The day after Thanksgiving is usually a day that people associate with excitement and stress. Black Friday is the mark of the beginning of the gift buying season that most people dread.

All year long people spend time with their friends and family getting closer to them, getting to know who they are, what they like, what they don’t like, but by the time holiday shopping season rolls around, they are stumped.

Finding gifts can be especially hard for students who don’t have an abundance of money to spend. Homemade gifts are a great option for students who want to give a special gift to their friends and family, but can’t afford the extravagant gifts that their loved ones deserve.

Homemade gifts are almost always less expensive and can often times mean more to a recipient when the gift is coming from the giver themselves instead of from a store or company.

A specialized gift can be hard to think of, however; if a student wants to give a really meaningful gift, the best option may be to go homemade. If students feel like they are stuck and can’t think of any ideas, sites such as Pinterest could offer a lot of help.

Just by simply typing in “Homemade Gift Ideas” into a search engine could give students thousands of examples to go off of.

Homemade gifts are special because they are unique, and they can be fun to make. The recent obsession with DIY projects also has led to people wanting to go homemade.

A great idea for someone who is stuck looking for the right gift could be a scrapbook filled with their favorite memories. Instead of giving a gift that will just end up collecting dust in the back of a closet, give a gift that will remind the person of you and the memories that the gift holds.

Another great idea for people struggling with a gift idea is making the gift an experience instead of making it materialistic. Going on a trip, or going to do something fun with the person may be a much better option than a Starbucks gift card or scented candle.

Surprising a friend with a all day Christmas movie marathon , or going out to spend the day with each other may mean way more to a friend.

Being able to use household items such as mason jars to make a cool lantern, or using pictures to create a DIY picture frame, or homemade ornaments are presents that people can use forever. For teens especially, some recent trends are making homemade bath bombs, or decorating coffee mugs have also shown popularity.

For students who don’t feel they are creative enough to take on a DIY project, the option of going out and getting candy for a candy bouquet could never go wrong.  

The holiday season should be a time of spending time with loved ones, and not stressing out about how much to spend on them.

Even though a homemade gift is a way to avoid the stress of giving someone a  common, nonspecific present, a homemade gift is not just an excuse to throw together something cheap, wrap it in some wrapping paper and call it a day. The gift should still have a special quality that makes it unique, and shows the person how much they are cared for.

Avoid the terrible last minute mall run for a gift that will inevitably end up being re-gifted, and go homemade this year.

Ideas for teens who need help finding gifts:

http://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/2016/10/21/20-cheap-awesome-diy-gifts.html

https://homesteading.com/diy-christmas-gifts-teens/

http://tipjunkie.com/holiday-craft/christmas/diy-tween-and-teen-gifts/