This is the time to share with loved one rather than dissect what is a “crap” present or what is valuable.

I think we all have got our share of gifts we may not really have wanted or needed, but the fact that another person thought of us is a present enough.

Happy Holidays.

@ Nate, be careful of making assumptions about the spelling of peoples names. Where I live, many guys spell Kris with a “K”.

I am sorry my comments did come across as rude, but I don’t believe the things I listed in my previous post are practical gifts ( unless you draw names and got the name of someone you don’t like ). I mean, I can’t imagine giving my girlfriend, parents, sister or even my co-workers a card that says a tree has been planted in thier name… but then again as I think about it, I could imagine giving that to my brother-in-law.

[...] a Giveaway Christmas iPod Giveaway at ChristianPF Self-Storage Rentals Growing Amid Foreclosures Last Minute Frugal Gifts Researching a Refi Year-End Tax Moves The New Credit Card [...]

It’s very easy to criticize anything, especially gifts under $20.

Name whatever you’d like, I can find the negative.

[...] Last minute frugal gifts under $20 [...]

And don’t give too many at once! I have my wife three magazine subscriptions at a time and she never has time to read them, it’s a little overwhelming!

Happy Christmas!

And for the Star Wars geek in your life (I know there are a few in mine) most toy stores have a bunch of kinds of light sabers for $20 or less: spring-loaded, light-up, etc.

Finally, find a nice picture of you (for parents) or a great group shot and go to Joanns or Michaels to get a nice frame. Then get a copy of the picture from Sam’s Club or Walgreen’s for about $1. My hubby is giving my FIL a picture of us at our wedding with hubby’s grandmother (recently deceased) on one side and hubby’s grandfather (long deceased) from FIL’s wedding day on the other.

While I’m greedy and would certainly love to get something, I’ve received enough bad gifts in my life that if someone isn’t sure what to get me, a charitable donation would be preferable.

Magazine subscriptions: A lot of crafters would love to get (or extend) a magazine. Just a caution, though, check with another craft person who does the same type of work. Some of those mags are completely awful for anyone not into kitsch.

also you could get them a gift card at magazines.com (and if you go thru ebates you’ll get 26% back) so they can choose their own subscriptions.

But if your family/friends are being frugal, chances are, they’ve cut a lot of their subscriptions. I love the tawdry gossip in Us, but won’t spend the money for it. If someone gave it to me, I’d be thrilled — plus I’d think of them whenever I got an issue.

I’ve never been big on the idea of lottery tickets as anything more than a stocking stuffer (if you don’t win, phooey, if you do win, the giver would be pretty upset). But I think people would treat it with the whimsical intent it deserves.

Shoes you do have to be careful with, but if you know what the person likes (and get a gift receipt) shoes are pretty universally needed.

My hubby and I love getting movie GCs. We can’t afford the films normally.

I think the entertainment book and board games are great! Board games can bring family or friends together for a cheap night of fun.

Lottery tickets? The lottery is a tax on people who can’t do simple math and is a very lazy and unthoughtful gift, even for a co-worker.

Magazine subscriptions? If the person likes that magazine, then they are probably subscribed to it already and these days most magazines are 90% ads, so all your giving is the gift of junk mail for the next year.

Donation? While I love charities and believe everyone should give, forcing someone to give in lieu of a gift is very arrogant. What message does this gift say ” I would rather give to this cause than to think of you ” very nice.

Cash? while I agree its better than a gift card for whatever store you happened to be at that day, its very impersonal and doesn’t really give a “happy holiday’s” type of message.

Flannel Sheets? Unless they specifically ask for sheets, giving them something for their bed is really not somewhere you should go.

Trees? – See Donations

Shoes? Again, unless asked for, or its for a spouse and you KNOW they’ll love them… just stay away.

Stocks? really? You’re going to give a gift that may or may not fit in with a persons investment profile, that is a pain to get rid of and right now is likely to go down in value quickly.

Don’t mean to be rude or anything, but when you post a list of frugal gifts to give… they should also be somewhat practical.