I don’t know about you but this year has me thinking a lot about the meaning of Christmas. When I grew up I was fortunate enough to be showered with gifts. A result of being an only child and only grandchild on one side as well combined with having aunts and cousins who believed “the more gifts the better”. Now I am not downplaying how big my eyes got at the site of a full Christmas tree and the gratitude I did feel opening my gifts… that was great at the time for me and I realize JUST how lucky I was. Now that I have kids (who are the only grandchildren on BOTH sides) and seeing all the “things” they acquire at Christmas I am consciously shifting my attention (and hope to shift my children’s attention) to the fact that more is not better and sometimes the simplest gift truly mean the most. Here are 10 gifts I have given or received in the past as well as some gifts I am giving out this year that I think you might enjoy (all for under $20). Please share other thoughtful gift ideas you have.
1) A poem or acknowledgment in a frame for a loved one. Mother’s Day 2007 Ray wrote me the below poem with a picture in a frame that I STILL have prominently displayed. Kid’s love “World’s Best…… Awards” that they can display in their room. Anything showing you took time and thought about that person as you were creating the gift. Yeah, Ray is awesome! 
He got LOTS of brownie points for this one…
2) A picture of you and the person framed or pictures of their loved ones. You could also get a set of 4 photo coasters and insert pictures for them. I did this for my mom and inserted baby pictures of my kids and it is a gift she still enjoys.
3) An ebook or a book you love. There are so many wonderful ones and to give a book you highly recommend is a thoughtful gift. Sign it and write a note as well to make it extra special. You can get it printed out and spiral bound at a local printer or a store like Office Max or Kinkos will do it for you.
Stacey, from Create a Balance ran a Group Writing Project asking people to say what life balance meant to them. She then compiled them into a FREE ebook that you can download here. It has over 30 different articles on WHAT life balance means to a variety of people. It is over 110 pages of inspirational and thought provoking articles and would make a truly wonderful gift for yourself and others.
I mentioned in my post “Art — Spiritual and Healing” my friend Suzie Cheel’s book “Emergings” that you can get as an ebook or a paper book. For more information on it read my post or visit her site. It is a beautiful book combining art and her words which compliment each other wonderfully. For a 15 page preview click here.
I am giving a few friends the book, “Living the Law of Attraction” which features my story as well as over 60 other inspirational stories about how the Law of Attraction changed all our lives. Now the creators are offering 79 free gifts from many of the teachers featured in “The Secret” as well as many other inspirational leaders with every order (including Wayne Dyer and others). Inspirational books are wonderful gifts and the people in my life that have received this one in particular so far have really enjoyed it. My friend Akemi from Yes to Me did a very nice review on “Living the Law of Attraction“. I also reviewed the book here.
4) Make coupons for your friends/family. I know Ray has done this for my son for stocking stuffers.
Examples:
For kids: “Stay Up an Extra Hour Coupon” or a “Get out of Chores Free”.
For a friend: “Good for One Home Made Dinner”, “Good for a Night at the Movies”
For a friend, sibling or neighbor with kids: “Good for One Free night’s Baby Sitting”
For a spouse :“Good for 1 massage” “Good for a sudden night out with boys/girls no hassles” 
“Good for one chore hand-off”
For a co-worker: “Good for 1 coffee on me” “Good for a lunch on me”
Anyone you can think of in your life you can come up with a few of these for…. I’d love if you’d share ones you come up with… I might be making a few of these this year… my kids LOVE them!
5) Take the time and write in (or make) a VERY nice card. Make it personal. I do this with my parents, husband and kids every year and it means a lot to all of us. I think back on the year with the person and write down some highlights…. I have cards from my father dating back 20 years and it is wonderful to go back and have a collection of them; all the ups, downs and experiences we have gone through together.
6) Make a mix CD of your favorite songs of the year. Songs cost $.99 on Itunes or Napster. If you don’t own all of your favorites – download some. I make mix cd’s every year for my close friends and family and it is always a hit. It is also amazing to go back 5 years and see what songs were family favorites then. I don’t always include current songs…. just the ones my family listened to most that particular year. Who knew my 9 year old son’s favorite artists would be Santana and Bon Jovi this year?! Cool way to also show the kids what they were listening to a few years back.
7) Bake or cook something…. I know everyone is trying to trim the waistline but that’s not until January 1st right? It doesn’t have to be something decadent but have it be something you like to make. My step-mom gives us a spice cake every year that is all natural and seems to get even yummier every year. I know it is made with love and that makes it even better!
LED Candles. These are great in case of a blackout or power outage and they look like real candles. Great for people with young kids or pets that cannot leave a real candle laying around. We have given these to teachers who say their own children fight over them because it is finally “safe” for them to have a candle in their room. They come in all sizes and some are rechargeable… the prices on them have dropped dramatically this year.
9) Your Favorite Movie — We all have a few movies that have touched our lives, inspired us or simply made us double over with laughter. I try and make a mental note when a favorite movie comes up in conversation that a friend or family member says they have never seen before. Especially if it is something I feel strongly that they would enjoy. Amazon.com has tons of movies that you can buy new or used for under $20.
10) Donate $10-$20 to the person’s favorite charity. Does someone on your list love animals? Why not make a donation in their name to The Humane Society or The Wildlife Conservation? Do they feel strongly about the climate crisis? Why not donate to Al Gore’s “We” campaign? Whatever the person is passionate about — you can find a charity that matches it.
Those are my top ten thoughtful gift ideas for under $20. What are yours? In this time of economic uncertainty I hear of most people “cutting back” this holiday season. All that means is cutting back on “stuff” but it certainly doesn’t have to mean cutting back on showing people you care by giving smaller and more thoughtful gifts.
10, 10, 10, 10!!!!
