• A knitted scarf will keep the student in your life nice and cozy all winter.Monkey Business Images Ltd/Valueline/Getty Images
  
  As Christmas approaches, many students are so focused on completing the fall semester on a high note that by the time they return home they are tired, hungry and likely have a dorm room in complete disarray. Homemade Christmas gifts provide students with comfort and reminders of home. Short on time and space for new items, students appreciate the thought from a homemade gift, whether it's a small wall decoration or a functional organizer.
  
  

Knitted Scarf

• Handmade scarves are feasible for even the slowest knitters to complete if you give yourself enough time. Choose a soft yarn in a color or a variety of colors your student will wear. Knitty, a print and online magazine, offers a wide variety of scarf patterns that you can follow step-by-step or simply look to for creative inspiration. Make sure the scarf is long enough to comfortably loop around the recipient's neck or to tuck into his coat. Wrap your one-of-a-kind scarf in a colorful new bath towel so your student will have a fresh towel and cozy scarf upon returning to school.
  
  

Scrapbook

• Memories of friends and family may be fresh in a student's mind, but tangible reminders are often the last thing students remember to pack for college. Use photos and memorabilia to create a small scrapbook of familiar faces. You can buy scrapbook kits in craft stores or online if you don't have supplies on hand. Consider including photos from high school, vacations and holidays with a few handwritten notes of quotes, anecdotes and encouragement peppered throughout.
  
  If she goes to school close to home or already has a supply of photos in her dorm, you can start her on a scrapbook for her college years. Most college bookstores sell photo albums or scrapbooks with the school's insignia. Dedicate the first page to the day she left for college and include basic scrapbooking supplies for her to continue telling the story of her college years.
  
  

Decorative Garland

• Students use what resources they have to make their small, bare dorm rooms their own, but there's always room for something special. Make a small string of decorative garland to hang across her window or over her desk. Use a nice ribbon or natural string like hemp as your base. You can cut triangular flags of fabric in different patterns and hem the edges so they don't fray or use thick, archival paper from an artists' supply store to make paper cuts in fun shapes like snowflakes, music notes or birds. Attach appliques to the fabric or embroider meaningful words on each flag. Secure the flags with glue and hang them in a room for a few days to make sure the garland won't fall apart. Remember, dorm rooms are often tiny so a small garland with three to five flags will look nice without overwhelming her space.