Creative Ideas For Christmas Gifts

Did the quickly approaching Christmas season sneak up on you? Have you just learned that you should have been saving for Christmas gifts year round? Did you simply forget to budget for Christmas gifts this year?

If you're feeling torn this year because you want to stay out of debt while still giving your loved ones gifts they'll like, don't worry. Here some fantastic creative Christmas gift ideas for you:

Gifts

  • Compile a themed gift box. For example, if you know a family who enjoys watching movies together, get them a movie or 2 (or a rental gift card), bags of popcorn, favorite candy bars or a homemade dessert, and some little things related to the movie. It will be something they can enjoy together-and maybe even invite you to join!
  • Frame artwork and memories. If you have youngsters in your family, get some of their artwork and nicely frame it for the adults. They'll get excited about seeing their creations on display, and the artwork will be a nice reminder of them when they're not around.
  • Host a dinner party and provide your guests the recipes in a festive booklet. You could also incorporate a white-elephant gift exchange with a price limit per gift into the evening. Everyone will have a great time and remember it for years to come.
  • Offer to run errands for an elderly relative, neighbor or friend. This will mean more to this person than you know, especially for the elderly. Better yet, ask them if you can pick up any Christmas gifts on their behalf. They would love to have someone brave the busy mall for them.
  • Give free babysitting. Know a couple or a single parent who could use an extra hand with the kids during the holidays? Offer to keep the kids one evening and let the parents get some shopping done or have a date night.
  • Bake some tasty treats. If you know someone who's expecting a lot of company or is feeling overwhelmed, offer to help out by baking a few things. This will save the person so much time and will allow them to focus on other things to get ready for company. Homemade food is always a hit!
  • Visit a shut-in, hospital patient or nursing home resident. Many times these individuals are over-looked during the holiday rush. Bake some cookies, frame some pictures, or write some notes to give when you drop by for a visit with some of your family or friends.
  • Help a local school teacher with a special Christmas event for their class. Teachers are overwhelmed this time of year and having an extra adult around to help out would ease some of the stress for them.
  • Give to a charity. If the adults in your family can agree, choose a charity to which your entire family will give money and/or time. Rather than giving gifts to each other, you'll be touching the lives of people who are truly in need while spending time with your loved ones at the same time. It's a win-win situation!

Creative Ideas For Christmas Gifts

Creative Christmas gifts don't have to leave you looking like a cheapo. Remember, it's the thought and effort that really count. Think of your skills and how you can incorporate them into gifts others will enjoy. Why not take a little extra time to think about your family and friends and give them something that will inspire and enrich their lives for years to come.

Creative Ideas For Christmas Gifts

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Christmas Gifts - Ideas For Christmas Gifts

However, if you find yourself buried in confusion on every Christmas as to what would be the appropriate gift, then fret not, as there is no end to what you can choose for a gift on Christmas. Your gift should only convey your love and thoughtfulness and you shall be sorted.

Though traditionally, the gifts that are given on this holy festival are chocolates, cakes, cookies and even flowers baskets, today new and innovative gifts are finding their way into our houses and even our hearts.

Gifts

If however, you do want to stick to the more conventional gifts then you can choose from a wide range of Christmas Holy Bells in attractive decoration, Christmas candles in beautiful red and green, small idols of Santa, divine message frames, framed posters of Mother Mary and even the Holy Cross Pendant which not only comes in regular metals but also in stones like amethyst etc.

Christmas Gifts - Ideas For Christmas Gifts

If you have already gifted all of these through the past years, then you can look at fresher options. For women, you can pick up literally anything. Apparels, jewelry, accessories like purses, bags etc, and home decor items like vases, lampshades, or paintings - anything that would be a useful addition to them can be picked up. You can also think of selecting from a range of kitchen appliances or crockery also.

If you are still not sure that any of these things would fit the bill then play it safe and pick up something from a large number of combo offers available. You can get a combo gift pack of chocolates, flowers and a small diary; flowers, chocolates and candles or even flowers, wine bottle and wine glasses put in attractive baskets. If it is a younger girl that you are selecting a gift for, then you can also choose from a range of cosmetics, stuffed toys and candles available.

If it is for men that you're looking for a gift, then you have the options of a range of perfumes, apparels, accessories like wallets or belts, pen sets and other office accessories like personalized calendars, and diaries etc. Books of a subject of his interest can also be a good idea. Lastly, do not forget that chocolates are not just a gift restricted for women. Some men also equally love them and would be delighted to have a box of them!

Apart from person specific gifts, combo gift pack are the ideal ones for the whole family. It is the best to give a gift basket full of different goodies that can be enjoyed by all if you want to give a gift to the whole family. You can make your own assortment of things that you think would be the most appropriate like chocolates, cakes, cookies, flowers and a bottle of Champagne. You can take a combination of any of these and add a person touch by putting in small items for each member of the family. You would not only delight everybody but would also be remembered for your thoughtfulness!

Christmas Gifts - Ideas For Christmas Gifts

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Christmas Inexpensive Gifts - A List of Inexpensive Gifts For Christmas

Trying to get the best deals on Christmas gifts can be a hassle. Once you find a good deal, the gift you were going to buy is sold out. After you find the exact same gift somewhere else, you will end up having to pay more for it. So, what I'm going to do is share with you some Christmas inexpensive gifts.

That way, you will be able to get the best gift at a great price.