Imagine if we ALL did that rather than buying mountains of crap. Wow, just imagine.
Tim Brownsons last blog post..Special Pre-Cristmas Offer!
Yay! Someone else who thinks we don’t need to spend all our time worrying about buying rubbish
Hey Tim,
There are so many ways to show others we care without spending a lot. It was fun to share some of my favorites! Thanks Tim — always great to hear from you!
Yep, I am trying to make this a crap-free Christmas!
Love,
Jenny
Hey Mark,
Yes — people worry so much about buying the perfect gift… many of these gifts would mean a lot more to the recipient than a $200 item that will need to be replaced in a year. Glad you liked the post!
Gratefully,
Jenny
Thanks for the link love! I am going to incorporate #4 for my oldest child. He will love a stay up later coupon and a free chocolate coupon. I also love the idea of giving a poem to someone. Great ideas!
Stacey / Create a Balances last blog post..Celebrate Your Life Friday!
Hi Stacey,
Free chocolate is a good one! My daughter is the chocoholic in the family… she’d love it. Thanks for commenting!
You are welcome — I love the e-book you created — the project was a HUGE success!
Love,
Jenny
I like this post a lot. Very thoughtful and compassionate, Jenny.
I really liked the book “Living the Law of Attraction” (Hey I wrote the review, too, you know)There is power in real life stories. And yours is an especially powerful one.
Akemi “spiritual entrepreneur” @ Yes to Mes last blog post..What I Know About Life And Death
Hi AKemi,
You are absolutely right! Thank you so much for your review: http://yes-to-me.com/2008/11/17/review-living-the-law-of-attraction/
Thanks for your friendship Akemi. It has been wonderful getting to know you! I have to talk to you soon – lot’s to catch up on! Thanks for commenting and I’ll add your review in!
love,
Jenny
Hi Jenny,
I have to share a story from a couple of years ago. I had purchased a very special necklace for my wife, and wanted to present it, not just in a box under the tree. I enlisted the help of my three kids (they all really got into it) – and while she was out of the house – we hid clues throughout the house (the gift wasn’t under the tree). And the last clue presented the necklace, plus a dvd I had created – in our dvd player. As she opened the box, we turned on the dvd – which played the song “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton as it displayed special pictures of us throughout the years. What was interesting – what really made this special – wasn’t the necklace itself – it was the presentation – which was simple and really not expensive at all. And, not only did my wife love this – all the kids did too. Almost more than the gifts they received – they couldn’t wait for Mom to find the clues. Makes me think…I should do something like this again….
Jenny, you have some wonderful ideas here. And, what a wonderful poem Ray gave to you – a gift to treasure always…
Lances last blog post..A Simple Holiday and Life Hack
Hi Lance,
The DVD sounds wonderful and very thoughtful. GREAT gift and you gave a few good ideas yourself!
That is SO sweet! GREAT idea to get the kids involved too! Scavenger hunts are a wonderful way to present gifts and are definitely part of the gift as well….The couple of times I have done something similar with my kids their first response is, “again!”.
Yes, Ray’s poem is very sweet and I love having it where I see it often as a nice reminder of just how thoughtful he is.
Thanks Lance for sharing your story. It is so true you don’t have to spend money to give something from the heart. Maybe the “financial situation” will help more people recognize that and get back to the “simpler things”.
Thanks for commenting.
Love,
Jenny
Jen, great list! I especially love the the charity donation and coupon for something special – definitely going to add a coupon for staying up late to my older daughter’s stocking. And of course I always love books (I have some spiritual and religious children’s recommendations on my blog right now for that reason….)
Lisa Ericksons last blog post..Book List: Introducing Young Children to World Religions
Hi Lisa, How are you? I am going to check out your newest! Sounds GREAT! I just heard Tolle came out with a kid’s book that I am getting for my kids this Christmas. Thanks for checking out my post and commenting. Always wonderful to hear from you! Love, Jenny
Jenny, you remind people that gifts can come from the heart and need not be purchased. More people are evolving to donate money to charities, food to foodbanks and other organisations in honour of friends rather than gifting particular items. People have the power to redefine the nature of giving.
Liara Coverts last blog post..7 Ideas to make the most of where you are
Hi Liara,
Gifts that come from the heart are priceless. I put only things we “need” on our Christmas list this year instead of extra wants…. We have so much and I am teaching my kids to be grateful for what we have and to realize not everyone is near as fortunate as us. Giving to others is more aligned with the meaning of Christmas than Black Friday madness! Thanks Liara!
Love,
Jenny
Hi Jenny: I made my little nephews coloring books I put together by printing out Christmas coloring pages I found on the internet, organizing them in a file folder, and adding a collage made of vintage Christmas images I also found online as a cover. They loved their coloring books! I agree with you that we don’t need to give expensive gifts for Christmas; a great movie on DVD, a fabulous book, or delicious home-made cookies are all great gifts.
Marelisas last blog post..Fun, Whimsical Gift Ideas for Creative People
Hi Mare! You are always SO creative! Awesome! The Christmas coloring book is a wonderful idea. I love creative gifts and learning more ideas — thank you. It is so nice to think about someone deeply as I try to find a gift they would like. Thanks Marelisa — always nice to hear from you!
Now to check out your Whimsical Gift Ideas for Creative People! Love, Jenny
you did it again, Jenny! Well done, my sweet friend. I love you so! Here’s wishing you and yours the MOST spectacular “crap-free” holidays! I send hugs and BIGlove~
Hey Camille,
Thank you! Your email last night made me SO happy at a time when it came in VERY handy! Thanks for your friendship and never ending kindness and support. I wish you all the best for a happy holiday and stupendous and HEALTHY 2009!
Lots of love, Jenny