By Debra Amery
http://ftcgifts.com/

The process of finding gifts for friends and co-workers
that are personal, unique and affordable can make shopping
during the Christmas season feel difficult. Hours spent
shopping for the perfect present at a price within budget
can lead to frustration. Everything starts to seem generic
and overpriced. Not to worry; you have other options. Some
of my favorite gifts have been created by friends who made
small, inexpensive, and unique items after taking the time
to notice what kinds of things I would really want.

A little bowl that a friend made for me is one of my all-
time favorite gifts.  She created it while she was taking a
ceramics class. Knowing that I constantly lose my keys, she
shaped the bowl to hold them and glazed it to match my
d~cor. Thanks to this charming little Christmas gift,
inexpensive and personal, I almost never misplace my keys
anymore, plus I have a lovely decoration reminding me of
our friendship.

You can do the same things for your friends. Maybe you're
not in a pottery class, but there are many pottery stores
that allow you to paint your own piece for a small price.
There are also stores that allow you to create your own
jewelry as well. Other ideas include buying ornaments and
decorating them for your friends' trees, or you can
decoupage a small box with photographs and it can hold
letters or trinkets. You can also hit the day after
Thanksgiving sales to find great little gifts for rock-
bottom prices.

A simple, but thoughtful idea that is often overlooked is
baking a treat for your friends. Everyone loves to get food
that they didn't have to buy, so make a batch of cookies or
brownies to hand-deliver to your friends and colleagues.
You can also cook a dinner and throw a holiday party for
everyone. The holidays can be stressful, and people love to
have a place to go and relax.

You can also re-gift. I realize that many people find this
to be tacky or rude. However, America has one of the most
wasteful cultures of the world. A person gets tired of
something, and rather than re-gifting it or sharing it with
someone else, we tend to just throw it away. It really is
okay to re-gift something to someone if you know they would
really love it; don't hand off junk, but if you don't need
something anymore or it doesn't match your d~cor, pass it
on to someone who will enjoy it.

Good luck with your holiday shopping, and use some of
these options to help you save money and time shopping for
your holiday gifts this season. Have a very happy holiday!

Debra Amery is a contributing writer for <a
href="http://ftcgifts.com">News from FTC Gifts</a> your
resource for a world of gifts information. Find Debra's
archive of articles at http://www.ftcgifts.com/

This article may be reprinted in its
entirety so long as the authors credits, and all links remain intact.