Holiday shopping can be stressful, particularly if you’re shopping for the person who has everything or people who don’t make their preferences known. Picking the right gift for teens and students can be especially hard, because they may have all the latest tech gadgets or are too busy to make a wish list. This handy guide will help you find a perfect gift for any student or recent grad on your list, whether you’re on a budget or able to splurge.*
Gifts for the Student Who Has Everything
The gift ideas below are great for the student who already seems to have everything they want and need. No matter what their preferences or lifestyle, you can be sure they’ll appreciate one of these items.
HARDCOVER 2023 Planner
This 14 month planner is great for any student, with a bonus matching bookmark and sticky note set. It has monthly and weekly pages, plus a notes section. It’s the ideal planner for students who like organization. Pair it with a set of colored planner pens for an extra special gift.
Wake Up Light Sunrise Alarm Clock
The Wake Up Light Sunrise Alarm digital alarm clock is designed for everyone, especially heavy sleepers. It features sunrise and sunset simulation light with 7 natural sounds. The clock includes snooze function, FM radio and dual alarm. It also serves as a bedside lamp, night light and reading lamp with seven light colors and 20 brightness settings.
Hamilton Beach Shakes and Smoothies with BPA-Free Personal Blender, 14 oz
The Hamilton Beach personal blender allows users to blend fruit smoothies, shakes and your favorite icy drinks right in the 14 oz. BPA-free travel jar, then grab it and go. The blender jar comes with a travel lid to double as a go-cup. It’s portable, lightweight and fits most car cup holders. Even if the college student on your list already has a blender, it’s likely they’ll find this on-the-go blender/travel jar combination handy.
Nordik Leather Desk Mat Cable Organizer
A desk mat doesn’t sound like an exciting gift. But the Nordik leather desk mat has features that set it apart from others. Not only does it come packaged in a giftable tube that’s great for portability, but it’s also made of premium vegan leather with a non-slip suede base. It’s waterproof for easy cleanup and has a cable organizer to keep cords under control.
Fujifilm Instax Mini 11 Camera
Give the gift of creativity and making memories with the Fujifilm Instax Mini camera. The gift kit also includes 60 sheets of mini film, carrying case, photo album, selfie lens, microfiber cleaning cloth and 60 colorful stickers. It comes in a range of colors including sky blue, blush pink, lilac purple, and ice white.
Budget-Friendly Gift Ideas
If you’re on a budget, the following presents will make the recipient happy without emptying your bank account. From useful to fun, we have a list of affordable but quality gift ideas.
Owala FreeSip Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle
Staying hydrated is crucial, especially when trekking across campus all day or participating in sports. No matter who you’re shopping for, the Owala insulated water bottle will come in handy, with it’s built-in straw and push-button lid with lock. A double wall insulation keeps drinks cold up to 24 hours and the carry loop doubles as a lock. Choose from a wide variety of colors and three sizes. The bottle is BPA and phthalate free and comes in at under $30.
Adjustable Cell Phone Stand
The OMOTON C2 Aluminum Desktop Phone Holder Dock is compatible with a variety of cellphones including IPhone and Android. The stand rotates 270 degrees and the holder can be positioned horizontally or vertically to meet your viewing demands. It’s also designed to accommodate phones with heavy cases and is equipped with larger silicone pads to protect your device from slipping or scratching. At less than $20, it’s one of the most affordable and useful gift ideas.
Anxiety Relief Adult Coloring Book
Coloring helps focus one’s attention on the act of creating instead of anxious thoughts. This anxiety relief adult coloring book features over 100 pages of beautiful and magical scenes. And at less than $10, it’s a great bargain gift idea for a stressed college student.
Bedsure Sherpa Fleece Throw Blanket for Couch
The Bedsure fleece throw blanket looks and feels much more expensive than it is, making it a great budget-friendly present for everyone on your list. It comes in four different sizes and large range of colors. The unique reversible design offers a soft fleece face and plush sherpa reverse. It’s lightweight, wrinkle resistant and stain resistant, making it ideal for dorms and apartments.
Burt’s Bees Holiday Gift, 5 Stocking Stuffer Products, Everyday Essentials Set
This stocking stuffer gift set contains useful items for dry winter months, including hand salve and body lotion. You can choose to give it as an entire set or give individual items as stocking stuffers. The set is less than $10, so you can buy several and check off several names on your list without spending a lot.
Tech Gifts for Everyone on Your List
Whether you’re looking for a stocking stuffer or a major gift, these devices will make students and others on your holiday list happy.
Fire HD 8 tablet
The Fire HD 8 offers 8″ HD display and 2 GB RAM. Choose from 32GB or 64GB. The new design is thinner and lighter than previous generations and the screen is made with strengthened aluminosilicate glass. As measured in tumble tests, the Fire HD 8 is twice as durable as Apple iPad mini (2021). Other features include:
- Enhanced performance – Updated hexa-core processor for more responsive performance (up to 30% faster than previous gen Fire HD 8).
- All day battery life – Up to 13 hours of reading, browsing the web, watching videos, and listening to music at home and on-the-go.
- Stream or download your favorite shows and movies from Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, and HBO.
The Fire HD 8 Tablet also works with Alexa. You can ask Alexa to make video calls to friends and family, download apps, listen to music, get news and weather, update shopping lists, access compatible smart home devices and set reminders.
Beats Studio Buds
Wireless earbuds are a must-have for any music lover. Beast Studio Buds are compatible with Apple and Android devices and offer up to 8 hours of listening time (up to 24 hours combined with pocket-sized charging case). They offer high quality call performance and voice assistance thanks to built-in microphones. Control sound with two distinct listening modes: Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) and Transparency mode. Three soft ear tip sizes ensure comfortable fit and optimal acoustic seal. Finally, the IPX4-rated earbuds are sweat and water resistant.
All-New Echo Dot (5th Gen, 2022 release) with clock
With the new Echo Dot, enjoy an improved audio experience with Alexa for clearer vocals, deeper bass and vibrant sound in any room. The improved LED display shows you the time, alarms, weather, song titles and more. Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth. Ask Alexa to show you the weather, set hands-free timers, answer questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes of sleep? Just tap the Echo Dot with clock to snooze your alarm. The device also allows for smart home device control with voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. And at less than $100, it’s amazing bargain for the tech-savvy student on your list.
Apple AirTag
An AirTag is essential for anyone with Apple devices who needs help keeping track of their stuff. Find your items alongside friends and devices in the Find My app. A quick one-tap setup instantly connects AirTag with your iPhone or iPad. Play a sound on the built-in speaker to help find your things, or just ask Siri for help.
Blink Mini – Compact indoor plug-in smart security camera
Home security systems can be pricey, but the Blink Mini indoor security camera is an affordable way to monitor the inside of your home day and night. The 1080P HD indoor plug-in smart security camera features motion detection and two-way audio. Get alerts on your smartphone whenever motion is detected or customize motion detection zones. The Blink Mini works with Alexa so that you can pair it with a supported Alexa-enabled device to engage live view, arm and disarm your camera, and more using your voice. The subscription plan is only $3 a month per camera and allows users to record, view and save events in the Blink App.
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