by Susan Klatz Beal

Created on: November 11, 2009

The Christmas holiday season can be a difficult time for people. Everyone wants to be able to observe the holiday as their friends, family and co-workers do, but the ramifications of the nation's economic crisis may make the prospect of shopping for and giving gifts a daunting one, to say the least. By properly budgeting for holiday gifts, one will be able to share in the holiday tradition, albeit in a more scaled down fashion.

Here is a look at some simple ways by which anyone can budget adequately for their holiday gifts.

*Set a dollar limit for gifts -

Setting a dollar limit for each of the gifts you intend to purchase is a good way to control holiday shopping. A good way to approach this is by setting the same dollar limit for all recipients. By allowing the same amount of money for all gifts, you can ensure that no one will feel as though they were cheated or left out.

*Buy a family gift -

Rather than purchasing individual gifts for each family member, co-worker or friend, consider purchasing a gift for the entire family. Gifts of healthy food such as seasonal fruit can be a really affordable gift. If you know what people like, you can order your food gifts accordingly, and you won't have to worry about whether or not everyone liked the gift, or if there will be issues regarding the returns.

*Have a basket exchange -

Another spin on the drawing of names to determine the name of the one person for whom you would buy a gift, the basket exchange allows people to purchase items to put into a basket that will be the gift for that one person. As with the name exchange, it is important to set a dollar limit so that the baskets will be of equal value. If you want, you can even arrange the exchange so that recipients can trade baskets with one another.

*Purchase gift cards -

If there is a store that your family member, friend or loved one really loves to shop at, consider buying a gift card or gift certificate for that card. If that isn't possible, go the route of a Visa gift card. All that means is that you get a prepaid credit card that has a certain amount of money on it. The recipient is free to add to the card to increase the amount that they can spend, but you will be able to stay within the parameters of what you can reasonably afford.

*Handmade gifts -

Consider giving a hand made gift. It doesn't have to be anything incredibly fancy. Even a small token ornament, some home baked goodies, things you knit, crochet or sew, or yummy food mixes in a jar are always

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