Holiday Gift Ideas for College Students

If you're still stumped on what to get your student for the holidays, here are a few suggestions!

• Titanium Spork. I think the name speaks for itself. Enjoy the description from the ThinkGeek website: "Imagine how much more food you could shovel in at your local buffet if you didn't have to worry about the strain of picking up a heavy fork or spoon. Your food consumption can become the stuff of legends. Even just holding the Titanium Spork in your hand, you can feel its power. It is perhaps the greatest gastronomic invention since lickable wallpaper. Hunger, beware - your end is near!" The Titanium Spork is available at REI: http://www.rei.com/product/660002.
• Slanket. It's the blanket with sleeves! Perfect for staying warm and getting stuff done. Check out the website: http://www.theslanket.com/. For a similar product, try the 3 in 1 Softie Wrap/Throw: http://www.amazon.com/Pike-Street-Softie-Wrap-Throw/dp/B001A3RI2E/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1229630494&sr=8-1
• Fast Food / Restaurant Gift Certificates. Choose several varieties of gift cards with enough money on them for one or two meals. This may not sound like a glamorous gift, but it will be appreciated later when the college student gets the munchies while studying for a term paper. There are several eatieries within walking distance of Webster University: McDonalds, Racanelli's, Imo's, Einstein's Bagels, Stratton's Cafe, and Starbucks. There are many others a short drive away: St. Louis Bread Company, SanSai Japanese Grill, Arby's, Taco Bell / Pizza Hut, Steak n' Shake, and Chipotle.
• MP3 Shower Radio. Encourage your student's vocal potential! An MP3 shower radio with a fog-free mirror is actually a contraption into which you can insert your MP3 player. A water resistant compartment is located in the middle, and there you can plug in your iPod or NANO. It also has AM/FM radio. Here's one option for $19.99 from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/CTA-Digital-Shower-Speaker-Players/dp/B0010OGW84/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1229622087&sr=8-1
• Personalized Laundry Bag. Convenient yet whimsical. At Personal Creations, you can get a 19" x 13" bag that says, "Another Day and ______ will be naked" (personalized with your student's name). Get it for $14.95 here: http://www.personalcreations.com/shop/product.asp?product_code=4637&world_code=1&search_type=subcategory&search_words=laundry%20bag.
• Countertop Soda Vending Machine. If your student's mini-fridge is completely full of sodas (instead of nutritious things like carrots and water), consider a machine built solely to hold their soda cans. This vintage style Pepsi Soda Vending Machine from Nostalgia Electrics holds 12 cans of soda, can sit on top of the little dorm fridge, is refrigerated, and does not require coins. You can get it for $150.00 here: http://www.vendingmachinesworldwide.com/nostalgia-electrics-pepsi-soda-vending-machine-nostalgia-pvm-545.aspx.
• Room Air Purifier. If you'd like to subtly inform your student that their dorm room really stinks, might I suggest an air purifier? With two people sharing a room, strange smells are bound to pop up. This could help clear the air. Here's one of many options out there: http://www.amazon.com/Get-Organized-ASSEENONTVGUYS-IONIC-WHISPER/dp/B000SBBS34/ref=pd_sbs_k_2.
• Pizza Wall Clock. Ahh--the staple food of college life. This clock is $24.95, requires only one “AA” battery, and looks completely real at just 12” in diameter. It could be a great conversation piece, and it reminds your student to eat lunch. Available here: http://www.amazon.com/Kirch-1990Pizza-Pizza-Wall-Clock/dp/B000LOICJQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1229632327&sr=8-1.
• Career Planning Book. If your student is the "planning for the future" type (or if you'd like to gently push them to start planning for the future), this book is a great resource. It's never to early to think about life after college, and Michael Krush's College Student's Step by Step Guide to Landing a Job will get them headed in the right direction. http://www.amazon.com/College-Students-Step-Step-Landing/dp/0976310759/ref=cm_lmf_tit_3
• Magazine Subscriptions. Give them something light to read when they're not consumed by textbook reading. A mindless celebrity or fashion magazine might be the perfect fit. For the literary minded student or the politically savvy, pick a more serious magazine. If you don't want to choose for them, Barnes and Noble has magazine subscription packs available for $19.95. You buy the gift box that lists 50 magazine options, and your student chooses the subscription they want.
• Gift Certificate for a Professional Massage. No one needs a massage more than a stressed out student during finals. There are several massage companies in the vicinity of Webster Groves, including Massage Envy, Vitality Unlimited, and Lockwood Massage Therapy.
• Sports, Theater, Symphony, or Movie Tickets. A fun and stress-relieving indulgence. Cardinals Baseball tickets: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/ticketing/index.jsp?c_id=stl. Blues Hockey tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/806025?brand=blues&camefrom=NHLBLUES. Rams Football tickets: http://www.stlouisrams.com/Tickets/SingleGameTickets/. St. Louis Symphony tickets: http://www.slso.org/box/. Fox Theatre tickets: http://www.fabulousfox.com/. Dance Performances tickets: http://www.dancestlouis.org/main.htm. Wehrenberg Movie Theaters Gift Cards: http://www.wehrenberg.com/giftprograms.asp. AMC Movie Theaters Gift Cards: http://www.amctheatres.com/entertainmentcard/index.html.