Holiday Gift Cards

Christmas gift giving is always a bit of a risk. Unless that person gives you a list of exactly what they want, you may get the wrong item. You could get the right item but the wrong brand. If they did provide a list, you could get a duplicate item forcing them to face "National Take Back Your Crappy Christmas Presents" Day with receipt in hand.

You could have a person who is absolutely impossible to buy for. Someone with expensive tastes that you can't afford to buy presents for. The list goes on and on. In these situations, you may want to consider giving a gift card. There used to be a time when giving a gift card was considered the lazy way of doing stuff. However, in recent times, that isn't the case. You're niece and/or nephew may like that gift card because it "looks like a credit card".

With this in mind, if you do decide to give out gift cards this year, why not spice up the wrapping a little? No reason a gift card has to be boring. There are several ways you can give gift cards this year.

Matchbook Gift Card Album

Remember those little matchbooks you could get at gas stations? Well, this is a paper folding project that produces a similar item sans-matches. This project is fairly simple. Take a strip of paper. Fold it a small amount from the bottom. Fold the top portion down far enough to overlap with the first fold. Use tape or ribbon to adhere the bottom flap. Insert the card, and decorate the outside.

Tin Gift Card Holder

Using construction paper, paint, scissors, and tape, you can take an old tin and create a unique gift card holder that will be every bit as delightful as the gift card itself. Before painting the tin, it might help to sand it down. This allows the paint to grip better. Instead of paint, you might use paper instead. If the tin is silver, this could add to the Christmas theme. Make sure that the tin is big enough to fit your card before you purchase it.

Christmas Card

If you enjoy making homemade Christmas cards, why not find a way to integrate your gift card into the design instead of just throwing it in the envelope. Cut out a big photo corner in a Christmas color or pattern and affix it to the cover or inside of your card. Slide in the gift card and you're done.