Christmas Gifts - Ideas and Resources

Gift Giving Made Easy

There are always unexpected gifts to make or purchase. Hostess gifts and unexpected visitors. It's reasonable to not want to leave anyone out.

I've tried, on the following pages, to give some great hints for those who are lost as to what to buy. There are plenty of ways to be prepared for every unexpected Christmas gift you might need to come up with, and they won't set you back on your budget, either.

Shopping sales is easy at this time of year, but you still have to watch your prices. Most sales, are not truly sales around now. There will be some incredible deals, but only on certain items - stores count on you not wanting to only pick up a couple special items.

If you don't want to spend all day in the car, you need to be aware of your route, and your Christmas lists.

Watch your newspaper closely, to figure out which stores have the best deals on the items you want. Map out a route that makes sense both time and gas wise. I usually map a route starting at the farthest destination and working my way back home.

I do this because I know if there are a few stops on the route, by the time I am finished at the last place, I'm not going to want to spend a lot of time driving home.

The next biggest head-ache associated with purchasing Christmas gifts is what to get for each person. Back in the Christmas organizing section there is a page about creating your Master Gift list, and your Christmas Gifts lists.

Use the information here to guide you! Use the Christmas Lists page now, if you haven't already, to figure out what you would most like to give each person on your list.

If you find that what you want to give, and what you can afford to give are two different things, now is the time to change your list - not after you've gotten into the car.

Children's Christmas Gifts

For that reason, I have a special page dedicated to nothing but great ideas for gifts for the kids. There are online resources, ideas for great toys, and a couple tips to keep everyone happy on Christmas morning.

If you don't have children, buying gifts for nieces and nephews can be a daunting task to say the least. Toy stores are lots of fun, but also incredibly crowded during the holidays.

If you don't have a clear idea of what you are going to buy, you aren't likely to be able to find the help you'll need readily - you won't be the only one asking.

What do children want to get for Christmas gifts? What is appropriate for their age group? What size clothing does little Johnnie or Jennifer wear?

Children's gifts can be a nightmare. Toys, clothes, books, dolls - the list is endless, and they want everything!On the Children's Christmas Gifts page, I've listed some wonderful ideas for different age groups, for boys, for girls and for babies.

The list of toy recalls is long, and it grows every day. About the last thing most folks would want is to purchase a toy that has been recalled.

However, its often difficult to know - even if you have a list! When I checked, the list was over 18 pages long! Upon further inspection, only about the first 20 lines or so pertained to this year.

I normally don't worry too much about it, as there is only one really small child on my gift list at the moment.

If you would like a look at the list, it is located at the US Consumer Product Safety Commission web-site.

Christmas Gifts for the Women in Your Life

You have to decide just what it is you want to do. Are you looking for a romantic gift? Do you want to give that special lady several Christmas gifts?

You need to know your theme before you choose your gifts. Does she have a hobby or interest you can play on? If you are thinking of clothing - do you know her size?

There are some wonderful 'generic' Christmas gifts for women - especially ones you don't know well yet. Men always worry about what message they give with their gifts to women, so our page on great items for the females in your life should help you get over making a choice.

Great Gifts for Men

For those of you out there who have one of those quiet types on your Christmas list, I have put together a few ideas for you, too!

Most men love a great gag-gift, but all of them have one simple desire, and that is to know that you care. You can show that simply by studying them for a little while.

Listen to what they talk about, and you'll have no problem coming up with the perfect gift every time. A good ear, a good eye, and a little bit of love go a long way when buying gifts for men - no matter the time of year!

With the same tricks, boys are easier yet! The older they get the more reserved they can become. Get the younger men on your list to do some of your dirty work for you!

Christmas Shopping in the 21st Century

During the holidays, many companies offer great discounts for online customers, and quite a few even offer free shipping!

With the growth of the internet shopping habit, many local companies can also be found on the web. If you are the type (like me) who buys some gifts that you feel better seeing before you take them home, companies like Wal-mart and Target let you browse online, order, and pick up at your local store!

Internet shopping is fast, easy and fun! Most sites these days are secure, and all you have to do is look for the little lock to be sure its at least encrypted.

