That advent calendar must not be right. There is no way there are so few days until Christmas. What happened to the rest of Christmas? It is true; the big day is close. It can be extremely stressful to get a Christmas gift last-minute, but do not worry. There are many ways to find the perfect gift for any age or gender.

“[To find a gift for a friend] I listen to them and take note if they say that they’ve been waiting for something or talk about it a lot,” Nicholas Holly, senior, said.

“Open when” cards are a simple gift for anyone to create for a friend or family member. These are letters sealed away in envelopes for a loved one to open at a time that they might need words of advice or something to laugh. This does not have to be anything extravagant. An “open when you are sad card” could be as simple as a few inside jokes.

“The notes will remind you [of] things that make you feel better about yourself and will give you something to do when you’re bored,” Ivy Mckinney, freshman, said.

Ornaments are another simple gift. The Hallmark store sells them from $5 to $40. Many of them have the year stamped on the ornament to bring back memories for loved ones in years to come. If there is not a Hallmark store nearby, many grocery stores sell ornaments. To make this more exciting, invite friends over for an ornament exchange. Each friend can bring one to exchange.

“It [ornament exchange] was a good time with friends. I liked the ornament. We all brought ornaments and randomly passed them around,” Mason Lawless, sophomore, said.

Another great gift is a gift card. For someone who loves listening to music, get them an iTunes gift card. For a friend always coming to school or work with a Starbucks cup, Starbucks is the way to ago. Many adults enjoy going to various restaurants, such as Longhorn, Chili’s, or any nice restaurant in the area. For people on your list who wear unique styles, get them a gift card to a clothing shop, such as Nike, Kohl’s, or American Eagle, that matches their style. When in doubt, an Amazon or Visa gift card is certain to satisfy even the most picky recipient.

“Gift cards are cool because you can use them for whatever you want, so you don’t get a present you don’t want,” Emilie Dudgeon, sophomore, said.

For a simple, last-minute gift, candy is a go to. Find out what the person likes and if they have any allergies. Some ways to make this gift more exciting include making a candy bouquet or sleigh. To assemble a candy bouquet, tape candy bars to cake pop sticks, and put them decoratively in a jar, so they are sticking out in a display. Adding curly ribbon is a great way to make the gift more festive. To make a candy sleigh, simply tape a stack of candy bars on top of two candy canes, and wrap the sleigh in curly ribbon. Many people often add a candy Santa Claus to the front to add to the holiday spirit.

“[If I got candy for Christmas] I would feel excited  like I have someone who cares enough for me to give me gifts like that,” Matthew Creigh, freshman, said.

When truly looking for a last-minute Christmas gift for only $10 with ten minutes to spare, visit Walmart, which has several inexpensive items to assemble a package of simple, everyday useful things. Face masks, Chapstick, hot chocolate packages, and fuzzy socks make up the ultimate “Hygge,” a winter care kit. Pick up these items, and put them in a gift bag.

“I believe winter care kits are a great gift to any girl or boy you know. They are also really fun, and can be a great thing to use when [you] have a get together or sleepover. Overall, I just love the many great uses you can get out of them,” Nicole VanTress, junior, said.

Whether for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, a birthday, or any holiday, these ideas are simple ways to warm the hearts of friends and family throughout the season.