College Gift Basket

{Finals survival packs almost feel like Christmas when you’re in college!}

Back in the fall one of my friends and I had a (younger) friend leaving for her Freshman year of college.  We thought it would be fun to send her off with a little something.  If you have a college student on your gift list this year, or just want to send a fun care package to get them through finals, check out what we put into this basket.

• Dry erase calendar
• Notebooks
• Highlighters
• Post-its
• Crayons
• Blank flash cards
• Washi tape
• Washcloths
• Study snacks (fruit rolls and M&Ms)
• Hair chalk and face paint markers in school colors

A smaller box or basket will fill up quicker and can decrease your cost (and shipping costs too) if that’s a concern.  

If you’ll be shipping your finals survival pack or gift basket, you probably are best off using a flat rate shipping box and stacking everything like a Tetris game.

We got to hand deliver the basket pictured, so we took some time to make it all pretty.  Start with the largest item and place it in the back, then start moving forward, and up, with smaller and smaller items.  Bunch up some tissue paper to keep the smallest things from falling to the bottom where they can’t be seen.  

If you’d like to be extra fancy, or you’re just worried that something will fall out, you can buy rolls of clear celophane from the craft store and wrap it up just like gift baskets you might buy at the store.  The one you make will be much for fun and personal though.  Plus, where can you buy a store-packaged gift basket with Post-it notes in it?

Do you have any fun final-survival tips or memories from college?  Mine just often involved food and impromptu dance parties 🙂