If you are new to online shopping, I'll warn you - it's as easy to get lost on the net as it is in the mall! But - it is also much more quiet, and you don't have to worry about remembering where you parked your car!

The links located throughout this section currently offer some of the best deals on Christmas gifts that I have found. Many offer free or discounted shipping, some even offer drop-shipping and gift wrapping services!

Some have come highly recommended from friends that have helped me scour the web in search of great sales, super deals, and excellent customer relations. Some you and I both know from stopping by their brick-and-mortar stores in the past.

The Butcher, the Baker and the Candlestick Maker

There are actually quite a few people that make my Christmas list each year that I do not know well, if barely at all.

I've dedicated a special page for all those wonderful people out there that make my life easier and happier, and yet I do not know them personally.

I don't really want to go with the generic teacher gift - it's not my style. I would rather spend a little time thinking about it, and give her something that shows her the family appreciates her hard work and effort.

Most mail delivery people get either money or booze for Christmas. Again, I would rather show a personal touch and give the mail-lady something she might actually enjoy. (I do know her well enough to know she's a tea-totaller!)

Clergy, hair-stylists, baby-sitters - there are probably quite a few people that fit this category. They each deserve a little something, but what?

For all those service people on your list that you don't know well - there are ways to personalize gifts that will show how much you appreciate their services, and yet are not so personal that you'd feel funny giving them.

All The Rest

Why phrase it that way? Well, since my daughter is grown, I have a few... um... let's call them Fur-Babies. All of our pets get Christmas gifts, too. Since they are a part of the family, they get special stuff along with the rest of us on Christmas morning.

Giving Christmas gifts to pets requires a little fore-thought. Our's unwrap their own, which means not only wrapping paper, but it must also be safe for them to tear into.

For puppies and kittens (we have those, too!!), it has to be something they won't associate with other things in the house that they shouldn't get into.

Anyone on your Christmas list who lives out of town will require a couple extra moments of thought on your part. Not only do you have to make sure to get their Christmas gifts in the mail early enough for them to get them by Christmas, but you also have to think about packing them safely.

I send a lot of food items through the mail all year long. Because they are items I sell, they have to arrive in perfect - and perfectly fresh condition. I know how to pack! And, I know how to ship.

Unless you are sending clothing, special packaging can be the difference between sending a Christmas gift, or sending a mess. Shipping options don't have to be confusing, either. I've got some great hints on this page!

If you are in business, you probably have a need for several corporate gifts. Business gifts do not need to be expensive to be remembered. I have several resources for these as well.

Another category of receivers on my list are our Armed Forces. They risk their lives 24/7 for us back at home. They are far away from their families, and the holidays are usually very difficult for them. They are also continually under-supplied on certain things.

For this reason, each year I send out as many 'care-packages' as I possibly can afford. Along with things they need, each one contains Christmas gifts - all wrapped and ribboned - just to remind them of home.

These young men and women are under constant stress. For many of them, this is the first time they've spent away from home. Its usually very long and very far away.

Please consider sending something - even if it's only a simple card. It doesn't matter what you're position on the war is - our young men and women need to know that we care. You can't possibly know how much it means to these wonderful young heroes!

There are certain things that cannot be sent to our service-people over-seas. There are certain things that are universally requested. I've located the information and put it all on this page, along with resources to make things simple and easy.

Gift Baskets

Gift baskets make perfect Christmas gifts! I have a special page with ideas for creating/filling your own. There are ideas that will work for anyone on your list.

There are also hints at making them over-flow with goodies, how to pack them the way the pros do, and even how to wrap them so they look spectacular!

There are also gift-basket ideas within each of the other pages in this section, so if you don't find what you are looking for on the gift baskets page, simply look at the page appropriate to the person you will be giving to.

Crafts of the Season

It is organized by the type of craft, and I've tried to include all of my very best links in there.

November is a little late in the year to do any really involved projects, but there are a lot of fast and simple ones out there that would make wonderful Christmas gifts, don't take a lot of time, and are really inexpensive to make.

As soon as the crafts section is up and running, the links on this page will be incorporated into their appropriate pages.

If you find this page useful as it is, please let me know. If enough of you write, I will simply keep the links page in tact - even if the same links can also be found elsewhere.

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