Instead of the usual gift of cookies or candy, take about 10 minutes to call or visit a shut in person and it will be the best gift you could possible give. If possible, read them a Bible passage and you will be long remembered.
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One way to save on Christmas gifts is to postpone your Christmas gift giving until right after Christmas. All the stores mark prices down tremendously and there is great savings to be had! By Robin
Stretch that holiday gift giving budget at local Church and Fraternal organization craft fairs. Lovely things, priced reasonably, and always unique.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
My mom is disabled and has only one good working arm. I am at a lost of what to do for Christmas presents. Last year we did family photos. She has a Kindle with a lot of games she likes, but never really uses it. She has a wifi enabled TV with Netflix, etc. She has more than enough clothes and blankets.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
By Tess
Jigsaw puzzles, puzzle books, dvd movies, music cd, and drawing/painting supplies if she hasn't lost the use of her writing hand.
How about a magazine subscription? Jewelry, such as earrings, a ring or bracelet? Houseshoes? A recliner? Makeup? New pillow?
What about one of those charity gifts - like goat for a family, from World Vision?
Gift certificates for her favourite salon for getting her hair, nails and toes done. Better still, if you have the time, set up a spa day for both of you!
I have a 12 year old niece and a 16 year old nephew. They are spoiled with a lot of luxuries. This year I have very limited funds. Any ideas? I also have an 18 year old son and am looking for ideas for him too.
Teens can be hard, especially when they seem to have everything they want already. For the girl, if she is crafty at all you could try putting together a little craft kit. One of my favorites is hemp macrame. It is fairly inexpensive to just get a hank of hemp twine and some fimo beads, and print some instructions from the internet. Put it all together in a cute bag or find a little basket or purse at a dollar store. It's an easy craft that makes for great results, something that she can wear that's cool.
It could also be fun to print out instructions for making her own lip balm and bath salts or something, and give her the ingredients that she'll need to make them.
For the boys. Hmmm. My dork of a husband says to make a potato cannon... Good grief.
Magazine subscriptions make great gifts, often under $10 a year. Get them a subscription to something that they are interested in. Fishing or cars or sports or gaming or computers or something.
Also, a gift certificate to an mp3 download site, like napster.com or itunes.com could be cool. most albums are around $10 to download.
Try a quality time gift- Put a certificate offering to take them fishing or camping or to play pool or something into thier christmas card (which are so much fun to make homemade).
Umm, dang. This is hard, lol. I never was good at shopping for teenage boys, lol. Back when my husband and i were dating I got him a lot of gag gifts and penutbutter cups, lol...
How about a movie theme? Get a small bowl from the dollar store, fill with shredded paper, a packet of microwave popcorn, a can of pop, a candy bar, and maybe a gift card for a movie at a local theater, wrap it up with clear cellophane wrap and a bow. There is a catalog that I like to use, or go to www.orientaltrading.com and take a look at the plastic popcorn holders that they have; they would make a cute holder instead of a bowl.
What about something personalized, like a small scrapbook of their lives, what they like to do, etc.? Something that shows how much time you put into it, and not money, might be appreciated more than expensive stuff, especially if that's what they're used to.
Hi, I think most girls like costume jewellery which you can pick up pretty reasonably or if you're crafty you could try making some. Or how about a little giftbag or make-up bag with body spray, lip-gloss, nail polish etc...
Peep into this amazing Christmas Blog at http://christmas4all.blogspot.com to check out some really cool stuffs and unique ideas
I'm 16 yr old boy. Most kids my age don't want handprints, Sorry. Inexpensive would be like gift cards to clothing stores or an American express gift card that they can use anywhere cause if you get a lot of those you can get an item for yourself.
Hi. I'm a 16 year old guy from texas and I am having a tough time deciding what I am wanting. I think that you can't go wrong with money or an american express or visa gift card. Don't make it for one store only though because you never know where you will find what you want. I am really into research for aids, cancer, and going green, so I bought shirts that help support that cause with donating the money I spend to the charities. But I think money is the best option for 16 Year old guys honestly. Hope that helps you out, and have a Merry Christmas.
Which kinds gifts are suitable for Christmas?
Danielxu from china
Danel, The gift depends on how close we are to the person. For example, something small you have made yourself (a candle, some cookies, or an ornament for a Christmas tree) are nice gifts. If you want to buy something, you can bring a food item to a friend, or give something you know they would like, like a CD or a decorative item for their home.
Hi there. I am a single woman with 2 part time jobs and in need of money. Now of course gift cards are always welcome, but I like to give personal things. I listen the what the persons say and try to build around that. I always have access to free books so 1 family that is what I give them. I love Lucy. I saw just yesterday a dvd set of all of Lucille Balls movies. Oh my gosh, I would love to have that.
Good for you for thinking how to please your family and friends with gifts. i don't like gift cards at all, all they are is a message that says "get your own present, fool, I can't be bothered to do it, and I'm only going to spend x on you!"
