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Photographed by Theo Wyss-Flamm
1. For the Starbucks Lover
Buy a Starbucks plastic reusable mug or other reusable, and - I cannot stress this enough - MICROWAVEABLE thermos, and fill it with an assortment of tea bags, instant coffee, and hot cocoa packets. Bonus points if you personalize said kit with drawings in Sharpie! To use, all they have to do is fill the cup with water and microwave for about 1 ½ minutes or until piping hot.
2. For the One Who’s Always Cold
This gift is a pair of small gifts to help your pollyanna stay warm this winter! To make the hand warmers, measure and cut four sections of scrap cloth (could be an old towel or even a thick t-shirt) into squares. Separate into pairs and hot glue 3 out four sides of each pair. Let dry, then fill the hand-warmers with rice and hot glue the last side. Add a pair of socks (raccoonsocks.com), a beanie, and/or a pair of gloves for a finishing touch!
3. For the IT Guy/Gal
As teenagers, we often hear that we’re “always on the phone,” but I think we all know someone who really fits this stereotype. Luckily, that makes it easy to make them a fun, tech-inspired gift basket! Buy a clear plastic phone case, and collage it with photos, or paint it with something that reminds you of them! Then, buy them a spare pair of earbuds and/or a headphone adapter (go online or to 5 Below). Throw in a PopSocket or one of those stick-on wallet thingies, and boom! The perfect gift.
4. For the Procrastinator
Tis the (midterm) season! Buy a small pencil case, mason jar or makeup bag, and fill it with items that your Secret Santa might need for the big test. Make sure to add things such as extra pencils/erasers, encouraging notes or study tips, a mini calculator, a backup charger and, of course, gum!
5. For the One Who’s Difficult With Gifts
If all else fails, make them a card! Find 2-6 photos of them and upload them to Google Photos. Then, make a collage with these (GPhotos can automatically create one for you) and copy/paste into Google Docs. Shrink to fit ½ the *landscape-style* page, and print to hand-write a message in a card you made yourself (for free)!
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