–klilly2@my.apsu.edu
With the holiday season in full swing, gift-giving has become, once again, a monster looming on the horizon.
A college student’s life is already stressful enough around this time of year with the end of the semester approaching, in addition to extracurricular obligations, work and studying.
To help ease the stress of picking that “perfect” gift for a friend, loved one or that “someone special,” we at The All State have amassed a list of gifts that will be sure to please any personality type.
Fraternity Brother/Sorority Sister – Guys or girls who attend every function their fraternity or sorority holds always have their brothers or sisters over at the apartment or house. A great gift for this kind of person would be a hat or jacket with their Greek letters embroidered on it.
Hats are cheaper and can be acquired at Lids in Governor’s Square Mall, and the shop does offer embroidering services. A custom embroidered hat for your brother or sister would run about $23 plus sales tax.
Jackets are nicer, but also pricier. A nice jacket/hoodie with embroidered letters will cost from $40 to $200 depending on the style.
Hipster – A hipster is defined as “a subculture of men and women typically in their 20s and 30s that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence and witty banter” according to urbandictionary.com.
We know who they are, and so do they, and they let you know it.
Gifts recommended for hipsters, by hipsters, have been clothes from Goodwill on Fort Campbell Boulevard and Madison Street, which are cheap and in good condition ($4.99- $7.99; less if you catch it during a sale).
Another low-cost option recommended is “The Casual Vacancy” by J.K. Rowling, author of the best-selling Harry Potter series.
The book runs $17.50 plus shipping costs and taxes on Amazon.com.
Gamer – Gamers play games, they wear gaming shirts, pins and have backpacks depicting their favorite characters. The things to get for gamers are games or gaming accessories.
The multiple Gamestop stores in town are perfect shops to find deals on new and used games.
Used games, depending on how new and rare they are, can run from as cheap as a couple of dollars to $59.99.
For the “retro” gamer, the Play N Trade on Madison Street is a better option, with stock that ranges from the ancient Atari 2600 up to the new stuff, as well as merchandise like T-shirts and pins.
Prices range from a few dollars up into the hundreds for the latest and greatest in gaming gear.
Artist – They tend to linger inside the Trahern building and come in all types, including sketchers, sculptors and general art majors.
Anything that would assist the artist in mitigating costs on class supplies is great.
Suggestions include leather-bound sketchbooks, which, depending on quality and detail included on the leather, can range from $25 to $75.
A cheaper gift idea is a set of quality colored pencils, which go about as cheap as $5.00 for a basic set, all the way up to $129.99 for a large tin of 150 colored pencils.
Hobby Lobby on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard has these and a large assortment of other ideas for the artist on your list this season.
If your friend or loved one doesn’t fall into one of these four categories, don’t fret.
While advice can help sometimes, you know your friends better than we do, and you can always just ask what they’d like as a gift for the holidays.
Remember, it’s the thought that counts, not how much money you spend.
