CHRISTMAS GIFTS UNDER TEN DOLLARS
This idea started at work for me a few years ago. Each of us would draw a name and could only spend ten dollars on a gift. What does ten dollars buy these days? Perhaps, you might buy a generic gift card at some well known store? To me, that seemed like taking the easy and non-personal way out. So, I went to different stores, craft shops, and even supermarkets to see what I could come up with. These are a few of my ideas.
(1) Pillowcase or pillow embroidered with a special quote or saying. A friend of mine actually gave me this idea. I went to her home and noticed that each of her pillows had a quote. I asked her why she did this and she said it made her more peaceful to read these quotes at night before bed. The quotes can be made specific for the person you are gifting or random if you don't know them very well. I choose a few Shakespearean quotes for the Shakespeare lover that I knew. He loved the gifts and his wife enjoyed going to bed with "Romeo and Juliet" on her mind.
(2) Photo Collage: I came home for Christmas break from college one year and knew I didn't have the funds to buy fancy Christmas gifts. So, I improvised. While my mother was off at work I took out every old photo album. I managed to scan old photos into the computer, print them out, and cut them to size. I found a very cheap frame at a dollar store that was lovely. It was huge and in the shape of a tree. I put my mother and father's pictures at the top and on the branches were all her children in different phases of growing up. She had tears in her eyes as she opened this gift and it has a cherished place on her mantle.
(3) Jar Gifts: These are becoming ever popular and they are sold at stores. You've seen them. They are filled with cocoa, tea, soups, and other sundries. But, I decided to make my own for friends. I got a box of mason jars, some cocoa, powdered sugar, marshmallows, and cookie baking supplies. Each jar was layered according to the ingredients and aesthetic feel. Once the jars were layered I printed off cute little recipe cards as the gift tag and put it on a ribbon. The ribbon was tied around each jar into a big red bow. These gifts were instant hits because they were easy to personalize. The tea lover got a jasmine tea kit. The cookie lover got chocolate chip oatmeal cookie recipe and the ingredients in a jar. These gifts might come to five dollars a person if you go all out and wrap them in beautiful colored cellophane. They are inexpensive, but thoughtful gifts.
(4) Ocean in a Bottle: I have friends all over the world that I've met in my various internet travels'. Some of these friends have never seen an ocean, walked upon sand, or held a shiny seashell in their hands. So, I decided to make them a "beach in a bottle". I got some lovely bottles from the dollar store (clear colored glass) and filled each with a layer of sand, pretty seashells that I'd collected, and a tiny plastic palm tree. On the gift tag I printed out: MRS. X's PRIVATE BEACH FRONT PROPERTY. These gifts were a hit and often very sentimental since it took time and effort, but very little money.
(5) Spa Day Gift Set: It feels as if everyone around us is a bit stressed these days. From family, to work, to personal stressors most people need a break to sit back and relax, but they don't have time or money to go to a fancy spa. So, I made a gift basket of spa day essentials'. This gift can be catered to a man or a woman. I got a very cheap basket from the Dollar Tree. In the basket I put a pair of fluffy socks, a small sampler size of good quality lotion, a few drops of essential oils in tiny beakers, some exfoliating masks, and CD of soft and relaxing sounds (like waves crashing, birds singing, etc.) This gift came to a total of about nine dollars, but it was a hit and every year someone asks if I will be giving them a spa day'.
Christmas gifts don't have to be expensive to be meaningful and loved. Most people would rather have a gift from the heart than a ten dollar bill. Making these things takes time and energy, but the end result is well worth the time it takes to put together these fabulous and frugal treats.