The ultimate present would be an idea you get from close observation of that person which is true to what that person cares about. Favorite color, sport, fragrance, and so on will give suggestions. A homemade card that promises a service to be done by the giver, such as child care or similar, even back rubs, is very nice. One person delighted me by giving me a half-day of special services from her beauty salon, including hairstyle and nice nail polish for fingers and toes. Another way to do a nice gift is to observe what the person's most aggravating problem would be and give some means of relief. The gift is a package of love. For a small child, a gift could be a trip to a beach with a special box for putting rocks in. Another person gave me a service of putting up some heavy shelves. Three people went together once to buy me a single larger present rather than smaller ones. It is okay to give a used item, provided it's clean and special. An example of a used gift would be a grandmother giving her daughter her wedding ring.
Really awful gifts are live animals (bad idea! unless the person is prepared to cook it), decorative things that don't match the person at all (football pictures for a grandmother), or a fur coat for a vegetarian. Best to leave politics and religion alone, unless you really know their point of view.
A gift must always be given with love, too. If you throw it into the person's lap and walk away, there is no love in it even if it cost a year's wages. Good luck!
I agree with the other posts. Over the years I've given many types of gifts. One that seems to be very welcome during the holidays is gifts of "goodies" for those so busy people-- and teachers!
I would take a couple of days and make cookie dough and refrigerate it. We ( or I/ depending on kids ages) bake cookies putting the cooled cookies in containers that would seal. Then we would take a day, put newspapers over the table and decorate..we even had friends of theirs come help-- and take a dozen home..One year we did 100 dozen-- yes-- 100 dozen!-- lots were cookie press type tho!
Make your own colored sugar using white sugar and liquid food color-- mix with a spoon and let dry-- make "glue" with powdered sugar and a bit of canned milk. Let the kids have fun... it's worth it.
Working folks-- make cheese balls, not hard to do-- they then have something to take to the office party-- One year several of us had a cookie exchange-- one dozen cookies to trade with everyone that attended-- with receipe cards-- then everyone had cookies for visitors.
I also try to match gifts with the person-- and no, price isn't the point. I really like those "gifts" of back rub, dish washing, gutter cleaning-- car wash-- I can't think of anyone who wouldn't!
So, now's the time to make plans.
Good luck and may the blessings of His Birth be with you always.
Anything is suitable for a Christmas gift. As with all gifts, think about the person and their likes and dislikes. It will help. You can use food, clothing, collectibles, objects for home decor, and toys and games. You are only limited by your imagination.
I have ten kids: a girl 2, boy 5, twin boys 6, twin girls 8, a boy 10, boy 14, boy 15, and a girl 16. I have no idea of what to get them for Christmas. I want to get them something different, something that they do not have. They already have a lot of stuff like: books, animal sticker book, finger puppets, stencil book, musical tooth brush, pen shaped like a snack, puzzle, magnizene glass, tea set, doll house, potato heads, play dough, a little bike, hobby horse, toy kitchen, trike, doll and stroller, MP 3 players, and video games. Does anyone have any ideas?
By Brooke
We DO things, swim lessons, tickets to the circus, we went on an Amtrak once from one close city to another. It didn't cost much, and was a lot of fun. Sometimes I give a certificate for them to go someplace with one friend (a pizza-play place, the hands-on museum, even a movie and an hour shopping). This lets them enjoy their gift, and share with someone else. It's worked well for us, and the gifts always fit, don't use batteries, and don't need to be dusted!
You could go to the nursing homes/shelter(s) in you area and help serve food. Many folk enjoy seeing the little ones and the older can be a big help. Have them chose from their 'already' gifts or use the amount of money you would have spent and buy for the Toys for Tots or an orphanage or domestic violence shelter, etc. and take the toys to the children! It doesn't always have to be about them!
With 10 kids, your individual one-to-one time must be very limited. What about "giving" each of your kids a special day with you (or afternoon, or whatever) just for them. Maybe going to a movie together, bowling, shopping, out for a meal, etc. just the two of you.
What's the ideal Christmas gift for a 11 yr old boy within a $50 budget?
Venus
We have a store called game stop that sells new and used video game consoles and the games. Most of these games and a couple of the console are under the 50 dollar mark.
Post Christmas ideas - save for birthday. I have 2 boys that are into that gamestop store. I give my sons cash because I never get them what they want, but I do take them to the stores that they might want to spend their Christmas cash in.
One of them is constantly on ebay for those games whenever he has the $10 down payment i require before he can even look to see what might be available on ebay.
CASH - it is the way to go - even my teenage daughter wants the cash (she saved her money and got an ipod this year).
I have this new boyfriend whom I'm about to separate with, but I want to give him a special gift this Christmas for him to remember me even during the times we're apart. Can you suggest some ideas? Please. Thanks and may God bless you.
By Amc
If you're breaking up, save your money. It's over. Move on. Seriously. He'll remember you.
This is a page about starting a Christmas ornament gift tradition. Many families enjoy giving each person a new ornament every Christmas. If you don't already do this, it might be a fun tradition to start with your family this year.
Let's brainstorm together! What are your go-to last-minute gift ideas?
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