Christmas Presents for Women Under $25

Looking for the perfect Christmas present for a loved one, but unsure of what to get? Hopefully you can use this list as a springboard for ideas that you can personalize and give with the assurance that your special someone will be touched at the thought you put into their gift.

1) Special Home Cooked Meal

This Christmas present would appeal to any woman. Whether you are searching for something for your wife, girlfriend, sister, mother, daughter or friend, and whether you are a man or woman yourself, your loved one would appreciate a special meal prepared with them in mind as the guest of honor. Have the whole family or friends as guests, or keep it to just the two of you. Even if you don't know how to cook, you can find easy recipes at sites like www.allrecipes.com or www.recipesource.com. Ingredients for most meals, especially if it is just for two, can be obtained for well under $25 at any local supermarket. Try to keep it simple, but elegant, by serving many varied small courses, possibly from various ethnic cuisines. Decorate the table or room and put on some festive music. You can give your loved one an invitation to the meal in a card on Christmas day, or a voucher for a meal, allowing them to choose the day.

2) Pictures or Collage of Special Photos

Another Christmas present that most women would appreciate would be some kind of collection of pictures or a collage with memorable photos of the two of you, commemorating the time you've spent together. You can buy poster board, colored or scrap book paper, and decorations like glitter or stickers at office supply stores like Office Depot for well under $25 and start from scratch. Or, if you prefer to work with supplies that have a little more structure, you can get various frame and paper sets at craft stores like Jo-Anns or Micheals. If you aren't the hand craft type, you can buy picture frames online at sites like www.picture-frames-r-us.com, which sells many varieties of multi-window frames for $25 or less (including shipping and handling) or www.getaframe.com, which has not only multi-window varieties but also nice themed frames, which you can use to match the occasion the photo portrays. Craft and department stores also usually carry picture frames. Ross would be a good place to look for a variety of discounted frames--only check to be sure they aren't scratched or worn.

3) As Seen on TV Betty Crocker® Bake N Fill Pan

This set of four pans is great for the creative baker. One of the pans is a dome shaped insert that allows you to make hollow cakes. Once the cake is baked, you can fill it with any number of things, from chocolate mousse to homemade strawberry sauce for your own unique angel food cake. The pans are non-stick and dishwasher safe, and you don't have to be limited to cake batter. You can cook any batter that you would like to shape into a dome: quick breads, pancakes, even corn bread. As an alternative, there is a set that allows you to make smaller, personalized dome cakes that looks rather like a muffin pan. This would be a great Christmas present for a mother of a child who likes to spend time baking fun projects with mom in the kitchen. Both are only $14.99 at Linens N Things.

4) Gift Card

The catch-all Christmas present which may seem impersonal, but is still a good bet when you just aren't sure what to get. Rather than spending $25 on an interesting looking teapot, or a scarf you hope isn't too wide and ruffly, you could let your loved one choose what they would like for themselves. Why I would give a gift card instead of cash is that it shows at least that you put some effort into the present. You drove somewhere other than the ATM machine to purchase the card, and you know your loved one well enough to choose a card from a store that they frequent often.

5) DVD

DVDs are wonderful Christmas presents that almost any woman would enjoy (the exceptions being those who never watch movies or television). The caution with this present is that you must know what movie your loved one enjoys enough that she would want to own it and watch it multiple times, and you must be sure that she hasn't already bought it herself. Once these two obstacles are surmounted, you have smooth sailing, since DVDs can be purchased almost anywhere. Your cheapest bets would probably be large stores such as Walmart or Target, or even Amazon.com. When buying a used DVD from Amazon.com, just be sure to read the seller's comments on the DVD. Is the case ruined? In that case, you might want to buy a new one. Plus, at many stores DVDs sell for as low as 5, 8, or 10 dollars, allowing you the possibility of purchasing more than one. Finally, not only movies, but also television series are available on DVD, and there are many that retail at $19.99 or $24.99. If you can't find them new for low prices, do try Amazon.com.

