Ask Jill — Holiday gifts

Dear Jill,

The holidays are just around the corner and I have many gifts to give. Do you have any advice on how my checkbook and me can make it through this holiday season?

Child with a Christmas Crisis

Dear Child with a Christmas Crisis,

I can assure you that you are not alone in this crisis. Lucky for you I am an avid shopper and have oodles of ideas to bestow upon you!

Let’s start from the top. Coworkers are often times either really easy or extremely difficult to buy for. If you and a coworker have an inside joke, perhaps you can purchase a gag gift that coincides with the joke. If you two have no inside jokes, you could try giving them something that is not gender specific. Give them a homemade brownie or cookie mix in a mason jar for them to bake, or perhaps you could make a movie basket consisting of popcorn, candy, and a movie ticket or a DVD.

Buying for family and friends can be just as challenging as buying for a coworker even though we often times know them better. Common items to buy for girls would be a scarf, nail polish, bath salts or a fun beverage container. For guys you could buy them tickets to a local game, a popular CD, a video game, or some lottery tickets. Most of the items I have mentioned for girls and guys can all be purchased on a budget.

Please remember all of the ideas I have given you are merely general items. The person you are buying for might not like any of these items, but at least this is a place to start. Getting ideas can be very useful when Christmas shopping. Even if the suggestions don’t apply for the person you want to buy for, your brain is at least starting to think about the person you are buying for. I know gift cards aren’t very personal gifts, but they are a guarantee of getting the gift receiver a gift they will like.

Best of luck with your gift giving this season!

Jill