Things You'll Need:
- A spirit that defies an economic crisis
- The creativity and patience to make your own greeting cards
- Inexpensive Christmas gift ideas
- A sense of what Christmas is about
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Step 1
Follow the old saw, "It's the thought that counts." In times of economic instability, the gift you give doesn't have to be the height of luxury. It just has to be thoughtful and aimed at the person you're giving to.
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Step 2
Consider each member of your family and all your friends. Rather than ask, "What does my cousin most want?" ask, "What makes my cousin happy?" Asking the question this way opens up a lot of new possibilities for Christmas gifts.
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Step 3
Give the gift of food. Most people have a favorite food that is not too expensive. If the recession economy prohibits your spending lots of money on that luxury box of chocolates, then get together some less expensive chocolates and pop them in a gift bag.
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Step 4
Go to Costco, Sams Club or another warehouse club and purchase a Christmas gift sampler or several bulk-packaged treats that you can take apart and repackage for your family members, coworkers and guests. Warehouse clubs are great during a recession economy. Buying Christmas gifts in bulk is cheaper, and you can usually get quality products.
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Step 5
Re-gift. It's not tacky anymore. It's green. What better way to help the environment and recycle than giving a gift you received once and can't use, to someone who can? That's the key--give the regifted gift to someone who will appreciate it. Or, if you're on humorous terms with someone, give it as a white elephant and start a family tradition.
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Step 6
Give the gift of photos of family, pets, vacations, and memories. Photos are always personal and meaningful during an economic crisis. Make them into greeting cards. Put them in an album--you can find cheap albums or memory books at Wal-Mart or Target--or simply put them in a fancy envelope and write funny comments on the back of the photos. This will mean a lot to the recipients. And digital photos can be developed cheaply.
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Step 7
Skip the expensive gift wrap. Use simple tissue paper, festive gift bags, or simply a ribbon or bow attached to the Christmas gifts. Check out the Resources section below for links to sources on creating your own gift wrap.
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Step 8
Re-use the gift bags you've received in the past for your Christmas gifts. Keep track of who saw them before--you can store the information inside the bag--and avoid giving them to any of those people. There's often no reason a festive looking gift bag won't remain new looking for years.
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Step 9
Make your own greeting cards and give them when you give your Christmas gifts. You can make your own greeting cards over the Internet, often more cheaply than buying new cards at Hallmark or other stationery stores. (Check out the links in the resources section below for help.) You can even include personal family photos that you upload from your digital camera or scanner in the greeting cards you create.
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Step 10
Send online greeting cards to your long-distance friends and acquaintances as Christmas gifts. These are often free and convenient and are also appreciated.
Comments
rmvaron said
on 11/23/2008 Very insightful and helpful information that I like to quote in an article that I am writing on a similar topic. In addition to adding a link to this article and to your blog. I would like to include your full name (rather than just your screen name).