Inexpensive and Unique Christmas Gifts For Casual Acquaintances

Whether it's a co-worker, a teacher, or a newer friend, that casual acquaintance presents a problem when it comes to gift giving. Although you want to acknowledge them during the holiday season, you may not know what an appropriate gift would be. While you don't want to spend too much (especially if you are buying for multiple co-workers), you also want the gift to be worthwhile.

Nobody likes a gift to go over badly, and nobody likes to go broke for people they don’t know well. However, you can still give them inexpensive yet unique Christmas gifts.

Gifts You Can Make
Candles are an inexpensive Christmas gift If you have a group of casual friends to give gifts to this Christmas season, you may want to consider making something in bulk that you can easily distribute. Christmas cookies, candles, and ornaments are not only all easy to make but also unique, inexpensive Christmas gifts. Another idea is to make your own Christmas gift baskets and include a bunch of small, homemade crafts. Giving acquaintances a homemade gift related to the season is an easy way to ensure that they don't already have what you are giving them and that they will use your gift!

Enlighten them!
One thing often easy to tell about a person is how much reading they do. Casual conversation can reveal whether a person prefers war novels or bodice-ripping romance. Ask the bookstore clerk for the more popular or newest titles of a particular genre. While premium novels run around fourteen dollars, every bookstore offers a huge range of titles closer to seven. Alternatively, if you are unsure what books a person has already read, get a gift certificate from a bookstore so (s)he can pick a book.

If the person isn’t much of a book reader, a magazine subscription might be a better option. Amazon.com offers a list of thirty-five subscriptions that cost less than ten dollars including Esquire, Redbook, Details, and Field & Stream as well as general news magazines such as Time and Newsweek. A magazine subscription is a unique, inexpensive Christmas gift that will keep on giving for months to come!

Entertain them!
Budget DVD titles costing ten dollars or less practically flood the market. Depending on the place and time, you can find virtually any title more than a few years old on sale. Helpful hints: avoid foreign films or anything rated R. One thing to keep in mind if you are going this route is that not everyone has broken into the DVD world. Be aware of the technology a person is currently using: if they don't have a DVD player, then opt for a VHS instead.

You could also consider getting a CD collection of various artists that represent a specific era or genre, such as Motown. However, while ideas in this category represent unique and inexpensive Christmas gifts, they also take more time to get if you are shopping for a number of acquaintances. Stick to DVDs, VHS, or CDs if you need Christmas gift ideas for a limited number of casual friends.

If you are buying for a smaller number of acquaintances, you may want to purchase tickets to a concert, play, or sporting event. Tickets are unique Christmas gifts that give a person an experience and a memory that can last a lifetime. While they may not be the most inexpensive Christmas gift ideas, you can buy discounted tickets for various events online at eBay or other ticket liquidators.

Engorge them!
Food is one of the best foolproof gifts, regardless of the time of year. While Christmas cookies may be a better gift for the teacher, a Christmas gift basket can go to almost any acquaintance. Gift baskets filled with fruit, cheeses, chocolates, smoked meats, and Christmas crafts can be easily made at home or purchased at department stores, online, or through catalogs.

Another unique Christmas gift idea is a membership to a product of the month club. Wine, beer, cigars, chocolate, and even bacon can all be delivered to a person's home monthly. While this is not the most inexpensive Christmas gift, it is, like a magazine subscription, a gift that the person will receive for months to come. By purchasing these memberships online, you can save time and energy in choosing a gift and then have to shop for it.

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