Even though they say “It’s the thought that counts” it doesn’t make us feel any better when our budgets force us to give cheap Christmas gifts.

But it really is the thought that counts.

The thing is, that you have to think of the person you are giving the gift to in order to give a cheap Christmas gift that won’t make you feel cheap, and that they will love.

Include family and friends, but don’t forget your hairdresser, mail carrier, children’s teacher, and so on.

If you have a special bond with someone, or someone in your family does, then they deserve to be on your list.

Make sure you do this long before Christmas because it will be much easier to decide on the cheap Christmas gifts you will give if you have more time.

Gift yourself

While you’re at it, put yourself on that list, too.

There’s no better way to make yourself feel great than by rewarding yourself with a Christmas gift.

Does he love to laugh? Is she a chocoholic?

He loves to spend weekends on his fishing boat. She loves to take pictures and create scrapbooks.

Everybody has a personality, and if you care enough to give them a Christmas gift, then you must know something about them.

Write it down on your list.

What to give to people you don’t know well

• For the people you really don’t know very well, ask somebody who does or simply write down what they do.
• Your kids know their teachers, ask the kids what kinds of things the teacher likes to talk about in class.
• Your mailman walks an awful lot of hours each day and must get tired.
• Your favorite server at the diner you frequent always has funny ink pens to write your order down.

Don’t forget to write them all down on your list.

Do you have any creative hobbies or are you a great cook? Perhaps you have a knack for writing songs or taking great photographs.

Something that you can create can make a wonderful gift for someone, if it’s something that fits their personality.

• For the guy who loves to laugh, write him a song and get his wife to sing it, put it on a CD for him to laugh at for years to come.
• For the friend who loves chocolate, bake her up a huge tin of chocolaty treats, and include a few of the recipes so she can make her own later.
• Fishing boat guy would love a framed photo of him on his boat, but you might have to sneak up and take the picture so that his gift will be a complete, wonderful surprise.
• Scrapbooking mom would love some photos of her family that you took when she wasn’t looking, too.

The point is that you can create wonderful and cheap Christmas gifts for almost everyone you know, and they mean so much more to the recipient if you take the time and make the effort to give a gift that reflects their personalities. Give cheap Christmas gifts that show you care and you can’t go wrong.