Your best holiday gift ideas

I went to the thrift store and bought tea cups, then filled them with a tea bag (preferably herbal),and a tea light or votive candle and wrapped it in celophane. I've also done the variation of votive candle with interesting bar of soap.... anything that says "relax". This is a good one to do with co workers that you don't spend much money on but still want to acknowledge.

I'm not a "craft-y" person, but I can knit. I'm also quite a good cook, so I have a couple of options.
I've been knitting scarves in various colors, and a couple of styles, to have ready for Christmas giving. I'll also be baking goodies, and giving "gift cards" for individual orders for specially prepared foods for family and friends. The IOUs might be for a dinner at my home, or something to be delivered.
I've been using coupons, etc., to buy yarn when it's on sale, which often happens during warmer weather, and also use coupons when I go to the market. When I find items on sale during the year that I know will be just right for someone, I buy them and stash them for later. All this helps me avoid large costs at holiday time.
Years ago my extended family started drawing names for the one family to receive gifts, rather than trying to send gifts to everyone, which is ridiculous. It's expensive enough just to shop for immediate family!

This year I ordered a bunch of magazine subscriptions through my daughter's school fundraiser to give out as gifts. There are some new moms in my family this year, so I got some subscriptions to things like "Parenting" and "Cookie." I figured I was spending the same amount as I would on a knickknack or something, but the school gets half and it's something that is relatively useful and fresh each month.

We also put together "cookie jars" for our neighbors and work/school friends. We go to Smart&Final and get wide-mouth quart jars and baking supplies and then layer the ingredients in the jar with a recipe card attached. I usually wrap it in a random dishtowel I found on sale during the year. The kids have fun making the jars, it's fairly cheap, and there's no clutter. I hate the cluttery candle/frame/doodad gifts.

Aha! Just what I've been seriously thinking about recently. I made a quick "budget" of who I usually buy gifts for, and what I usually spend. This brought me to a total of about $800. Errrr...plan B (sorry, this is going to be a novel, but being in a recession and all, I'm taking it upon myself to share my homemade gifts ideas!):

1) I grew up with a gourmet pastry chef of a mother--and I watched her every year in December, madly baking and making up cute little tins with goodies for friends. I was lucky enough to get her baking gene, so why CAN'T I bake goodies for friends? And cute holiday tins are cheap--you can find them online or at restaurant/baking supply stores. So, that's definitely what I'm going to do, for starters!

2) Scrapbook! No, you don't need to be a scrapbooking guru to do it. Many places sell the Kolo scrapbooks & photo albums--brightly colored albums made with cardstock, with a square cut out on the cover for a sneek peek, and a ribbon closure. They're fairly inexpensive (less than $10 for a 5x7), and they come in many sizes. Buy some photo corners, cut out some magazine quotes & words & use a gluestick, and voila! A heartfelt gift for a good friend or family!

3) Boyfriend loves truffles (the french mushroom kind), and everytime we eat them (or anything "scented" with them), he always mentions how he wants a truffle candle. Aha! An idea for the terribly-hard-to-shop-for love of my life! Alas, all my google searches came up with chocolate, raspberry, and other dessert-ish truffle candles. I mentioned my quandry to coworkers, and one wondered, why don't you make your own candles? WHY DON'T I?! I found a few cheap candle-making kits online, but then another coworker recommended a place in North Hollywood--General Wax & Candle Company. She said it's a huge warehouse store with everything you could ever need for candle making. A quick stop at their website confirmed that I could very well make candles for everyone on my list--and then some--for probably less than $100 total (and they have cute NOT tacky jars!)! The truffle scent is still a challenge--but I will figure out how to do it, whether with essential oil or truffle-infused olive oil. A few more dollars will buy some cute ribbon to finish them off!

Hi Julia...I have decided to go to the Breast Cancer Site and buy from them or one of the other giving sites. Not only are their items inexpensive, but shipping is only $3.95 no matter how much you buy and there is an added bonus, in that, it creates an even greater donation. I purchased an item and it resulted in 28 bowls of food being donated to rescued animals. Thebreastcancersite.com

My husband's side (siblings & their families) have always had the tradition for the past 20 years of getting EACH person a gift (they like to open alot of gifts). I hate it but I'm the minority. So I end up buying gifts for 25 people. I pick a theme gift each year and all 25 people get the same gift. Which we hand out and ask all to open up at the same time! This has actually been fun as one year was boxers/undies or another year we gave out colorful Pajamas. My favorite year was when my husband got a bonus and chose to spluge and get everyone leather jackets! Sometimes buying in bulk you can get some great discounts if you just ask.

During one tough year budget wise, I recommended to draw names and do Secret Santa. So I only had to buy 4 gifts (one from each member of my family). The rest of the family agreed but we all set a min/max dollar limit to make the one gift you received fair for all.

For extremely frugal ideas, try printing a bookmark, or a 'favour voucher'. FREE printables available here...

Bookmarks
http://freespace.virgin.net/markr.rowe/bookmarks/bookmarks.HTM

Vouchers
http://freespace.virgin.net/markr.rowe/vouchers/vouchers.HTM

You can also try this UK Gift Ideas site...
www.GiftGen.co.uk

I use mycokerewards points to purchase magazine subscriptions as gift. They start at 100 points. You go into your account and change your name and address (I keep my e-mail so that I will get the confirmation e-mail and the other person doesn't know that I didn't actually "pay" for a subscription for them).

I also like the idea of buying teacups and sauces at thirft stores AND making your own candles. It also best to my the pot for melting the wax at the thirft store as well. Candles making supplies are available at crafts stores.