The first year I wasn’t working full-time at Christmas, my husband and I tightened our belts in every way possible, including trimming our Christmas gift budget.

As I tried to figure out how to still spread holiday cheer, it dawned on me the most meaningful presents I had received weren’t things that could be purchased at a mall: the black-and-white picture of our son, Justen, in an antique frame; a rosebush my friend Barbara helped me plant in our backyard; a series of Bible verses my friend Katie put in bright yellow frames; my grandmother’s recipe box my mom gave me after Grandma Edna passed away.

I realized then, I too could come up with thoughtful gifts, yet stay within our Christmas budget. This week, I’ll highlight 20 inexpensive gift ideas that convey the love of Christ in a special way to others.

With a little prayer, creativity, and thoughtful planning, you’ll have gifts that will be both lovingly given and joyfully received.

1. Now You’re Cookin’. People constantly look for new dishes to put on their table. Why not compile the recipes you’re famous for into a hand-made cookbook? For an extra treat, add a jar of homemade salsa to inspire the future cook.

2. Two-for-Two. One Christmas, my friend Kimberly, who lives 400 miles away, gave me a one-year devotional with this note: “I bought two copies of this book—one for me and one for you. Even though we live apart, we’ll always be on the same page.”

3. Order It Up. Order prints of your favorite snapshots from throughout the year. When I scroll through the pictures on my computer, I jot down a note of who gets what. With many retailers offering online uploads, you can upload your pictures  and  pick up the prints when they are ready. One year I came across a great picture of my mom and daughter. While still at the drugstore, I found a frame for it. Instantly, I had the perfect Christmas gift for my hard-to-buy-for mom.

4. Memory Makers. Here’s another way to maximize prints: Take a selection of pictures and slip them into a memory book to send to faraway relatives. Sure you could email them, or send a link to a digital album, but there’s nothing like flipping through photos in hand. This also allows people who don’t use email or the computer to see your family. Costco offers 4×6” prints for as little as 13¢ each!

What ideas do you have to share?

I hope this week has given you some good gift ideas that maybe you hadn’t though of before, either through my posting, or through comments others have shared.  If you have not started, now would be a good time to get some paper and make a plan.

Who are you buying for? What is your budget?  Break that down for each gift.  Withdraw cash if you need to, so you aren’t tempted to overspend. Here’s a simple form you can use to get started.

Next week will feature simple, creative and meaningful gift ideas.  If you have the time this weekend, make a plan!

Men…they can be difficult to shop for.  You can only buy so many ties or golf themed ideas.
Sylvia writes:
Hi…do you have any wonderful ideas for the hubbys ? I am always looking for the special thing for Jim ! Usually he loves anything…but come on…there must be something guys just love ! I AM getting him a massage ! That is one good thing ! And he asked for a new watch & wallet..(done !)…hmmm….not a wire letter…for him ! lol
The biggest hits with Roger have been:

Logitech Remote He loved it – $199 at Best Buy.

Tivo High Def Recorder.

HP Mini Computer – my son loved it!

A space heater (because that is as close to curling up next to a fire as Roger can get at our fireplaceless house…

I don’t know if Jim is a techie, but if so, Wired magazine is great and if he is a tinkerer, then Maker magazine rocks.

….and a guy can never have too many Leathermans.

Let’s face it.  This is a rough economy.  “They” keep saying the recession is over.  Try telling that to people with no jobs or who are behind on their bills. Movie tickets are fun or a gift certificate for a manicure is nice, but sometimes, practical gifts are more appreciated and necessary.  What good are movie tickets if you have no gas to get to the theater?  That manicure might actually stay nice for a long time when there’s no food to prepare, but well, you get the point.

Consider a Safeway Gift Card.  This enables your gift recipient to choose just what they want, which might be simply what they need.

Another idea is one of my favorite sites, featured on my blog before.

Grass fed beef.  Yum.  Practical, nutritious, delicious. You meet a practical need by providing some food, but you are meeting that “you-are-awesome-here’s-a-really-cool-gift” target as well.  My favorite place to buy? Open Space Meats.

How about you?  Do you have any enjoyable  gifts that can also meet a need?

Congratulations to Susan, the winner of the Cookie Dough Exchange Kit! Susan, please email Kimberly with your info, and she will get this out to you. Thanks to everyone for the great new recipes!

What do you get that person who has everything?  Or maybe she doesn’t have everything, but she has the means to buy for herself what she wants.  How do you choose something original and  meaningful, that’s in your budget, yet she wouldn’t go out and just buy for herself?

How about a goat?

Last year, my kids gave a goat to a child in need, on my behalf.  Really, I didn’t need another blouse, new slippers or even those really cool earring I had my eye on.  When it’s in the right perspective of how much we really have, when there are people struggling for basic necessities, I was so thankful for the gift they gave. (and come on, what mother wouldn’t be proud of her offspring for making such a philanthropic choice that of course, she somehow had a part in through their upbringing!)

Here is a lesser known option that I only recently become aware of through my home church, Church on the Hill in San Jose. Two of our pastors, Scott and Elliot, traveled to Nicaragua to visit some sites where Compassion International is active, and where many of our church members have sponsored children. On that trip, they were introduced to a forgotten community, Bonete 7, left by the government to fend for themselves in an extremely remote area. (you can see more photos and information here on the facebook page) Our church is raising money so they can build a well with clean drinking water.

This is their current well.  It’s a little below ground level, and has no cover.  There are people and animals that live here.  This area is prone to flooding, and when it does, everything “left” by them is washed into the well.  The water is far from clean.

This is a photo of a well that would provide clean water to the village:

If you’d like to buy a part of a well for someone, you can give online, and choose “Bonete 7″ in the drop down menu.

Happy Shopping!

For this week on the blog, I am sharing some of the “different” places I will be shopping this Christmas. Trying to stay on a budget, but get something cool for the people I love is always a challenge. Here are some of the things that I love.

I met Kristine at a retreat I did in Lake Tahoe – she was that creative genius that put together all of the hands-on worship experiences. (If you are ever planning an event, she is a great person to steal ideas from. I had seen some of her large-scale sculptures online, and even got to see on up close and personal at their church in N.Ca, but didn’t know that she did custom orders for smaller, more “at home pieces”.

So these are something that I have asked for for Christmas (the letters K&R) Love them. And if Santa doesn’t bring them, I am breaking into a piggy bank come January.

I asked Kristine to share about how she got into wire art:

My wire sculptures are a result of inspired amusement, creative exploration, and experimentation. My work with wire began about 15 or more years ago as I was inspired by the idea of transforming a straight line into something of volume. My main creative focus involves creating large-scale sculptures of the human form. Small pieces like the ones listed in my gift shop came from simply playing around and keeping my hands busy when resting from work on my bigger pieces. About two years ago I had a dream that I wanted to sprinkle little bits of my work all over the world. As a result I spent more time making smaller pieces that were affordable and easy to ship.You can see my large scale pieces on my website.