Dear Evie and Dee,

My friends are all getting excited for Christmas and are always talking about what they are going to get each other. I get really stressed around this time of year because I don’t have a job so I can’t pay for expensive gifts for my friends, and my parents won’t give me money. I feel bad when all of my friends get me something really nice and I can’t get them more than a $5 gift card.

Sincerely,

Broke for the Holidays

Dear Broke for the Holidays,

Christmas is already stressful enough with exams, so getting gifts for your friends should not add to this stress. Don’t feel bad about not being able to get elaborate and expensive gifts for all of your friends. As long as you get them something special that they will really enjoy, this is all that matters. Although this may sound cheesy, sometimes homemade gifts really are better than store bought ones. The best way to make a homemade gift is to make it personal. Get together some pictures of you and your friend, and put it together in a scrapbook or a cork board. Maybe hand write your friend’s favorite poem or song and put it in a frame. If you’re talented at art, try drawing or painting a picture of your friend to give them. These gifts show how much you care about your friends, way more than something that you could buy.  

Another way to avoid spending all of your money on gifts, is organizing a secret santa with your friends. Randomly draw names so each person has one other person that they are in charge of getting a gift for. Set a budget of $15-20 so nobody spends way more than anyone else. This way, you only have to buy a gift for one friend, and not for all of them.

Hopefully these tips will help you make the holidays a little less stressful!

Sincerely,

Evie and Dee

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