Gift Giving Guy

Oprah Winfrey is signaling a thrifty holiday season this year. Rather than indulgences from past lists of Oprah’s Favorite Things, the influential host suggests inexpensive and homespun gifts for Christmas.

• Winter Reading — Oprah recommends David Wroblewski’s The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel.
• Gratitude Boxes — Embellish boxes and fill them with heartfelt messages.
• Music Downloads — Eight free Christmas MP3s for 48 hours on Oprah.com. My favorite is Harry Connick Jr.’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.”
• Treasure Boxes — Gather childhood mementos from the basement, attic, filing cabinets and closets. Organize these keepsakes — things like report cards, prize ribbons and fridge art — into a wooden chest from a craft store like Michaels.
• Hot Chocolate Cones — Your custom mix of hot chocolate with marshmallows and chocolate chips in a plastic piping bag, sealed with a ribbon at the top.
• Gift Swap Parties — Gather friends and swap hand-me-down children’s gifts to put under the tree.
• Garden Gift Baskets — Harvest the gifts of food from your own garden to make apple sauce, salsa, spaghetti sauce and more.
• 12 Dates of Christmas — Give the gift of time. Commit to 12 inexpensive dates this December: movie matinees, bowling, and cooking together.