I know it's early to begin thinking about Christmas, and I'm not trying to pull a department store (putting the fir trees out before the jackolanterns are gone), but I have a LOT, I mean Many People to buy for this Christmas and I'm trying to get started. Half the people on my list either don't need anything or have Pack Rat tendencies I'm trying not to make worse (i.e. My Mom and her Precious Moments collections...I know, I know). What are some good present ideas for people like this?

The one thing I've done in the past is buy tickets to events, but it's hard now because we don't live in the same town.

-- Anonymous, October 24, 2000

Answers

I had HUGE success two years ago when I bought gifts for every one in my immediate family. What I did was go to a great local bookstore (the Tattered Cover) and, yes, I bought each of them a book. I spent only a couple of hours at it and really tried to pick easy, fun, fast books with lots of pictures/illustrations that I could match to their personalities in some intimate way that no one else would have thought of.

For instance, I bought one of my brothers a book on metamorphoses. It was a "spot the difference" book, in which two facing pages are almost identical pictures or passages of text and you have to locate the differences. This one used text from Kafka and all kinds of strange surreal and bizarre art. My brother the English major and fan of bizarre things, loved it. So did his children, who loved playing the game with the all the pretty pictures. That gift worked on many levels.

For another brother, I bought a children's book. It was an illustrated retelling of the national myth of Finland cast with dogs and cats. Sounds weird, but the tale is awesome and the art was comic-ish but lush, busy and tons of fun. Besides, many of the characters looked like characters my brother used to draw in high school. So he loved it. And his children loved it, too, because of the epic action and the silly and engaging artwork.

I did similar things for everyone else and it was a bona fide smash hit. In contrast, the next year my oldest brother bought for me the novel "Mason & Dixon", which is only as big as a Subaru and twice as heavy. For some reason he thought I'd go for that. He completely doesn't have the knack, poor shmuck.

-- Anonymous, October 24, 2000

Books are good. For women, salon/spa gift certificates are always nice. In general, there are always things that people like, but no matter how well off they are, don't buy for themselves/can always use more of. I tend to go for the excessively fancy household/wardrobe necessity- a kitchen gadget or accessory that no one would buy for themselves.

-- Anonymous, October 24, 2000

ahhh...the Tattered Cover. I am envying your shopping choices right now, Paul.

-- Anonymous, October 24, 2000

A photograph of you. The people who love you will be thrilled to have a nice picture of you. I'm a Mom, so trust me when I tell you that there are lots of people on your list who would be very happy to have a portrait of you where you're not in a graduation or wedding gown.

-- Anonymous, October 24, 2000

What is it about moms and portraits, anyway? I've noticed that myself. Kathleen, can you put it into words?

-- Anonymous, October 25, 2000

I like to browse fleamarkets, junk stores, garage sales and antique stores and I buy rare, one-of-a-kind gifts for friends and family all year long and save them up. You know, you see something that leaps at you and you think, "Gawd, mom would love this!" Also senior citizen stores because they end up with a lot of really cool, old stuff they don't make anymore due to deaths and the widow or widower just donates everything because they can't bear to have it around. I've purchased very expensive cuff-links for a friend of mine for cheap (he likes to wear shirts that require cuff-links)that were unique. Old books and doo-dads for people's desks. Truly unusual stuff. Too much of what you see in the stores is cookie cutter. I've also learned that, when it comes to females, from 6 to 90, you just can't go wrong with good bath oil.

-- Anonymous, October 25, 2000

Unfortunately, on the portrait front: I've given my mom so many pictures of myself that I'm starting to seem a little conceited. Thanks for all the ideas!

-- Anonymous, October 25, 2000

I'm going to try to force bulbs for people in clear glass containers. If it works, it's going to be beautiful. And if it doesn't, I'm going to have to do a lot of nasty last minute shopping.

I like to make my Christmas shopping really count. I hate malls and chain stores so much that I try to do my Christmas shopping at the places I want to make it into next year. So my the indi bookstore gets my bucks (and I often buy poetry for people, because it's important to me that those books are purchased and read), the fair- trade store that has beautiful imported dishes and crafts from everywhere, the health food store (laugh if you like, but a selection of teas and gormet foods can make a nice present), I buy cds from musicians I know, and arts and crafts from local artists.

I also try to spread out the Christmas shopping over a number of months so that it isn't such a rush or a financial set-back. We usually make $10 gifts in quantity as well so that we don't have to think over-much over the little things. (Co-worker gifts, teacher gifts, great-aunt gifts, you just showed up with a present and I didn't expect that gifts -- last year we did tins of shortbread, another year it was truffles, another year little candle holders that I had painted -- a lot of those kind of things are easy to do in great big batches and can come off really nicely if you stick to one elegant, yet simple craft/food.)

-- Anonymous, October 25, 2000

A great big hug and a small tear of real love in the corner of your eye. A card that says "thankyou" from the bottom of your heart that you have had the good fortune to know them. A phone call out of the blue just to tell them you miss them. Christmas is all year long and gifts should be given to be stored in the heart of the recipient not in a closet or drawer. James

-- Anonymous, October 26, 2000

Oooh. James, please don't reach out and touch me. I hit back. I find gift certificates work well. My dad is nearly impossible to buy for and my little sisters are teenagers and who knows what's REALLY cool at any given minute. I give them g.c.s to Borders which also has CDs and they can pick & choose what they want. I also do a lot of baking. My mom is addicted to candied orange peel which I make when I have, like, 20 free hours in which to make it. But, bread's always appreciated--at least to my face. And I make fresh pesto. I like to cook.

-- Anonymous, October 26, 2000

Gift certificates are the best... not at all uninspired... esp since almost everyplace offers them - wonderful, unique used bookstores like Green Apple in San Francisco and Powell's in Portland; art and craft stores like FLAX; even Home Depot or Office Depot.... of course, there are the regular clothes, food, plants, etc. You can send things online or regular mail; online also allows us to "buy" wherever we live AND support funky, unusual, charitable or distant merchants. Last year I got loads of gift certificates and after all the celebration of the holidays faded, I was able to treat myself over and over again. It was terrific having things I ordered arrive in the mail in the bleakness of January and February. Just pick a source that would mean something to the recipient... .... ....

-- Anonymous, October 26, 2000

Oh Caudia, please don't tease me. I get excited. james

-- Anonymous, October 27, 2000

"Krispy Kreme of the Month Club" for donut-deprived friends. The Fed- Ex man will become your friend.

-- Anonymous, October 27, 2000