• Scrapbook
• Homemade dish
• homemade stockings or blanket

Kate - You are incredibly thoughtful, and I'm sure your family and friends feel loved.

be careful about compiling CD's - that is infringing upon copyright regulations and is akin to stealing from the artist and the publisher.

A low cost idea that is personal is a basket of different baked goods with the recipies included, done up pretty.

I can't think of many free things, but I do like to be practical.  For some of the elderly neighbors:

give them a certificate showing that you'll shovel their walk for them when it snows; or, just do it. ;)

give them a tub of ice melt in a nice decorative container with a pretty scoop (maybe from a gardening center)

also

consider purchasing one of these kinds of gifts in someone's name.  for a relatively small amount of money you can make a huge difference in the life of a hungry child and his / her family

Those are great inexpensive gift ideas, I especially like the picture taking day idea.  Thanks

Good ideas. I'm cooking several meals this season, and inviting friends rather than going out or buying them gifts.

Great ideas!  I think gift cards are almost 100% thoughtless, unless you don't know the person well.

Kate - I don't have anything to add (I'm not very creative), but I think it's a great idea!  Well, I've heard of people giving homemade cookies as a gift...That's a good one, too!  :)

I give my Dad a wall calendar every year with everyone's birthdays and anniversaries written on it.  I also include how old all the children and grandchildren will be on their birthday.  With 5 children in the family and 8 grandchildren along with aunts and uncles, it's a lot to keep up with.  He tells me he loves the calendar because it's easy for him to keep up with everyone.

Randall, you see I think that line of thought (a gift card is thoughtless) is part of what makes the gift giving at the holidays so unenjoyable for me and people like me.

It's a gift, someone thought about you, someone drove to a store, and probably picked out a gift card with a cute picture on it - purchased it and sent it to you.  It has value, it cost them something, and the best part is you can get what you want with it.  Is a birthday card with a scribbled signature and nothing to go with it more thoughtful?

My brother and his family live 3000 miles away.  I have not really seen them for almost 14 years with the exception of two days this July.  I do not know what they have, I do not know what they want, I do not know what they need.  But I show them that I love them and think about them and want them to have something from me.  I not only pick out a different style card for each famiy member but I try to pick one with a picture on it that will appeal to them. I then purchase a tiny gift to go with it like a new pair of gloves or a new pair of socks, and wrap them up with a XXXOOO DON'T OPEN TILL CHRISTMAS message on it.

And I know that a lot of people get hoity toity about gift cards, dismissing them as thoughtless - when actually it might be the most thoughtful thing someone can give you because they recognize that maybe you might want something other than what they can get for you.

Personally, I think looking down on someone's gift of a gift card is as ungrateful as being offended that they gave you a gift you didn't like or didn't want (i.e., another useless set of stinky cheap lotion and shower gel in a basket, or another cheapo men's tool kit with an imitation leather case, or two bottles of Old Spice....or yet another Hickory Farms box of fake cheese and stinky salami.)

Sorry, I had to get that off my chest - I've seen people degrade gift cards long enough!  HEY EVERYONE! YOU CAN GIVE ME ALL THE GIFT CARDS YOU GET THAT YOU DON'T LIKE BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T THOUGHTFUL ENOUGH.....

The gifts that we remember most are always the gifts that were given from the heart.I always cherish the gifts I receive that are made by hand, with love.  We usually do a gift exchange in our office, and this year we are doing a "re-gift" party and donating the money we would normally spend to our favorite charity.

Thanks so much for sharing your very "thoughtful" ideas, and have a wonderful holiday!

Kate, I love your ideas and people always love photos.  I found an old album of a CD one of my children loves and bought a frame for it for $8.00--it was a hit :)

I did a collage on snapfish -- you can do a calendar -- on special it is only $5.00 -- It is a great gift and very inexpensive.  Also, for present for the family we are having a "regifiting yankee swap!  This should be a hoot and a lot of fun!

Another idea, for my daughter-in-law, I composed a cookbook of her husband's (my son) favorite home cooked meals. She loved it. I did it in a "scrapbook" form.

Kate. Great post. I reblogged this for you because I think that this is the message that we need to put out.

I agree - especially as we get older, we already have so much "stuff".  Let's recycle some of it.

And over the years I made many things on a budget:

• hot fudge sauce (for ice cream)
• home made pickles or preserves
• home made baskets ( I have made from coconut palm fronds) filled with goodies
• hand painted signs
• tote bags

Kate, I agree that framed personal photos are some of my favorite gifts.  Since we live outside of DC, if there is a concert or play that comes to town, we will purchase tickets to have a family event together.  Now some of those can be expensive, so we just have to see but it is more the gift of doing something together. 

I make fudge and toffee and put it in holiday gift tins from the dollar store for people and give that too.  I agree, it is the thought that counts and for me it is definitely better to give than receive.

I collect old vintage chenille bedspreads - the ones that have been around for 50+ years.  I then cut quilt squares and make home made quilts for the new babies on the block.  They are huge hits at showers (cuz no one does this anymore!)  I went to a shower in the spring and felt bad because I gave store bought stuff and didn't give one of my unique creations that no one else would ever give!

If you have kids, a framed hand and foot print with their signature is always neat.  Cheap, little effort, and who knows, if they become famouse some day could be worth a fortune! 

Kate, I just thought of a class that I took last year at a Culinary School in the area.  I take recreational classes and last year we made really cute bags, with all of the ingredients to make Scones, clotted cream and the like.  The idea was if you stayed with someone over the holidays, you would put everything together, bake and have instant breakfast for the hosts one morning. 

I think a framed photo is one of the best gifts!  It will recapture the moment.

Kate, my Mom gave me a scrapbook filled with personal childhood stories of myself and my family, pictures, mementos she had saved of my childhood, such as report cards, Mother's Day cards I had made, etc. She gave it to me for Christmas when I was about 35.  It was one of the best gifts I have ever received.

I plan on doing the same for my son & daughter, maybe this is the year. 

 Now that Mom has passed, the stories and memories are even more precious to me.

Thanks for the great tips! Merry Christmas!