Christmas is about giving, but that doesn’t mean giving until you drown in debt. The nature of a gift is that it’s something special for each person, which is more about choosing a special gift than about the price tag. When the economy is tight, that’s when the importance of creativity increases. Here are a few ideas that are $10 to $15 for every member of your family:

Mom – At the dollar store, you can find a basket to fill with bubble bath, lotion, nail polish, chocolates, tea cup with tea bags and a paperback novel. Place a card in the basket that gives Mom a Saturday or Sunday off while Dad and the kids make dinner, clean up and let Mom enjoy an afternoon to relax and be off duty.

Dad - Keep his classic car or motorcycle in top condition with a “car care bucket.” Get a large dollar store bucket and stuff it with a wide sponge, soft buffing cloth, spray bottle  (fill with water & vinegar from the kitchen to clean windows), liquid car wash, new car scent spray and a spray nozzle for the hose.

Teens – Movie night with a movie rental card tied in a bow around box of microwave popcorn, container of homemade cereal and peanut snack blend, fruit punch drink mix and a pledge from parents to yield the wide screen TV on movie night and allow a sleepover with friends.

Young children – A tote bag packed with small toys like modeling dough, spinning top, kaleidoscope, bouncy ball, color book with small box of crayons and pocket size doll or plastic animals. You can use fabric paint to write the child’s name on the tote and on the opposite side write, “Travel Fun Kit.”

Grandparents – Choose an inexpensive scrapbook with white pages. Create a theme such as our new home, vacation, back to school, camping or a year of birthdays. Add one photo per page with plenty of room for each person to write a story about the photo. Check craft stores for coupons and sales on decorative elements. It doesn’t matter how well you decorate the pages, the real value in this gift is the photos with personal stories.

Neighbors – Buy recycled mason jars at the thrift store. Fill with a mix for muffins, cookies, pancakes or hot chocolate. Add each ingredient separately to create attractive layers. Place a ribbon around the jar and attach a card with instructions for mixing and preparing the treat. Make extras for that last minute gift you don’t expect to need, but might!

Sports and Message Tee fans – Take a stack of old tees. Cut out the message or image from the tee using a 10×10 square cardboard as a template. You can use iron on transfer backing to affix each to a blanket size piece of muslin then decorate with fabric paints. If you sew, use the tee blocks to create a quilt top. Sew (or ask someone to do it) the tee block top to a bold color backing fabric. It’s a light fabric throw for the bed or wall hanging.

So look around you. Notice what each person enjoys and find ways to bring a personal touch gift that’s short on cash and long on caring. Here are more great idea resources for saving money during the holidays – and remember, on most items, Amazon ships FREE if your entire order is at least $25:

If you’re shopping for Christmas presents for someone you know who will be starting an exercise regimen come January first, then you might consider getting them an elliptical machine. Or maybe it’s something you want to ask Old Saint Nick to bring to YOU this year?

For those who want proper and healthful exercise equipment, there are many types to choose from. The newest machine that is making all the others take second seat is the elliptical machine and you can bet Santa will be delivering many of these because they’re hot sellers on Amazon, what with the FREE Shipping they come with!

But a very good question to ask before buying is “do elliptical machines work?” Before you lay out any sum of money, it will pay to do some homework ahead of time – and you’d better research fast because Christmas is right around the corner! Let’s look at elliptical machines and how they can help you:

To know if elliptical machines work, it helps to know just what kind of exercise they are meant to simulate. The whole point of exercise is to create some kind of physical challenge all the while not harming your body. The elliptical machine, or elliptical treadmill as it is sometimes called, is designed to simulate natural walking movement without the damaging jarring to your knees and hips.

This motion is accomplished by using an axle similar to a bicycle only the stride is longer and flatter, rather than circular. In this way the knees are protected from the unnatural pounding associated with jogging, running or even walking.

So you can expect to be able to work out for longer periods of time. In this sense you will find an elliptical machine works better for those whose knees and hips are already in bad shape. Another feature of the elliptical machine is that you can do interval training or whichever form of cardio training you are used to with upper body exercise, too, if the machine is so equipped.

Make sure you find out if the handle bars give you a workout, too, because some machines just allow the arms to swing to and fro with the foot action basically acting as a way to stabilize yourself while working out.

How do they differ from other gym equipment, you may be wondering? Although the elliptical trainer helps you with walking/running motion like a standard treadmill, the main benefit of the elliptical treadmill is that it “saves the knees.” So, which would you stay with longer: a machine that gives you a workout and eases joint discomfort or one that simply gives you a workout?

You already know you need to add exercise to your daily plans. It just makes sense to make that exercise as beneficial and healthful for the long term. The elliptical trainer does just that and now with models designed for the home user, you can gain the benefits of walking from the comfort of your own home.

Here are the top five elliptical trainers selling online – and if you buy from Amazon, you pay ZERO for shipping (can’t beat that!). Get it in time for Christmas and come New Year, you’ll be losing weight and toning up – working off all those yummy Christmas cookies you downed that were left out for Santa.

Christmas is just around the corner and kids everywhere are getting excited to see what will be under the tree this year. One gift genre that shouldn’t be overlooked is games. Kids love games, whether they’re board games, games of skill or electronic and video games. Games are a great way for a whole family to come together for an afternoon or evening and have fun. So, what are the top games for Christmas, 2009? Let’s look at the top 12.

