Birthday presents in December - cheap ideas (that don't sound cheap)

[nothingoldcanstay]

Suddenly all my friends seem to have December birthdays. In order as of next week I've got my SIL, my best friend (of my age), my DP, both my neighbours and my best "mum at school friend (who does lots of childcare).
I really struggle a) to afford yet more presents b) to find inexpensive gifts that don't scream 3 for 2 Christmas offer or c) to do more "thoughtful choosing".

Perhaps I should get them a nicer birthday gift and then something smaller for Christmas?

My birthday is in December too and when I was young I used to hate that I'd get either a small gift for christmas or my birthday, although now I'm just grateful for a card

And I didn't answer your question at all either sorry! Boot 3 for 2 gifts don't look cheap, get them something from there and a bottle of wine for Christmas and something nice for birthday?

We have a lot of December birthdays.

Ideas:

Photo frames/books/albums
Home-made cookies in nice jar
Drink!
Flowers
Nice scarf
A nice meal cooked by you
Vouchers from you for things like babysitting
A thoughtfully chosen book

Tkmaxx, The Works, and supermarkets have some very good stuff usually.

Do you bake at all? I have started giving homemade stuff alongside say a book or mug or something. A friend of mine has made a small Christmas cake and a photo book for a lot of her relatives this year which I think is a nice idea.

I got my friend (also December) some lovely notebooks (from tkmaxx I think?) That I am going to tie together with ribbon and give her some homemade biscuits with too.

I love my December birthday! This year am hoping for Yankee candle 12 days of christmas set....so I can burn them on the run up to christmas and feel all festive Lots of sparkly nail polishes for christmas nights out!
I often ask for stuff that I would need for nights out, festive PJs,make up etc that Id need to buy normally but cant afford because of Christmas.

Thanks all. My baking isn't up to much to be honest. Actually one of my other friends does a Christmas cookie recipe in a jar. The right amounts of flour ,sugar and spices in a posh jar with the recipe attached on a luggage tag. That way you can save it till the food mountain has dwindled a bit.

Peanuts - Good point. I shall lean towards things that might help them in the run up to Christmas I think.

How about a nice mug with a hot chocolate sachet and a bailey's miniature inside? A good book or DVD if you can stretch to it too, or failing that a Grazia-type magazine.

I'm a December birthday too and I always love smellies or a book

Me and my friends quite often give each other snazzy tights or hold ups

Or an amaryllis plant

How much do you want to spend?

You can get lots of them the same thing if they don't know each other, eg

this
or one of these
or this?

or buy some bulbs eg iris reticulata or hyacinths and plant them up in a terracotta pot or vintage style container. Stick a bow around it.