Posted by Kevan Lee :: December 10, 2008 @ 11:15 am

Imagine yourself waking up on Christmas morning to a tree full of presents. You anxiously approach the treasure trove in eager anticipation of what goodies await you inside the perfectly wrapped packages. With your family and friends surrounding you, you pick out a beautifully wrapped gift from under the tree and delicately pull off the wrapping paper.

Then you open up the box to find ...

... a macaroni necklace and two coupons for a back massage.

Welcome to Christmas 2008 in a recessed, depressed economy. This holiday season might be unlike any other holiday season you can remember, for money is tight, jobs are scarce, and there is no bailout in sight for that two-page Christmas list your daughter just handed you. And where do people tend to turn when times are tough? I mean, besides the McDonald's Dollar Menu? Homemade gifts, of course!

Nothing says "You shouldn't have" like an itchy knit scarf, yet many Christmas shoppers this holiday season will find knitting and crafting and creating to be a fine alternative to spending money. Homemade gifts are sure to be the rage, as our economy dictates. Per Christmas tradition, there must be gifts to open around the holidays, and if those gifts can't be bought with money, then it looks like they'll have to be made with love.

The crux of the gift-giving issue really does come down to money. Everyone enjoys giving gifts and receiving gifts, so there will be no stopping us from cramming our fake, plastic trees with presents. But whereas in years past when folks were making more money or not foreclosing on their homes, this year the process of gift buying is an exercise in frugality. And homeliness is winning.

Homemade gifts seem like the best solution when it comes to the gift-giving to friends and relatives. Rather than go out and spend hundreds on individual presents for everyone you know, it is far more cost-conscious to bake a batch of cookies and hope they're not stale by the time your friend opens them. Making a gift yourself would cost a fraction of what it does to buy a gift in a store. The quickest and easiest way to save money around the holidays is channeling your inner Martha Stewart, rolling up your sleeves, and making gifts for everyone on your list.

Even better, a homemade gift can mean so much more than a store-bought item. The thought and time and attention put into making a gift by hand cannot be replaced, especially by something that has a Wal-Mart price tag on it, no matter how Rolled Back the price was. Handmade gifts can be cherished much longer than other gifts, and knowing that someone went to the extra effort for you truly makes you feel special.

So it's easy, right? Handmade gifts are the way to go this holiday season.

Well, not so fast.

There is no denying the attractiveness of inexpensive, handmade presents for the gift giver. But there is some debate on whether or not people actually like receiving them.

Don't kill the messenger. Chances are you have been guilty of chuckling quietly to yourself when a family member unwrapped a piece of personalized pottery that looked less like an ashtray and more like a bizarro BatPod. Thank goodness that wasn't you, right? Well, this Christmas, it might be you.

Giving homemade gifts seems like a good idea to many people because they don't have to receive their homemade gifts. Put yourself in someone else's shoes before you go ahead and cross-stitch those coasters. What would it be like to open a fruitcake? How would it feel to be the proud owner of a bejeweled cell phone case? Try faking a smile when you get a Best Friend 4 Life certificate.

Homemade gifts don't sound so hot anymore, right? The value in saving money with DIY goods can quickly be superseded by the damage done by tacky, cheesy, or useless curio. Some people simply don't have the skills to make gifts on their own. Others have bad judgment when it comes to what the rest of the world finds valuable. And for those who are actually good at thinking up creative gift ideas, sometimes they fail to recognize that the person they're trying to please would be much happier with something else ... or nothing at all.

The point is that you have to know where to draw the line with homemade gifts, and you have to know your audience. You can create the most beautifully artistic painting, but it won't have much value to a husband and wife who think SpikeTV's MXC is fine art. Likewise, if you have the perfect person in mind for a homemade bakery item but you can't bake to save your life, all you're going to do is put the gifted in an awkward and uncomfortable situation and maybe give him or her food poisoning.

Homemade gifts don't have to be the only alternative, either. There are lots of different ways to save money on gift purchases. With places like eBay and craigslist, there are options for used or pre-owned merchandise that can be had for very affordable prices. Thinking outside the box can help, too. Subscriptions or sign-ups are creative ways to give a gift that one will appreciate and get to enjoy year-round. Even the traditional stores are going out of their way to make shopping easier on wallets and consciences. Free shipping from online retailers is a good start, and big box stores have all sorts of different deals at this time of year.

There is nothing wrong with homemade gift-giving this holiday season. It is an affordable way to show someone you love them and to give them a gift that can be cherished for a long time.

But for the record, I don't like macaroni necklaces and back rub coupons.