[erinellakal]

We don't have a christmas budget cause christmas doesn't fit in the budget lol

Very well put! Thats how it is here too!

I don't have any more ideas. But i like the idea of baby ginger bread cookies and wrapping them nicely. Alex could help

[jkl123]

In our extended family, we don't really give "presents"... instead we make a donation to a charity in the family's name and make an ornament to go along with it. If you make a donation, the recipient does not know how much $$$ you have spent on it.One year, it was a charity that helped families of fallen soldiers, and each person got an American-themed ornament. This year, it is Make-A-Wish (because of personal reasons within the family), and we will do something with stars (Wish upon a star - get it??). This is great for all the kids to participate in too and teaches them valuable lessons. My 5 year old makes the ones for all the kids in the family in that age range, and my 13 year old does the ones for the older kids. We do the ones for adults together. We put the ornaments, along with a little tag that says what charity we used, in those tiny bags (the ones that are 3 for a buck), and fill the bag with christmas candies and ribbons/streamers.
Oh, we also personlize each one with their name in felt pen, and the year. Hopefully, every year when they hang up their ornament, they'll remember the charity and others in need.

[beck8411]

If you sign up for couponmom.com you will get emails about a discount at restaurant.com. You can go onto that website and get $10-$25 gift cards for $2-$10. It really saves a ton of money and it looks like you spent more than you really did!

[mrmnmom82]

We made cookies for everyone one year. My sister bought different truffles, doves, kisses......and wrapped them in a mesh, and put a ribbon around the top.

I also did little containors of pancake mix one year. I just bought a "just add water", inexpensive box, devided it up into the serving that would best suit the families size. I got christmas gift bags and just put the mix in there and tied a ribbon at the top. I also added chocolate chips to the plain mix. Then I got glass bottles and spouts to go with them, the kind that go at the top of a fancy oil or something, or you could just use corks. And I bought a big jug of syrup, and put syrup in all the bottles. You can also embelish these with ribbons.

So it was more of a family gift, than idividual gifts. And it cost less than $20 per. family!

[chrisj46]

This year I was going to try something different. I was going to try creating mini photo books, filled with pictures of the family and give out one to each house hold. Thats about 5. http://www.smilebooks.com has these really small cute photo books I think everyone will like.

[swt1899]

My DH and I decided two years ago to do mass gifts to save money. We make herb butter and put in little mason jars and cover them with decorative cloth. If you want to recipe, PM me ok? The total cost of each jar was $4. This herb butter is great because it can be used in so many ways... for toasted bread, put it under the skin of chicken before baking or grilling, stuff some in hamburger patties, or top a steak as it comes off the grill. We've put it on a lot of things. It's in the Steve Reichlin (sp?) grilling cookbook.