by Nathan Higgins

Created on: November 05, 2009

As Christmas approaches, your heart may be filled with gift-giving cheer, but the state of your pocketbook may not be quite so cheerful. Still, "'tis the season", and even without a lot of cash to spend, you can still give gifts to your family and friends which express how much you care.

Where do you get started? The first step is to take stock of what you have. Even without money in abundance, you may still have a wealth of other resources that are readily available to you. By using a little creativity, you can tap into these resources and create the kind of memorable Christmas gifts that loved ones may cherish for years to come.

1. The Resource of Time

For many people, time is an abundant resource that can be given away at a relatively low cost. Everyone has time, and even busy people can find ways to carve time out of their hectic schedules. When gift-purchasing cash runs low, you may want to consider the many meaningful ways that you can give others the gift of your time.

How exactly do you "package" time? Time-based gifts are often presented in the format of a hand-made coupon, to be redeemed at the recipient's convenience. The coupon also includes a description - telling the recipient what exactly the giver is willing to do with the time that is being given. The giver may leave the time totally to the recipient's discretion ("an afternoon of whatever you would like me to do"), or a giver may prefer to offer something more specifically directed, perhaps along the lines of the following:

* Childcare for a day
* An afternoon cleaning the yard or raking leaves
* Dishwashing for the week
* A walk in the park (or at the zoo, etc.)
* Volunteer to work one charity event of the recipient's choosing
* Attend any event of the recipient's choosing

2. The Resource of Talents

Most people like to fancy that they are good at something. Some talents are definitely appreciated more than others, and yet, even "normal" and "ordinary" talents can be put into use and packaged as memorable Christmas gifts. If you have any ability that can be used to improve someone else's life, you may wish to consider the ways that you could give a gift from your area of talent.

Gifts of talents may include actual physical items, such as:

* Handmade or hand-decorated clothing
* Hand-tied fleece blankets, homemade quilts, etc.
* Any decorative craft project (pottery, sculpture, painting, drawing, etc.)

Gifts of talents may also include specific services that lie within the giver's area of expertise,

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