Guest Author - Melissa Weise

It seems that you need to get a gift for everyone all the time, right? Every time someone has a birthday, when a friend or sibling graduates, and on holidays like Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Easter. Giving things to one another is out way of showing that we care and it doesn't seem optional either. You are expected to give gifts at these times and would be considered rude if you didn't.

But what do you do if you have very little or no money? Is your gift’s importance really measured by the number on the price tag? Does it mean more if you pay more? If that is the case and if you aren’t rich, how do you show how much you care to your friends and family?

That’s what I asked a group of teenagers and they told me that gifts aren’t about the money. They said that a gift is meaningful when you think about what that person would really like. That way, when they get it, they know you took the time to think about them and that’s why they know you care. That makes sense to me. After all, some of my favorite gifts have been inexpensive but things I really liked and wanted. How about you? What are some of you favorite gifts?

Then, when I asked the teenagers for some ideas of what they would give if that didn’t have any money at all, these are some of the things they came up with:

Make something out of things from around the house
Give them something of yours that they like
Bake them something
Give them a book that you have read and love and think they would like
Spend time with them
Wash their car
Do chores for them

And if you only have just a little bit of cash, you can buy things:
From a dollar store
From a thrift store
Online at places like Amazon.com, Half.com, and EBay
From a yard sale

But most importantly, it really is the thought that counts. How much do you think that this person will like your gift? Is it something that they have always wanted or really like? Imagine what they will do when they open it. Will their eyes light up? If so, you know you have given a gift that really does show you care --- even if you got no cash!