Gifts

Christmas Inexpensive Gifts

Christmas Inexpensive Gifts - A List of Inexpensive Gifts For Christmas

1. The first gift that is inexpensive is an Amazon.com gift card. You can get a gift ranging from up to ,000. This is a great deal. You can get a gift card and not have to worry about standing in long lines. Also, you don't have to wait to get the card in the mail.

You can actually have Amazon.com email it to the person you're buying the gift for. They will receive the gift the same day you buy it. If you want to save some money and be able to get a great gift, this is one you should buy.

2. Another Christmas inexpensive gift is DVDs. You can always find a great deal on movies. Also, there are a lot of hot movies coming out around Christmas, too. So, this is a great gift for you to buy someone if you're looking to save money.

3. The third Christmas gift that's inexpensive is iTunes. If you are buying a gift for someone who has an iPod, this will be a great gift for them. iTunes is where you can buy music or videos for an iPod. They're cheap, too.

These are some Christmas inexpensive gifts. If you are looking to save some money, while still bringing joy to the person you're buying a gift for, you should consider the gifts above. If you want more ideas and great deals on other gifts, check out the link below.

Christmas Inexpensive Gifts - A List of Inexpensive Gifts For Christmas

To get the best deals on some great Christmas gifts, click on the link below:

Christmas Inexpensive Gifts

Easy Knitting Patterns - Knit Christmas Gifts

If you choose the right techniques and easy knitting patterns, making your own Christmas gifts
doesn't have to be intimidating. Even a beginning knitter can make wonderful gifts that will show
your love and creativity!

The key to knitting for gifts is to keep things simple, use quality
materials, and, if you want to knit several gifts, consider using one pattern multiple times.

Gifts

I'm a beginning knitter (or I don't know how to knit yet)

Easy Knitting Patterns - Knit Christmas Gifts

Here's the big untold secret about knitting. If you pick a simple pattern, knitting is really
easy! If you're an absolute beginner or just feeling a little lack of confidence, knit up some
scarves in chunky, beautiful yarn.

They'll go quickly, winter scarves are wonderful to wear, and a thick "novelty" style yarn hides any little irregularities in your stitches.

If you don't know how to knit at all, pick up a book like Teach Yourself Knitting Visually or a
clear, simple how-to-knit eBook like this one

You can master the basics in less time than it took you to figure out how your email program worked.

Finding the time to make handmade gifts

This is the kicker, right? We're all crazy busy, and finding time to make hand-knit gifts might
seem completely impossible.

Here are some great opportunities to get some knitting in. Think about your own schedule and see
if there are other times you can find.

  • TV. This is the big one for most folks. If you watch an hour of TV a night, you can get a beautiful gift knitted every week, at least. Two hours a night = two gifts a week. Netflix counts too!
  • Train or bus commutes. If you usually manage to get a seat, especially on the train or light rail, this is a fabulous knitting opportunity. Again, you can figure an average of a gift a week per hour of commute time.
  • Waiting on hold. Does your job or home life ever find you waiting around on hold, in a doctor's office, or anywhere else? Perfect knitting opportunity.
  • Before-bed wind-down. Staying up on the Internet or electronic gaming until right before bed (you know you do it) is rotten for your sleep patterns. Instead, about an hour before you want to turn in, make yourself a cup of non-caffeinated tea, put on a recorded book or some music, and get out your knitting needles. You know what I'm going to say next. An hour a night will equal at least one beautiful knitted gift every week.

Knit for charity

If you live in a warm climate or your friends just aren't winter scarf people, you might consider
knitting for charity. You can knit blankets for the elderly in cold climates, "comfort dolls" to
comfort children with AIDS in Africa, or hats and scarves for the homeless. Google "knit for charity" to find some great opportunities. You might even consider knitting for charity in a friend's name as a holiday gift, if you're a little short on cash for something like the Heifer Project.

Tips for knitting Christmas gifts without stress

The most important tip is to keep it simple. Even if you're a pretty proficient knitter, this isn't the time to learn a new technique or work with a skinny fingering-weight yarn that will take forever to knit up. Pick an easy knitting pattern for something like:

  • A winter scarf
  • A simple winter hat
  • Fun knit toys
  • Easy fingerless mittens

I created a Squidoo lens with lots of tips, patterns, resources and ideas--far more than I can link to in an ezinearticle. There are resources there for cute and easy knitted toys, too, and some more charity knitting ideas. You can find it at Knit Christmas Presents

If you find a pattern you like, say for an easy hat or a cute stuffed toy, use it as many times as you can for multiple presents. You'll be amazed at how much faster the second, third, and fourth version of the same pattern can be.

You also will usually want to stick with chunky yarns (this is a good use for "novelty" yarns, which have lots of texture and are usually thick but also light and fluffy), since they knit up quickly so you can make more presents. Remember that a scarf or hat should be made of nice, soft yarn so it feels good against the face. Even a beginner can make a simple scarf with novelty yarn in just a few hours, and have it look just fantastic.

Don't let the idea of knitting Christmas presents intimidate you! Keep it simple, use quick-knitting materials, make use of your downtime, and you'll have 5 or 10 heartwarming home-made gifts to give this year. Happy knitting!

Easy Knitting Patterns - Knit Christmas Gifts

Copyright (c) 2007 Sonia Simone. Sonia is a professional marketing writer and editor who also loves to knit. You can read her blog at www.remarcom.typepad.com