Thinking About Black Friday Makes Me Blue

Next week is the official start of the Christmas shopping season and I'm dreading it. Our gift budget is about $25 and that needs to cover our two teenaged kids, ten or so relatives, 18 to 20 dear friends, the mail carrier, paper delivery person, teachers, neighbors and who knows how many others. A little quick math and our per-person budget is 25 to 50 cents (if they're lucky).

This year Black Friday will be Bleak Friday. Black-and-blue Friday. Singin' the Blues Friday. Not just for retailers, but for me, you and lots of people we know. It's just not going to be the Christmas we'd prefer to have.

But maybe I can help: During the year when I stumble across good gift ideas, I add them to my list (yes, I keep a list because my memory is shot). Most of the items are affordable, and more importantly, they are interesting, uncommon, clever. Keep visiting, because I'll be posting items almost daily.

Please note: I'm not a salesperson and don't get paid for mentioning these items. They're listed here because I like them, period. If companies start sending me samples to review or list, I'll tell you. But I'm not indebted to anyone and my opinions are unbiased.

I'm also going to include ideas for homemade gifts - some fun, some thoughtful or sentimental. These kinds of gifts often prove to be the most meaningful and memorable. After all, when you can't make the holidays cheery and bright by opening your wallet, you can open your heart and achieve something even more magical.

Fortune Cookie Journal - Teenagers actually like these! I've given two as gifts to teenagers (16 year olds; one boy, one girl) and both thought the journal was very cool. $8 each at spoonsisters.com

You Park Like S*** static cling parking critiques - What cynic wouldn't love these? This is another product that I gave as gifts and each recipient howled with laughter. Not appropriate for everyone, but the Type As in your life will enjoy putting them to use. Be sure to read the full description on the product page. $5 for a pack of six, by Mixed Species on etsy.com

Monogram Address Labels - My friend, Carolyn, told me about these labels, which she gave to her neighbors last Christmas. I gratefully stole her idea and bought some myself. The Monogram labels are $10 for 100; basic styles are just $8 for 250 - and the quality is very good. I also bought personalized postcard notes for my teenagers from American Stationery and my strategy worked - they're FINALLY writing thank you notes!. The site offers loads of classy personalized notes, labels, stickers, napkins, etc. Visit americanstationery.com

Flying Wish Paper - Everyone has dreams and wishes, and this fabulous gift encourages you to look to the future and be hopeful. Each $15 packet of Flying Wish Paper comes with 50 sheets of paper (on which you write your wish), 25 wish platforms (on which you place and set fire to your configured wish paper), matches, pencils and instructions. You burn the wish paper and it rises in the air, then slowly floats down when the flame is extinguished. My description just doesn't do this justice: Visit flyingwishpaper.com to see instructions and photos. I gave this to a friend who was getting remarried (she and the groom both had children from a previous marriage, and the gift was intended for the newly blended family). The positive message is good karma during our tough times.