<p>Last year I found holiday ceramic plates at Marshall’s and TJ Maxx and put cookies and breads I made on the plates then wrapped with colorful plastic wrap and a ribbon for hostess gifts at parties we attended.</p>
<p>What is pin art?</p>
<p>I use DVDs and CDs I hav eliked and think the recipient would, too</p>
<p>I have never met anyone with a sense of humor who didn’t love [giant</a> plush microbes.](<a href=“http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/plush/6708/]giant”>http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/plush/6708/)</p>
<p>Lots of other good, small stuff on ThinkGeek too.</p>
<p>You can also pick up great t-shirts for $9.99 at [url=<a href=“http://www.threadless.com/sale/type,guys/price,9]Threadless.com[/url”>http://www.threadless.com/sale/type,guys/price,9]Threadless.com[/url</a>] if you know their size and are confident you know what style they like.</p>
<p>In honor of the recession last year, I saved several empty plastic liter bottles and filled them with Duggar Detergent - a home made laundry detergent. Tied a ribbon around the neck and provided a copy of the recipe. Made cute labels for the bottles. I gave these to my co-workers (along with a nice bottle of wine)</p>
<p>The detergent needs to be shaken before it’s used…but it works fine!</p>
<p>You can find multiple versions of the recipe on line…this is close to the one we used:</p>
<p>1 bar Ivory soap, grated
¾ c Borax
¾ c Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
In a large pot, begin heating 6 c water, add soap and melt over medium heat until soap is completely dissolved.
Add Borax & Washing Soda and stir until gritty feeling is gone.</p>
<p>Pour 4 C hot tap water into a bucket, add soap mixture and stir thoroughly, stir in 1.5 gallons more water, and allow to cool.</p>
<p>check out [Novelty</a> Gifts, Cool Stationery, Unique Greeting Cards - Fun Products From Knock Knock](<a href=“http://www.knockknock.biz/]Novelty”>http://www.knockknock.biz/)</p>
<p>There’s a woot off going on today. [Woot</a> : One Day, One Deal (SM)](<a href=“http://www.woot.com/]Woot”>http://www.woot.com/) Right now there’s an expensive vacuum but next may well be something cheap and probably strange. I’m doing woot stockings this Christmas and so far have some flying monkeys, flashlights and fans. If you look at this page <a href=“http://www.woot.com/Forums/[/url]”>http://www.woot.com/Forums/</a> You can see what’s been sold in the past.</p>
<p>For the College kids that need a jolt of caffeine in their shower - [Amazon.com:</a> Bath Buzz Caffeinated Soap: Health & Personal Care](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Bath-Buzz-Caffeinated-Soap/dp/B000H0ESTM/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Bath-Buzz-Caffeinated-Soap/dp/B000H0ESTM/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1)</p>
<p>I second Threadless.com T-shirts.</p>
<p>6.00 on sale small box of Frango mints from Macy’s</p>
<p>^^It is amazing that Frangos outlived its creator, Frederick and Nelson…</p>
<p>[Frango</a> - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frango]Frango”>Frango - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>It is a nice gift.</p>
<p>The “Waiter” model Swiss Army knife. Has everything you need and nothing you don’t. [Victorinox Waiter Swiss Army Knife](<a href=“http://www.smartknives.com/Victorinox-Knives/Victorinox-Waiter.htm”>http://www.smartknives.com/Victorinox-Knives/Victorinox-Waiter.htm</a>)</p>
<p>I’m glad nobody’s mentioned the Snuggie.</p>
<p>According to my D, Snuggie has a cult-like following among some students. Hey, it is just a blanket! However, I don’t think either of these items mentioned by Schmaltz is under $10!</p>
<p>This is what I give every year when I have no idea what I should give:</p>
<p>Buy pretzel rods
Buy good quality chocolate
Buy whatever candy and cookies you know they like</p>
<p>Melt chocolate in a double boiler, spoon it over most of the pretzel (except the part you are holding, of course). Put the pretzels on a sheet of wax paper.</p>
<p>Before they dry, sprinkle on bits of candy, sprinkles, nuts, crushed cookies, coconut, whatever. Then if you want, melt some white chocolate (or whatever color you find at the chocolate store) and drizzle it over the whole creation. </p>
<p>When they are dry, bag them up individually in sandwich bags or something nicer. A half dozen per person is a pretty nice gift if you load the pretzel up with lots of candy.</p>
<p>Particular favorites:
Oreos (not double stuffed, because they don’t crush well)
Reese’s Pieces
M&Ms
holiday sprinkles (especially if they sparkle)
crushed candy canes</p>
<p>" I don’t think either of these items mentioned by Schmaltz is under $10! "</p>
<p>If you shop around online, you can find Swiss Army knives at deep discounts. Looking for about 20 seconds, I found the Waiter for $11.34… <a href=“http://www.irawoods.com/Victorinox-Swiss-Army-Knife-53891-Waiter-Red[/url]”>http://www.irawoods.com/Victorinox-Swiss-Army-Knife-53891-Waiter-Red</a> I’m sure if you invested a whole 15 minutes of work you could find it below $10. Sometimes if you buy a certain number of them, you get an even deeper discount. I’ve found it invaluable to have a supply on hand when you need to give somebody a present on short notice…though my wife doesn’t know what to do with the 6 Waiters I’ve given her for our last 6 wedding anniversaries. Also, the other day in a drug store I saw a deal where you got 2 snuggies for $19.99. So there!!</p>
<p>P.S. Just kidding about giving the wife pocket knives for our last 6 anniversaries…last year was our silver anniversary and I sprung for a multi-tool.</p>
<p>Someone gave me one of those cookie mixes in a Mason jar. I just had to add butter and eggs. Makes a nice little gift, and you can make up a bunch of them. One of my colleagues did cocoa mix in tiny little jars.</p>
<p>I found some wonderful hot chocolate mix and peppermint bark at Trader Joes last year (much less expensive than at some of the other stores). I like to keep these on hand at the holidays for last minute gifts.</p>