6) Jump/Flash Drive

These Christmas presents are practical and handy for women who use computers often. They are small, portable, and can be used simply by plugging them into a computer's USB port. Your loved one can store text files, documents, photos, music, and more for back-up or transfer in one compact package. These are especially ideal for the soon-to-be college student. 2 GB Kingston drives are available at Amazon.com for $18.99. You can also purchase drives of various storage capacities for under $25 at Target or Walmart.

7) Video Games

Although these Christmas presents will only appeal to a targeted audience, that audience is growing each year as video games become more and more popular with girls. I can attest that those girls do grow up, and would still love a video game or two for Christmas. The Nintendo DS is a very popular handheld game console for females with games appealing to all ages. If your loved one is a gamer with a DS, here are some good bets. Semi-role-playing games that involve varied yet repetitive tasks and relationship building such as the Harvest Moon series or Lost in Blue 2 can be purchased for $25 dollars or under on Amazon.com. For the cook there are games like Cooking Mama or Cake Mania, while Final Fantasy III and Etrain Odessy appeal to those who love long rpgs. Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu is a good fighting game, while any Mario game is sure to bring up fond memories of childhood. There are a variety of games available on any console that video game playing women would like. You can choose from a variety of games used and new at stores like GameStop. Toys R Us and Circuit City usually have a good selection of games at normal prices, with a good fraction falling under the $25 mark. Finally, Target and Walmart also sell video games, although the selection is usually very limited. Your best bet is to browse Amazon.com or a video game store like GameStop and choose a game with cover art that you think would appeal to your loved one. Flip it over and read the back. Do you still think they would find it interesting? Then give it a try. Keep the receipt, and they can always exchange it if it doesn't work out. Don't be discouraged if it doesn't; video gamers are often a picky lot.

8) Handmade Craft or Candy

This type of Christmas present works especially well for mothers and grandmothers. Not only will they appreciate that you went to the effort to make them something personal, you may also discover a new pasttime that you could enjoy for a long time to come. Popular gifts are crocheted or knitted scarves or hats, or baked holiday cookies or desserts. Kits teaching beginners how to crochet or knit including instruction booklet, patterns, yarn, and needles are available at craft stores like Jo-Anns or Micheals from $9.99 to $24.99. Sugar cookies decorated with frosting and colored candy wrapped in festive cellophane and placed in a wicker basket are a cute, delicious holiday present. You can learn to make cookies from websites like www.allrecipes.com and buy cellophane gift bags at Jo-Anns for under $3 dollars. Wicker baskets can be purchased at dollar stores. If you'd like to experiment a bit, you can make homemade fudges, peanut brittles, or caramels to add into the baskets.

9) For the Bathroom

There are a variety of Christmas presents women would love to pamper themselves with while relaxing on a day off in the tub. Cute gift sets like Bath & Body Works Temptations: Delicious Wishes Twisted Peppermint™ which includes a small peppermint candy design tote bag and a bottle of Twisted Peppermint™ 3-in-1 Body Wash, Bubble Bath and Shampoo for $10 would make for a nice evening of relaxation. The Bath & Body Works® Signature Collection Best Wishes Winter Candy Apple set for $15 includes a 12 ounce Hand & Body Lotion and Hand Soap in a nice metal carrier tray for a holiday scent during the Christmas season. Most things to be found at Bath and Body Works, such as lotions, aromatherapy, bath and shower products, soaps, and a variety of others would be great and useful gifts to make your loved one feel special.

10) Magazine Subscription

A magazine subscription is a creative Christmas present that your loved one can enjoy throughout the year. At www.magazines.com, you can choose from hundreds of magazine subscriptions that are under $25 for any number of interests, from cooking to outdoors, fashion to motherhood, cars to gardening. Subscriptions are usually discounted substantially over the monthly in-store per magazine prices, allowing great savings. Magazine subscriptions are also a nice treat that many women would like but can't justify buying for themselves; splurge on them and get them not one, but 6, 9, or 12 gifts this year.