After we’ve put away the turkey leftovers, watched the Thanksgiving day football games and taken a moment to reflect on what we’re thankful for, many of us partake in another holiday tradition:  the all-out, no-holds-barred, more-you-spend-more-you-save shopping spree.

For those of us with students in our lives—whether youngsters in grade school or twenty-something undergraduates heading back to their college campuses—let me suggest the selection of a gift that in some way contributes to their educational enrichment and success.

Here is a sampler of seven great student gifts to kick-start your holiday list.

Tray Gourmet Recipe Book

This fun-yet-practical book by Yale graduates Larry Berger and Lynn Harris ($10.95 from Lake Isle Press) shows any college student how to whip up some delectable dishes in an otherwise stodgy dorm cafeteria.  Using standard salad bar items, readily available condiments, a microwave oven and other staples of the lunch line—plus suitable dining hall measuring devices like teaspoons, soup spoons, handfuls, bowls, glasses and butter pats—your favorite student will be able to assemble such tasty concoctions as “I Think Therefore I Ham Salad,” “Nietzsche's Nachos,” “Cliffs Oats,” and “Banana Split Personality.”  Because the book was first published in the 1990s, it may be easier to find at online sites like amazon.com.

“Clocky” Alarm Clock

Does your favorite student hit the “snooze” button a few too many times each morning?  If so, consider getting him or her a Clocky runaway alarm clock.  Designed by a MIT grad student as part of an industrial design class, Clocky ($50 to $60 at amazon.com) sports two oversized wheels and instructions to jump from the bedside nightstand, move in random directions, nest in a hiding spot and beep all the while.  To turn Clocky off, the student will first have to get out of bed and find the plucky device.  The subsequent adrenaline-fueled search might just be enough to get him or her awake for the day.

BackTpack Ergonomic Backpack

With many students reporting back, neck and shoulder pain due to overstuffed backpacks according to recent studies, get the book bag that promotes a healthy posture and spinal alignment.  Created by an Oregon physical therapist and endorsed by the American Physical Therapy Association, this “backpack”($55 to $75 at www.backtpack.com) doesn’t rest directly on a student’s back:  Instead, two side bags are attached to a main back harness—with one bag resting off of each hip—keeping the student in balance and standing tall.  The look may be a little unconventional, but the health benefits might just be exactly what the doctor ordered.

Wizcom Readingpen

Few things are more important to overall educational success than reading comprehension. For student readers who might be reluctant to regularly open the dictionary, Wizcom’s Readingpen ($279 from www.readingpen.com) might make the difference.  Students use this handheld electronic device to instantly scan printed words using optical character recognition, automatically display and define them on the built-in screen, view alternatives with the handy electronic thesaurus and then pronounce the words aloud with the integrated audio speaker.  Two versions of the product are available:  one for K-12 students and one for college-level readers.  As a nice bonus, the device retains a record of the last 80 words scanned so that students and parents can later review them for maximum retention.

Airline Gift Cards

Hoping that your college-bound student will make an extra return trip home sometime during the year?  Make it happen with an airline travel gift card—usually available as either an actual plastic card or a virtual e-card—in an amount of your choosing (often from $50 to $1,000).  To insure that the card is easy to use, double check that the airline you purchase it from flies from a student’s college town and that the card doesn’t have an expiration date or any hidden fees.  Two cards that often fit the bill are from Southwest Airlines (www.southwest.com/gift_cards) and American Airlines (giftcards.aa.com).

Apple MacBook

When dorm life gets too chaotic, it’s always helpful to be able to grab a laptop computer and work on the go.  For such moments, consider Apple’s 13-inch MacBook ($949 with special student pricing at www.apple.com/education).  Students will spend less time debugging computer issues and dealing with problematic viruses with Apple’s easy-to-use Leopard operating system.  And with the iLife suite of digital media applications included on every MacBook, students can more easily create websites, slideshows, blogs and movies—increasingly important skills in a multimedia age.  The MacBook shares a lot in common with Apple’s more expensive laptops at a much more affordable and value-conscious price.  Additional discounts and rebates may also be available at websites like amazon.com.

How to Go to College Almost for Free Live Seminar DVD

Okay, I might be a little biased on this one!  But my new live seminar DVD shows students and parents alike how to win merit scholarships, maximize need-based financial aid, slash the cost of student loans, and save on related college expenses.  And in tough economic times, it's just the kind of gift that is needed more than ever.  For more information about the DVD and to get a special holiday discount, go to www.ScholarshipCoach.com/dvd.