We know sisters who have an unspoken Christmas contest every year: She whose gift makes
everyone cry happy tears wins.

This Christmas, with so many wallets pinched, is the season to dig deep, think hard and hand
out gifts filled with memories. (Lovely recession bonus: These presents almost never come
from the store.)

Your goal here is heirloom status: a meaningful, return-proof piece of your family tree.
Sentimental tears are likely, and you'll be the star of Christmas.

Here are six ideas for history-laced gifts of the heart:

Fashion a silhouette

Hand-cut silhouettes from eras past are stylish collectibles, and the savvy and crafty among
us are now making our own. They're easier than you might think. Have your subject stand
about 2 feet in front of a plain wall or door, turning to the side so you see his or her
profile, and snap a digital photo. (Tip: Have girls pull long hair off the face and neck.)
Try to fill the frame with your subject.
Print the photo on regular printer paper, filling the page with the photo. Photo-printing
shops can help you do this, if necessary.
Trace the outside of your subject with a Sharpie, taking care to capture little details like
small wisps of hair. Cut this out with small sewing or cuticle scissors. Take your cutout
outside, turn it over and spray the back of the cutout with flat black spray paint. Two or
three thin coats do the trick. Allow the silhouette to dry between coats, and frame it.

Raid the photo album

Every family has an old photo that makes everyone sigh - Mom in high school wearing a fur
stole, or Grandpa's days as a firefighter. Borrow a picture from the family album, and have
it reproduced and framed for everyone in your family. Scan it in yourself, or take it to a
printing shop. We recommend Ikea in Tempe for inexpensive and stylish frames that come with
precut mats.

Bust out Grandma's button jar

Did your mom or grandmother save extra buttons? Ours, too - hundreds of them. Sneak into her
stash and turn those vintage buttons into something fun. Etsy.com seller PoorRobin turns old
buttons and pieces of felt into barrettes for little girls. You can also turn them into
button bracelets. For bracelet instructions, go to blog.creativekismet.com and search for
"button bracelet."

Fill a shadowbox

Fill a deep glass-front frame with all those bits your family has been collecting: wedding
ephemera, tiny childhood toys, old military pins, even vintage wedding rings. Imagine that
box of memories deep in your mom's closet. Go get it. Treasures lie within, and recipients
will love having them on display. Mix in a few photos, which you can scan and reduce to the
size you wish. Shadow boxes often come backed in fabric, with pins to secure your memories.
Frames are available at Michaels Arts and Crafts and Target stores.
Other fun things to look for in your memory boxes and frame: Grandma's needlepoint work,
quilt blocks, even knitted doilies.

Hand it down

The wedding china, an old clock, even jewelry: Many families have treasures meant to be
passed from one generation to the next. Why wait? Pass on things to their intended
recipients now, and be there to experience their joy.

Cook up a family recipe book

It's a good idea that has bounced around Christmas to-do lists for ages. This year, do it.
Collect all the recipes that mean something to your family into a small album and hand it
out. Give the recipes funny familial names, type them into your computer, print them and
compile a small book.

Try kolo-usa.com for inexpensive and pretty paper albums sized perfectly for recipes. Small
Kolo albums are also available at some Barnes and Noble bookstores and Aaron Brothers Art
and Framing shops.

SOURCE: www.azcentral.com

To say that someone has "everything" is to look at things from a materialistic view. Older
adults might have all the money and possessions they could desire, and they probably do not
really need or want any more stuff. Shopping for such people is difficult, but shopping is
not the only way to get a gift for someone.

One of the best gifts you can give a senior who has everything is your time. Time is a
precious commodity. Even in youth there never seems to be enough to go around. As people
age, they become more aware of time. Often the time is of lesser quality, as mobility
decreases and children are wrapped up in their adult lives.

Giving the gift of time to a senior is an act of love that can truly be meaningful. A trip
to a favorite restaurant, an outing to a park, renting a movie and watching it with them or
just letting them know they are loved and appreciated can mean a lot more than "stuff" that
adds to their clutter.

You can even spend some time together making a favorite home-cooked recipe that is
reminiscent of years ago. My mom and I always enjoyed some holiday time making Christmas
cookies while sipping cream sherry. That precious time we spent laughing and sharing is one
of my favorite holiday memories, and, in her memory, I still get the cream sherry out when I
am baking.

