as an ex-employee of kmart - I can tell you, you are not alone. I never knew if the stashes I found were for pre-sale or pre-steal but they all got put away. At least they did once we found them...
Best buy is 45 min away (as are many things... <sigh>) so we only go there for good deals... will use BBonline for free shipping - but they're customer service is in India... so I guess I will avoid that as much as I can in the future...
Is there a printshop? see if you can get some paper from them. The volunteering idea is great, too, but made more difficult by midterms and lack of transportation (a known problem for college students)
Make some. do you live in a dorm? decorate the common rooms. you can get decorations at the dollar store - or do paperchains... good way to meet the people in your dorm.
Oh - and, WELCOME! :)
DH has 3 sisters, all married - so there are 8 of us. my FIL gives each of us a check (afaik). DH & I get the same amount. He stopped trying to shop for us years ago.
There are tons of BDays in Dec - to answer your question - the same way you celebrate it any other time of the year, just remember people are busy and weather is cruddy.