Bowling Bunnies

A fun game for preschoolers and even older kids, Bowling Bunnies was created after the German lawn game Skittles. The bunnies sit on a wood base and players bowl them over with soft, kid safe “cabbage” beanbag bowling balls.

Wild Planet Animal Scramble

This award winning preschool game teaches kids to think on the fly with a tag styled game that develops the skills of listening, thinking, sharing and cooperating. Kids can play by themselves or with friends.

Monopoly

Kids young and old still love this oldie but goodie classic board game. Monopoly is a great way to spend some time having fun and building empires. Players learn to strategize and think ahead. Money handling skills are also part of the fun.

Hullabaloo

Full of fun and surprises, Hullabaloo keeps players moving with a game that is reminiscent of Twister, but with a twist. Players listen to the game console, which instructs them to jump here and slide there. Movement is constant until the console says, “Freeze”. The game is fun and funny for kids of all ages.

Scene It

There are several different versions of the Scene It game, but they all revolve around the same theme – your favorite movies. Watch the scenes from the movies, answer questions and race your friends to get to the Winner’s Circle.

Here’s the First Five, but scroll down to see the rest!

Cranium

The first version of Cranium is as popular as ever. Players complete artistic, language, performance and trivia activities in teams. The result is usually lots of laughter, a bit of mayhem and even some drama!

Mario Kart: Double Dash

With a cast of twenty characters to choose from, players can be anyone they like in Mario Kart: Double Dash. The video game is different from other Mario Kart games because it uses not one player in a kart, but two. The game also features multi-player battle codes. Double Dash has been out for a while, but it’s still a favorite.

Guitar Hero III

The third in the Guitar Hero series of video games, players win by hitting the correct notes on their “guitar” as the notes scroll to the bottom of the screen. Staying in time with the music requires a fair amount of skill, but kids (and parents) get a kick out of playing it.

Buzz! Junior Jungle Party

This award winning video game actually contains several mini-games, many of which are quite easy and suitable for young children. The quiz games can be played and enjoyed by older kids and even adults. Up to four people can play at a time, but the game can also be played solo.

SpongeBob Square Pants: Creature from the Krusty Krab

Sponge Bob is fun no matter what, so this video game has to be fun, too. Players can be Sponge Bob Square Pants, Patrick Star or Sheldon J. Plankton and must find their way through nine levels of play in a Krusty Krab dream world. If you and your kids love Sponge Bob, this is a must-have.

Here’s the second batch of five, but scroll down to see the last two!

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

This video game was created with Lego fans in mind. Most of the games settings and pieces are made from Lego bricks. Creating new Lego Star Wars character is one feature of the game, and players must fend off attacks from blasters and other evils.

Wii Fit

When did fitness become so much fun? Family fitness is now a video game called the Wii Fit. You can do Yoga, strength training, aerobics and balance games with the Wii Fit. It’s hard to tell whether this is really a game or a fitness tool.

This is a mix of board games, active participation games (where you have to do something other than sit or interact with the TV or computer) and video games. Some can be enjoyed alone, and all of them can be enjoyed by two or more players. The whole point is to have fun.

I put my kids to work each October – making a holiday wish list for their Christmas presents. They go through the catalogs (like the Toys R Us Biggest Toy Book Ever one that came this past weekend) and they circle what they want and I save it for later.

They also go online (with parental blocks) and shop around to see what toys and gadgets they want. I like to have a whole list so I can use it to suit my budget. They usually pick a few big ticket items, a few medium priced toys and then lots of cheap toys (for stocking stuffers and some under the tree ones too).

Kids have fun shopping for what they hope they’ll get. My kids create theirs on PowerPoint – getting very specific with price ranges and listing them from “must have” to “I might want it.” I don’t make them – they just get that excited!

Have you started YOUR Christmas wish list? I pay attention to what people mention throughout the year and I write it in the back of my checkbook. For instance, I know my mom needs an address book because hers is deteriorating. I know my son wants a treasure box to put his sentimental keepsakes in. These aren’t things they would think to ask for Christmas, but they’ll be pleasantly surprised because I have a thoughtful gift for them.

Part of my favorite Christmas planning is determining which present wil be my kids’ Santa gifts each year.  Usually, it’s the best toys they have, but I’ll admit – sometimes it’s just a matter of size.  This year, you can see which toys my kids are getting as their Santa present this year (below). 

I always feel sorry for my husband because usually the Santa gifts take hours to put together and he spends most of late Christmas Eve doing this. Then we all wonder why he’s so sleepy Christmas day! Do you put a Santa gift out, or just fill the stockings?

With stockings, we fill those up and place them, over-flowing, right on the Santa gift so that everyone knows whose “out in the open” present is whose.

Cell phones are a hot item for Christmas presents – they work for almost any age (they even have kiddie cell phones!) and they work for both genders. Mom and dad love their cells, teens, tweens, and now even tiny kids are asking for cell phones for Christmas.

If your family already owns their cells, or if you’re buying them one for Christmas, make sure you add on some fun and affordable faceplates for cell phones and other cell phone covers to protect the cell.  Aside from protection of the cell phone, they also offer some personality and bling to the accessory.

Click here to view a great cell phone cover review page!

Here are some cool cell phone faceplates and covers you can get the ones you love this season – including a Nightmare Before Christmas cell phone cover and cell phone tattoos!