The holiday season is starting to wind down, and for those with a little festive spirit left in us, New Year’s Eve is creeping up.   As we all take stock of the year and think about the one to come, I’d like to share some of my various holiday experiences and tips, especially helpful for those of us on modest student budgets.

1.   FareCast for cheap plane fares
Flying home for the holidays?   Or flying as far away from home as possible to some tropic climate for a holiday getaway?   (A luxury I wish I could afford!)   Either way, I’m a devout follower of FareCast and I always use it when I’m gearing up to travel home from school for holiday breaks.   I came across the flight fare tracker courtesy of Lifehacker and haven’t looked back.   After entering your destinations and travel dates, FareCast tracks your desired trip and gathers data from most major airlines, giving frequently updated fare prices and predictions of whether the fares will rise or drop in coming days.   It’s equally helpful in finding both last-minute fare deals and planning trips in advance.

2. “Fun Wine” for cold-weather get-togethers
Throwing a holiday party, or just attending one?   One of my favorite wintery provisions is mulled wine, or “fun wine” as my friends and I like to call it.   And it’s incredibly cost-effective while also providing plenty for the whole party.

Here’s how: find an inexpensive box of red wine at your local “superstore” – I’ll add that quality here isn’t so important because the majority of the flavor will come from the other ingredients. Dump the whole thing into the biggest pot you own and heat it up on the stove.   Add some apple cider and/or tart fruit juice, cardamon pods, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and slices of fresh orange and lemon, and baby, you’ve got a stew goin’.   (Bonus points to any TV-watching nerds out there who caught that reference!)

Year after year, my friends and I look forward to mugs of “fun wine” for those festive gatherings.   It’s delicious and easy to make, and sure beats the feeling of being “judged” by wine connoisseurs who may have showed up to the soiree with a bottle of something fancy.   Check this site out for some recipes, if your method is more exact than mine–I am a renegade in the kitchen with little regard for precise measurements.

3.   Charity gifts and handmade presents for gift-giving dilemmas
No, these ideas are definitely not new, but they’re all ways to give meaningful gifts that help others, and spread that altruistic holiday spirit.

First, I can’t stress enough how great it is to give to charity during the holiday season.   In the face of economic uncertainty and crises of consumption, not to mention the ever-present dilemma of finding a gift for that one friend who already has everything, consider giving a little in honor of someone special.   Many charities will allow you to make a donation in honor of your desired recipient.   Charity gifts are meaningful, practical, and can be tailored to the recipient’s causes, and perfect not only for the winter holiday season, but also great for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and in memory of a loved one who has passed away.

Just for a few ideas, consider donations local organizations that support specific communities–no-kill animal shelters, food kitchens, and crisis centers, for instance.   Or, donate to national or global causes, such as funds for cancer and AIDS research, organizations that help LGBTQ youth, or even pool funds with others to purchase a dairy goat for a family in a developing country.   I can’t tell you how many grad students I know that absolutely love to get charity gifts in their name, especially since many of us are scholar-activists trying to change the world, of course!   (And there’s not much space for crap in our tiny studio apartments either, so consider that too.)

For the more materially-minded, check out Etsy for a huge array of handmade gifts.   Etsy provides a means for crafty folks to sell the fruits of their labor, and for shoppers, it’s easier than wading through the vast wasteland of eBay.   (No offense to eBay, I love it–but Etsy seems to have a little more “soul.”)   From hand-painted ceramics to crocheted cardigans to custom animal portraits, the products on Etsy are all homemade and perfect for those who seek unique individual flair.   I bought my friend a pair of knitted fingerless gloves for under $10, and a pair for myself that the seller is knitting for me in my favorite shade of blue.

Of course, you could actually make gifts for your friends, which I wholeheartedly condone.   But if you’re like me, all of your creative juice has been tapped by the end of the semester, and the winter break is the time to recuperate.   In this case, Etsy is the solution.   My favorite searches other than knitted goods include soy candles, stationery, and small paintings.   There are some pretty advanced search functions on the site too, where you can search by price, color, and even proximity to you if you like to shop local.   In short, Etsy rules.

Hopefully this hodge-podge of ideas will serve you well in the new year–and keep them in mind when December comes knockin’ and the same dilemmas seem to pop up all over again.   For now, enjoy your winter break, take everyone you know to see Milk, and recharge those batteries (and bank accounts) for the spring semester!

Photo credit: stock.xchng.