Pretty candles wrapped with a festive ribbon, Some bottle of inexpensive wine with a bow, nice box of choclates, or a little star bucks package, printed calanders of kids or family picture, you can order from Vistaprint.com very reasonable prices. Block Buster movie pack some coupons with popcorn and goodies. I hope that helps.

A deck of cards, nudie ones if they are for a male teenager. Cheap ear rings. Make a video out of all your crappy home videos taken all your life long.

Reprint a special family portrait in a different style, like brown. Then put them in $1 picture frames.

Booze, that used to be my favorite gift because I could get some on Xmas eve.

One year we made sweet little door hangers with some black and white felt. They were nice. We used sticks from the willow tree instead of dowels.

http://www.daniellesplace.com/HTML/christmas.html
http://www.make-stuff.com/hollidays/christmas.html

Christmas tree ornaments with a meaningful photo inside of them. My SIL took plain glass ornaments then cut a picture of them into a circle and then inserted it into the ornament. She then decorated the ornament with paint especially made for glass and red and green ribbons. Value--priceless

Giving a nice card always takes care of my Gift Guilt. I don't have lots of money to spend, either, so I do what I can.

thanks for all the helpful tips

We make stories sometimes, like scrapbooking? With family stuff, old photographs & "memories" for the adults, or "kids stofies" for the kids, with their names and pictures in them.

Be as creative as you like! I buy old cards at yard & flea sales or thrift shops, and cut them up for pictures...write or type the stories, whichever you prefer...basically, make a little book!

you can get those real small muffin papers, use the alumanum ones and you wont need a muffin pan just put them on a cookie sheet, make several different kinds, banana, pumpkin, apple ect, then freeze them, day before christmas put them in a small gift box with that colord tissue papers and they will love it, if you need some recipies let me know and I will send you some

www.familyfun.com TONS of ideas.

When you see them before Christmas time. Take photos of them. Like their familys, couples, single ones with others, pets etc. Then find a decent looking picture frame for the photos. Give them as gifts to the individuals or family groups.

Scrapbooking is an awesome idea and is something that will be cherished forever.

This year, instead of giving Christmas cards to my family I'm going to give them a little DVD of me wishing them merry Christmas and a few other stuff. Thats just for my immediate family.

There is a website for BP disorder. I think it is $25 for 5 cards. They say "I have made a donation to the Bipolar Foundation in your name. It doesn't say how much you paid and the research might help us find a cure, or a more tolerable solution to our illness. If you are interested, send me a message for the link.

PJ's usually go on sale, candles, books (hit the clearence racks), ebay always has good deals, OH ..what about those coffee mugs they do at the malls that you can put you and your kids, or families pics on. I can't think clear right now.

mason jars filled with dry ingredients gingham fabric and directions on how to make the brownies cookies whatever... I did that one year another year I painted Plain Jars filled with Tea coffee flour sugar the jars were 4 each the paint 77 cents and the stencils 3 all at wal-mart

I also made Home made stationary by buying blanks used in the printer and stenciling them

I also stenciled flour sack material again at walmart in Kitchen Towel mit section for 8 set of 5 and stenciled with fabric paints. I did Sunflowers on them

I also did canvas totes and Teracotta Flower pots and gardening things...

God I have a hundred gifts I have made for under 10 each alot for under $5 per person Like the dish clothes worked out to $2 per person and its a nice personal touch.

BTW ALL THESE IDEAS came from Country Stores as gifts or souveniers and I borrowed and modified if you need help directions whatever feel free to message me.

My rule for family is if it comes from me I made it.. the only exception is my kids They get hand made gifts plus the DVD or Video game but I don't spend more then $100 per kid. I just don't have it.

Hi Reality - I wouldn't mind getting that link.

Hi, popme!!!!
Never mind the cookies!!! Make candies!!! There's lots of really easy, yet good, candy recipes!!! The last time I did this, a few years back, I went to one of the local candy shops -- Fannie May -- and bought the little paper candy cups from them! They were really cheap.
One of the easiest candies to make is microwave fudge. Put 1 pound (3 cups) of semi-sweet morsels and 4T (1/2 stick) butter into a microwave safe bowl and nuke till chocolate is PARTIALLY melted. (That's the ONLY thing you have to be careful of in this recipe. You don't want the chcolate to burn.) Take it out and stir till smooth. If it isn't melted enough to do this, put it back in and zap it for about another 15 seconds. Once it's smooth, add 1 14oz. can of sweetened, condensed milk, and a tsp. of vanilla. Mix well. Stir in a cup of nuts, if you want.
Pour into an 8" square pan and let cool. Cut into little squares, and put them into the little paper cups.
This makes a dynamite fudge!!!!!