Also, for his brothers he gives them a year subscription to Netflix. Its kind of like the magazine subscription without the added clutter.

Something I have been doing for my parents for the last couple of years is putting together a date night for them. Give them a gift certificate to a restaurant, and buy tickets to the theater or ballet etc. Its something that multiple family members can contribute to (usually its my sister, brother and I).

For someone “shopping” on the really cheap you can try “classy regifting”. Pick something you own that truly reminds you of a family member or friend. Then give that object to that person and write them a letter explaining why that object is meaningful to you, and why you want them to have it. Haven’t tried this one yet.

Most people see my collection of ceramic figurines and just see figurines. But I don’t see it that way.
When people try to add to my collection, they never come close to giving me something I actually want. Often it’s something I hate.

My favorite Xmas ideas so far:
• a WWF adoption of a penguin for a friend who loves them (with a penguin plush toy too)
• a Oatmeal poster (http://theoatmeal.com/)
• a pencil sharpener for my mum! Not the main gift, of course, but s/th she really needs – she’s got loads of pencils all blunt
• vintage books
• handmade (not by me!) jewellery

Thanks for all the ideas!

For a green and intriguing wrapping for small gifts like jewelry, I like to make tubes shaped kind of like pop-up popsicles out of old calendars with pretty pictures (you know, the free calendars from WWF you can’t get them to stop sending you). Cut the picture into a rectangular shape, roll the sides (overlapping a bit) and tape into a tube, then tape or staple the ends closed perpendicular to each other. Punch a hole in one end and thread a ribbon through, then hang on the tree like an ornament! It’s fun hunting for disguised packages. People are always delighted with the neat shape.

I think the gist of the article does better than the list of items compiled to illustrate it: put some thought into what you get for each person and don’t buy something just because you feel you have to.

As for what inexpensive things I’d like to get: $20 cash would be nice, haaaa haaa haaa.

(On the other hand, I got a leg of deer from my father in law a couple of weeks ago– that was fun to butcher, cook and eat! So there’s a good specific present that fits me.)

Anyway, yes: be mindful.

My mother, my sister and I were all camp counselors in the past. Sis just had a baby this year, so mom and I are putting together a book of our favorite camp songs: lullabies, silly songs, etc. It’s a fun project and I think it’ll be a gift sis can use for years.

Also because of my new niece, gift cards for airfare are a popular, easy to wrap gift, and any amount helps if you’re planning a trip or two to see the little one. I always appreciate the gift of travel.

We’re all gathering at sis’s house the same weekend as a five-mile race. Since we’re all trying to stay healthy, sis’s present to me was paying for my registration in the race! My siblings, husband and brother-in-law are all planning to run together. It’s the first time we’ve done something like this and I think it will be a blast. Bonus gift: pictures from the race will probably make a good gift for birthdays next year!

Gifts this year already feel like they’re more personal and more focused on shared experiences between the family. Being frugal can be so much more fun than just ordering something off of Amazon.

It is SO hard to shop for my girlfriends. They have everything and what could I possibly get them?

I’ve shopped Etsy in the past and plan to do so again this year. It’s less “retail” and more unique and handmade so even if they saw the item in a catalog, they will get the item that is more unique than what they would pick up themselves.

I’m also going to give a gift in their name to a a non-profit (World Vision). So my friends will receive a personal gift form me, but also receive something for another family to enjoy somewhere else!

When confronted with selecting a gift for someone who “has everything”, I often go to the charity idea. I make a donation to the favorite charity in the name of the recipient. This tells the recipient that I am paying enough attention to know what charity they are supportive of and why. This has the added benefit of giving the money to someone who can really use it.

My (adult) kids’ favorite gift last year was a bag of sweet and spicy nuts that I made. Given that I noticed the price of pecans and walnuts went up significantly recently, it’s not an inexpensive gift, but it’s certainly something they enjoy.

I bought my oldest son fish-themed gifts (he fly fishes) for years until he said “enough, Mom.”

If the person is a collector, I try to follow that theme. I used to buy my dad Civil-War related things all the time. It is great when people have an interest.

For relatives, I will sometimes make a photo collage of the kiddos.

My mom is rough to buy for. This year, I learned how to make chocolate covered cherries, which is her favorite treat. I’m going to make the filling ahead and then give her maraschino cherries and melting chocolate so that we can make the cherries together.

And I agree that donations are excellent. I do that frequently for my older brother — he’s a minimalist who travels widely, so it’s difficult for me to find unique food items he hasn’t seen. I typically do something like a Penzey’s gift cert (for fun spices) combined with a donation to something that supports his work. He works in middle-eastern countries and loves stuff like Operation Smile; he’s frequently mentioned how any little physical abnormality means that kids are shunned.