I LOVE gift cards and we give them to a raft of Grandkids and Nieces and Nephews!!!!!! I even LOVE to get them myself!! We get Target cards for all the kidlets, and they seem to be well pleased with them!! We have also given gift cards to music stores or Borders, and they liked those too! Food is another thing that has gone over well...I collect up fun containers all year around and then depending on the size of the container, we fill with M&m's, homemade cookies (choc chip) or other types of candies. One DSIL gets bubble gum in his!! For the adults I usually make gift baskets with bath stuff for the gals and movie night things for the guys, with a gift card to Movieland rental place.
I also make shower towels for kids and hair towels for the ladies. A big hit with the guys a couple of years ago, were denim pocket things that fit a 5 gallon bucket. I got the buckets for free from a restaurant(white plastic) and made a carrier that fit over it that had lots of pockets for tools etc.. One pocket was sort of "bulgy" and had magnet strips on the back of it.
Good luck on ideas...we have a huge blended family from 4 mos. old to 85 years old...gifts are a challenge!!

Hey jaybird...you had some great idea's! Christmas time can be stressful enough as it is, without adding buying gifts at the last minute in there! I definitly have to get a jump early. Thanks for the approval of gift-cards. I'm never sure how people will take it if they get them. I like them but I know some people think they are impersonal. Thanks again!

I love to give gift cards and it can be fun HOW you give them....In a basket with cookies or in a bunch of underwear, Understand that person needs a good sense of humor. I stuffed a few ten dollar bills in some work socks once. Simple cheap dollar store toys and stuffed animals can hold cards. Slice a loaf of bread and stuff a card in it. Or in a bag of silk flowers minus the stems. Maybe a big bag filled with curly ribbons. I made a ball of crape paper wrapping tons of tiny toys from gumball machines with a few tens wrapped in the center once, it was fun to see all the tiny things come out as my stepdad kept unrolling and unrolling his gift. My neice got a small suitcase once filled with old dresses and dress up stuff. I like to give cards to book stores tucked into old paperback books. Movie cards would be good tucked into popcorn boxes. Hubby gets a box of nails with a gift card sometimes. Son gets a bunch of hotwheels cars with a card to Shucks auto parts. Wrap a card to a garden store with a large rock or stepping stone.

Last year I made rice bags from athletic socks, dish towel angels, hot pads, Santa longjohns (from socks) and put them in a large can. Resealed the can and made a lable for the outside with instructions on how to use the enclosed gift. The hardest part was getting enough large cans, so start early.

beverly

Love the gift card idea! I have been known to give cards to 7-eleven which the adults love for coffee or pop and the kids love them for slurpees. These fit nicely in any kind of can, from soup to dog food.

I've also given dishtowel angels, hot cocoa in a mug, blah blah blah