10 Free Christmas Gift Ideas

Sometimes we find ourselves short on Christmas cash, yet we still have several people left on our lists. If this happens to you this Christmas, give some thought to these 10 free Christmas gift ideas.

1. Coupons: You can easily make coupons this Christmas for your friends, family and coworkers for free. To create these free Christmas coupons, open a word processing program and search for clipart that will match your coupon. For example, if you want to give your child a free Christmas coupon that entitles them to a month without having to take out the trash, you could search for trash can. Once you have selected a clipart image, type your message next to the coupon, selecting a nice font to add character to your free Christmas coupon. Once you have made the number of free Christmas coupons that you need, print them out and put them in an envelope. I highly suggest decorating the envelope to make the gift more special. For example, if you have stickers around the house your child would like, decorate the envelope that way. If the free coupons are for your partner, decorate the envelope with hearts and love quotes that can be found online.

2. Homemade Treats: Homemade treats make the perfect free Christmas gift. If you have a well-stocked pantry, you can easily make a free Christmas gifts. Choose easy recipes, last Christmas I chose four recipes, I split the recipes up and packaged them in Christmas tins, but you could easily put the treats on paper plates and wrap them with plastic wrap. The people I gave these free Christmas treats to were thrilled. They liked the candy and cookies more than previous gifts that weren't free. Free Christmas gifts that come from the heart mean more than something hastily picked up at the local department store.

3. Collage: Whether it's for your friends or family, a collage of pictures makes a great free Christmas gift. A great idea is look online for pictures of celebrities whom your loved ones like. Print the pictures out on photo paper and assemble them on large piece of cardboard. You can easily take part of a large shipping box and use it to assemble your pictures on. I think it looks great to overlap the pictures. This way the cardboard is completely covered and all you see are the pictures. You can do the same thing with family pictures. This makes a great free Christmas gift.

4. Offer Your Services: If you specialize in something, you can easily give a free Christmas gift this year. For example, if you own a bakery, offer to make your friends cakes for their Christmas parties. If you are a mechanic, offer to change your friend's oil for free. Your friends will greatly appreciate your services and it will be free.

5. A Romantic Dinner: This is a great free Christmas gift idea for boyfriends/husbands. Prepare your girlfriend/wife a meal from scratch on a night you know will be really hectic for her. For example, if she calls to tell you that she's going to go and finish up the Christmas shopping that evening, have dinner ready when she gets home. She'll love you for it. Another idea, for friends, is to cook a romantic dinner for them. Arrive at their house with food from your own pantry and fridge. If your friends have a dining room, set it up with candles and turn down the lights. If your friends don't have a dining room, set up their living room in a very romantic way. Maybe pushing the coffee table out of the way and placing a blanket and several pillows in the floor and candles around the room. Have your friends sit down and enjoy each other's company while you go into the kitchen and prepare them a wonderful dinner. I would suggest preparing a dessert at home and leaving it for them on the kitchen counter and slipping out while they enjoy their dinner, making sure they have everything they need before you leave. This is a free Christmas gift idea that cannot miss.

6. A Night Off: Do your friends have a really hectic life? Work, kids, sports practice and more? Give your friends the nights off. Offer to take their children to practice and then take them to your house for dinner. This will allow your friends to relax after work. A night of relaxation is a wonderful free Christmas gift.

7. Errands: Does your partner have several errands to do on the weekend? Do they have to get the oil changed, go grocery shopping or get the kids hair cut? Let them take the weekend off. Get the grocery list from them, take the car and get the oil changed and pick up the groceries. Then get something to eat out on the town. Bring your partner something to eat and include a pint of their favorite ice cream. This free Christmas gift will get you lots of brownie points.

8. Crafts: Are you good at a certain craft? Do you know how to do cross-stitch or crochet? Make your loved ones a free Christmas gift using the hobby you love. A free homemade Christmas gift your loved ones can keep forever means so much. When you put so much time into a gift, your recipients do not think about the fact that the Christmas gift was free.

9. Book of Quotes and Poems: We all have notebooks lying around the house. This holiday, create a free Christmas gift that will show how much you really do care. Go online and search for quotes and poems that match the relationship you have with this person. For example, if you are making this book for your girlfriend/wife, search for love quotes and poems. Then decorate the outside of the book with hearts and maybe rose petals that have been pressed in a book. To put this much time in a Christmas gift -- especially for your girlfriend/wife -- will mean more than you ever imagined. Free doesn't have to be junk. A free Christmas gift can be very meaningful. It just takes time.

10. CD: Everyone has favorite songs. Make your loved one a CD that has all his or her favorite songs on it this Christmas. If it's for someone extra special, put songs on there that remind you of them. This is another great Christmas gift that is free. It just requires searching for the music and burning the CD.

Free Christmas gifts must come from the heart or they are nothing more than junk. You really must think about these Christmas gifts and the person you are giving them to. Make a free Christmas gift as special as the person you are giving it to.