ONE LAST HORAH: Meghan's last sex column of the semester. COLOR ME BADD: The boys are all grown up.
TALK TO US: Contact Kimberly Thompson at (785) 864-4810 or joyplay@kansan.com
JA YPLAY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
1B
WWW.KANSAN.COM/JAYPLAY
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2001
Clockwise from left, Ty Martin, Abilene sophomore, Jim Flaigle, Wichita freshman, Shena Wolf, Waterville senior, and Mandalee Meisner, Hutchinson sophomore, cruise down a Dillions aisle during the wee hours of the morning. These college town consumers came to find the perfect last minute holiday gifts for their loved ones.
The shopping humbug Last-minute gifti deas for people who don't like to shop STORY COMPILED BY MAN DALEE MEISNER PHOTOS BY EN-KAE CHANG
In a college town like Lawrence, when finals and poverty can get in the way of thoughtfulness, rushed gift purchases are about as common as Ramen noodles. Yet, this doesn't necessarily mean last-minute holiday shopping has to be boring and burdensome. With a little creativity it can, in fact, become an adventure.
With this in mind, we challenged four students to find the perfect gift for a parent, child, significant other or friend in less than an hour, with a reasonable amount of money to spend: $10.
To increase the challenge, shopping was done at night — when regular gift-oriented stores are closed.
Their first-hand accounts of their shopping exploits at Walgreens, 400 W. 23rd St., and Dillons, 1015 W. 23rd St., follow.
Shena Wolf, Waterville sen-
shopping for parents
When shopping for parents, the challenge becomes finding things that won't shock them, that they will like and that will be practical enough to convince them that I am turning into a responsible gift-giving adult.
At Walgreens I found two glass candle holders ($1.99 each) and candles ($0.69 each), which seemed like a good start for a romantic present. With mood lighting, some sort of activity was necessary: clearly, playing cards ($2.99) were needed.
Wandering down more aisles, I came across
nice French Vanilla coffee ($3.99) — always good as a winter present—and a 500-piece puzzle in a tin ($5.99). These seemed like gifts for a nice, gentle afternoon activity during snowy days.
At Dillons, the final and most fabulous presents of all were found: a nice picnic trio of sparkling grape juice ($3.49).
high-end crackers ($2.49) and a nice Gouda cheese ($3.59).
Since I will probably end up buying my parents something from either a grocery store or a gas station, this was good practice for me.
James Flaigle,
Wichita freshman,
shopping for signifi-
cant other
First, I considered what a girl would like. After pondering for some time, I came up with the most appropriate idea I could concoct: bath beads. At only
ecstatic at receiving so stupendous a specimen of plastic-coated meat. Secure in the knowledge that my gifts would melt the heart of my No. 1 girl, I concluded my expedition and left to consider now the problem of gift wrapping...
Many seemingly ordinary things become magical, fantastic objects once placed in the hands of a child. Unfortunately, parents might not appreciate it if you gave their precious one, say, batteries.
Mandalae Meisner, Hutchinson sophomore,
shopping for child
At Dillons, I found a little gift bag for $1 and thought about the myriad small items I could put in such a bag to please a child: stickers, pencils and candy come to mind. You could even go over to the vending machines near the entrance of any grocery store and fill the bag with plastic bubbles full of cheap surprises.
At Walgreens I found a set of markers ($2.99), paint ($2.99) and a small sketchbook ($3.99) that, all together, would make a cute beginning art kit.
A one-time-use camera, which can cost anywhere from $6.99-$11.99, also makes an interesting gift for an older child. The concept is easy enough for young people to understand: Push the button, it flashes and the picture is taken.
4
Ty Martin, Abilene sophomore, shopping for friend
In a situation such as this, creativity is key and the ability to make something from nothing can help to save face and cash.
At Walgreens, the only things I really found were a Michael Boltori Christmas
Things started slowly at Dillons, and time was running short when I happened into the fruitsnacks section and found just what I needed.
I looked at the shelf and saw a box of dates, and thought,
"What single guy would not like a date for the holidays?"
But I still wanted to sweeten the deal for my friend. How about a date with big jugs and a nice can?
I rushed to the dairy section and picked up two gallons of milk and then I found a large can of juice to round out the package.
I don't think anyone could find a better hook-up
Although this gag gift is not exactly
for the price ($9.50 all together), and at such a late hour.
though this gag gift is not exactly politically correct, hopefully the humor is innocuous enough to bring a grin to a single guy at the