always taken from the laundry room because sometimes they are dropped by accident, or people often take your clothes out of the washer/dryer, put them on the folding table, and then who knows where they go from there. 

NEIGH: If BVU and most other universities didn’t ban them in most living spaces, candles would be a good gift. So, unless you want to get a call that the dorm building burned down because your college student forgot to blow out a candle, I advise you don’t get this gift.  

SLEIGH: Polaroids have become a hot item in recent years. Most people love taking pictures and polaroids print instantly which is just fun.  Additionally, they also help you capture all the amazing memories you will make in college.

After reading through this list, you should be all set to sleigh your holiday shopping this season. Oh, and don’t forget, if all else fails, every college student loves cash. Best of luck shopping and have a very Merry Christmas this year!