If you want to buy a gift, here are a few ideas. Gift cards for food are great. Either from
a local grocery store or from a favorite restaurant, it will always be used. Or make up a
basket of all their favorite special jams, pickles, preserves, cookies, teas or coffees.

If your favorite senior enjoys concerts or sporting events, you can never go wrong with
providing tickets to an event they would enjoy. I like the idea of giving them a gift
certificate for a local handyman service. There is always something needing to be repaired
around their house or apartment.

As I mentioned, most of the older adults I know love to spend time with their family and
friends, so spending time with the senior in your life could be the best gift of all this
Christmas.

SOURCE: www.broomfieldenterprise.com

Even among the victims of the downturn, we are still determined to celebrate. In order to
give during this season, some are cutting out vacations and other extracurricular
expenditures from their budgets, but all seem to be simplifying somehow. Here are a few
ideas to keep it simple this season.

Set monetary limits
Try shopping at thrift stores. I’m not talking about buying a pair of shoes for mom that
come with a predetermined scent, but some of the neatest and most unique antiques come from
sweet finds in the thrift shops. If you’re not into used wares, set a limit for yourself.
When you set an exact price limit, it creates a parameter that incites creativity for your
gifts. Set a mutual price across the board with family and friends. When no one can devote
more than $20, you’ll have to think a little harder about the kind of purchases you make.

Exchange the change

Set up a Secret Santa chain with your friends. Have everyone bring a $20 gift to the party
or the Holiday. There are a slew of gift exchange games that can bring the heat of friendly
competition to the living room. Besides, it’s much better to watch your brother open the
glittering snowman cookie jar that grandma brought to the exchange than see him get another
sweater.

Get crafty

I’m not talking glue guns and felt — unless handcrafted tree skirts are up your alley.
Remember how Mom has always kept the noodle sculpture you made for Mother’s Day in the
second grade? While the $50 magazine subscription you bought Mom last year decorates the
coffee table in the living room, the Rainbow macaroni somehow wins out. Take the time to buy
cardstock and craft your own stationery. Frame a significant photograph. Decorate dishes or
personalize a holiday decoration for the tree. Homemade gifts indicate that you’ve spent
time and thought about the individual. Moreover, gifting such things is more exciting,
because the time you spend making them is embedded in the present.

Time, not money

Ever hear the phrase “time is money?” Well invert it. Offer your time, whether it means
gathering your friends together for an evening together or making homemade popcorn garlands
for your perpetually shedding tree. Offer to clean someone’s house or do the dishes for
three weeks. It’s not about indentured service; it’s about spending time with those who are
important. Even if the popcorn is spilled all over the floor and thrown everywhere, you’re
more likely to remember how much you laughed about it than this year’s trendy wrapping
paper. Actually, you’ll probably never forget it if you’re still finding kernels in the
carpet, come March.

Donate your Christmas

I was told the story of a family who matched themselves with one in need and gave their
Christmas gifts away that year. The three children of the family picked out gifts for the
three children in need — one toy and a few of the essentials: socks, shoes, underwear, etc.
They packed up an entire Christmas dinner and stuffed stockings for the other family,
spending Christmas simply with dinner and one another. Another idea is to request that
instead of gifts, the money that would be spent on them be given to a particular charity or
organization of your choice. Surpassing yourself in the giving brings a more spirited
season.

SOURCE: www.mndaily.com

Here are some other cuddle-perfect gifts for baby, preschooler, moms and grandmothers.
Baby Bunch is a gift that looks like a bouquet of roses, but is a small, practical wardrobe
for baby, all rolled to look like rosebuds. The adorable Star Bunting made of soft fleece in
a star shape feels so snuggly, available for newborn to 22 lbs. Red Riding Hood fans will
enjoy the Going to Grandma's Red Hooded Cape in red fleece in sizes 12- to 24-months.
Ease children to sleep with Twilight Turtle. A projector tucked under the turtle's shell
shines a 360-degree view of constellations onto walls and ceilings.

I Love You More Mobius necklace bears the message, "I love you...I love you more," that many
parents recite with their children daily.

SOURCE www.Signals.com