by Susan Z. Miller

Created on: December 04, 2009

Every year for Christmas, it's easy to settle for giving your loved ones gift cards. This way, she can pick out whatever she wants, you may tell yourself. While gift cards are certainly convenient, they will not score you any points in the creativity department. If you are racking your brain for a gift ideas that are a little more original, check out the following ideas, which you can cleverly adjust to make your very own.

(1) Contribute to a charity.
Is there a hobby or cause about which your loved one is passionate? For example, does he think it is super important to support our troops? If so, consider making a donation to a charity that supports the cause of your choice. One that I like is Sears' Heroes at Home program, which helps to support military families during the Christmas season. Last year, I made a contribution to this organization in my husband's name, which was very easy to do online. I then hand-made a certificate for my husband that explained that the donation is his name purchased Christmas gifts for a family whose father was stationed overseas. It ended up making an unexpected gift that I felt good about giving, and he was surprised and happy to receive.

(2) Symbolically adopt an animal.
If your loved one goes ga-ga over animals, check out the World Wildlife Fund's website. Symbolically adopting an animal means that you are making a donation that will help preserve the animal species of your choice. There is a huge selection of animals from which to choose, from the Emerald Hummingbird to the Humpback Whale. The WWF will also send you a gift with your donation, so you'll still have something to wrap and place under the tree. (The gift varies depending on the amount of the donation.)

(3) Make a hand-made gift.
This is a good option, even for those who are artistically challenged. If you're not comfortable creating a hand-made gift from scratch, peruse through your local Yellow Pages to see if there is a pottery painting studio in your area. This is a studio where they will have a pre-made selection of blank pottery, from mugs to jewelry boxes. You will pay an hourly fee to use the studio's space, as well as supplies such as paint and brushes. You can then create the customized pottery piece of your choice. Most studios have a whole variety of stamps and stencils available, so again, even if you're not a painter, you will have the aids necessary to help you create a masterpiece. Once you have finished painting your piece, the facility will fire

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