While Hanukkah has already started, there is plenty of time to continue giving gifts in the next week. If your friends and family are not Jewish, however, then the impending monster of all things material known as Christmas is just a few weeks away. It can be tough to impress an NYU student with gifts because we have every store within a two-mile radius. For those looking in need of gift inspiration, NYU Local has compiled a list of items that will impress even the most jaded student living in NYC.

Clothing:

Grenson boots/Redwing boots: Real winter is near, meaning a plague of slush will attack the sidewalks through the city. There will be wet shoes, wet socks, and even some mild cases of trenchfoot – beware! To make the malicious winter that looms more endurable, then these great shoes could be a top contender for best gift to give or receive for men.

Yellow Bird Project Charity T-Shirts: This Montreal-based philanthropic clothing company combines cool music with beautiful shirts. The Yellow Bird Project asks various indie-musicians and asks them to design t-shirts, promising that a portion of the profit will go to a variety of charities, including Partners in Health. NYU alumni Grizzly Bear and Tunde Adebimpe of TV On The Radio are included in the project. The bands don’t self-promote by including their names on the clothing, making the gift less pretentious. Consider this the Tom’s Shoes alternative.

Decoration/Fun:

Poster Cabaret: Second semester promises a multitude of students traveling abroad. While many students overseas will be living in off-campus housing, decorations will be necessary to make students’ foreign apartments feel like home. Poster Cabaret includes a variety of posters (often promoting indie bands) that won’t be found on Allposters or Amazon. Bon (Iver) voyage!

Modern Anthology: For those staying in NYC this spring, some apartment re-decoration could be much appreciated. Modern Anthology offers decorative items that Ikea or Pier1 Imports cannot offer. Whether it’s vintage XXX playing cards, tool-shaped bottle openers, or vintage dartboards, Modern Anthology is there to make your living quarters more interesting. This could be a much-appreciated gift for freshman living in the ugly messes known as dorms.

French Press Coffee Makers: Students living off campus do not have the conveniently placed Starbucks near several of the freshman dorms. Additionally, Think Coffee is not a luxury starving college students can afford. For better tasting coffee that can be made at home, a French Press can make be life-changing.

Alcohol-infused Dairy Products: Four Loko has only a week left before its extinction in NYC, so be the first to hop on the bandwagon of the next alcohol craze: Alcoholic Whipped Cream and Alcoholic Chocolate Milk. These products could make your Christmas-Day dinner slightly more entertaining.

Candles Named After Literary Authors: For bibliophiles and Bobst-dwelling recluses, these candles could be gold. My guess is that the Edgar Allen Poe candle smells like necrophilia. I’d stay away from that one.

NYC-Friendly:

“Richard Yates” by Tao Lin: NYU-grad and Local favorite Tao Lin’s second novel is one of the best ways to be NYU-spirited during the holiday season. Richard Yates is a poignant work (that includes scenes in Bobst!) worth occupying your free time during break.

Absolut Brooklyn: As one of our editors aptly explained this is a great to give family members because “It’s a relatively cheap way of saying ‘here’s a cool New York souvenir, now share it with me.’”

“The City Out My Window: 63 Views on New York” by Matteo Pericoli: This book highlights famous New York’s descriptions of what the view from their apartments look like, accompanied by drawings of said descriptions. Stephen Colbert, Philip Glass, David Byrne, and more are included.

For Your Techie Friends and Family:

Smart Phone Friendly Gloves: The Local article says it all, it will soon be too cold to text anywhere outside.

Card Speaker: This credit-card sized speaker is the best way to portably bump tunes in public. This gadget will be even more appreciate once it’s warm enough outside to listen to music in the renovated Washington Square Park.

Reading Light: Sometimes a late night in Bobst is out of the question. If you’re a studious individual with a roommate who shuts the lights off early, this sleek-looking reading light is perfect.

Movie Projector: Tisch students be prepared to throw away your TV’s because the Cinemin projector products are the best way to watch movies without installing a home theatre. If this winter is as cold as I expect it to be, the projector will be a miracle for Thursday nights too cold to go out.

Materialism is a good thing, right? Regardless of the answer, these holiday gifts are ideal for impressing your NYU-related loved ones. If any of these products fall flat, you can always give them a shout-out on LikeALittle. Nothing says “I love you” quite like crude, anonymous Internet flirtation.