Back in the day when I felt a lot more financially secure, I used to give (and receive) presents that were quite expensive.  And also, somehow, a bit informal.  The X Box 360; the video games; the Shakespeare set.  They were all very nice—don’t get me wrong—but I don’t know how much thought went into them.  But this year might be different because people are trying to cut down on expenses while (if anything) boosting the holiday cheer. To do that, we must pay attention to one another and give personalized gifts.

Arts and Crafts

Obviously, the most personalized gift you can give is one you made yourself.  I am luck in this regard because I am married to an artist so around this time of year, he is hard at work creating personalized presents such as portraits.  But even if you are not an artist or married to one, there are a number of (relatively simple) things you can do to make small and special “mini-presents”.  You can:

• Create a beautiful card using calligraphy pens;
• Decorate a champagne glass for someone who’s just turned 21; or
• Make napkin rings out of something as simple as construction paper.

These are just ideas.  You can think of others, I’m sure.  And they’re not the “main present” obviously—just a little personal touch that can more than substitute for that generic Hallmark card.

The Main Gift

For the main gift, you should think of what the person you are gifting likes to do and give them the means to do it.

Do they like reading quirky, hard-to-find books?  If so, you might consider giving them a gift certificate to their local independent bookshop.  And if you know exactly the book they want, there are often good deals to be had on http://www.half.ebay.com/ .

Do they enjoy going to the movies?  A gift certificate to the cinema may be in order.

Or maybe they like hopping into their car and going for a spin in the countryside.  In that case, giving them a voucher for a tank of gas may not be amiss.

Or maybe they’re one of those people who like hanging out in coffee shops.  Find out which one and give them a gift certificate for a cup of coffee and a muffin there.

For, in these tough economic times, everyone has been cutting back even on essentials.  And that means non-essentials such as fun trips, books, coffee shops, and movies were cut a long time ago.  So make these holidays special by letting someone enjoy themselves the way they used to a year ago.

Give them the inexpensive (but personal) gift and put a smile on their face.