Your friends, relatives and neighbors are eagerly looking forward to your annual Christmas photo cards.  But how do you make this year’s holiday card really fresh and original? Here are seven ideas to help you make your new photo Christmas cards stand out.

1. Go black and white photo for a dramatic look.  Many digital cameras have a setting that will enable you to take your photo in black and white. Or you can change a color snapshot to grayscale in your photo editing software. If you don’t know how to do it yourself, most photo card companies can do it for you at no extra charge.

2. The more, the merrier.  This year, include more than just the kids in your photo Christmas cards.  Get in the picture with them!  One year my uncle remarked that while he enjoyed receiving a photo of the kids every year, he would like to see a picture of us, too. So, gather the entire family, even the pets.  And if you have an opportunity during the year to attend a large family get together with grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins, you might consider using a large group family photo.

3. Pack the Santa hat on vacation. Whether you’re going to the beach, sightseeing in the city or pumpkin picking in the fall, bring along a holiday prop or two, such as a Christmas stocking or ornament.  When you’re taking photos of your family excursion, include a few with everyone holding or wearing the Christmas props for refreshingly different holiday photo.

4. Think personality.  While you might enjoy a posed photo of your children all cleaned up, in nice clothes, with not even a hair out of place, it doesn’t show off their real personalities.  For more interesting photo Christmas cards, try taking some candid photos of your kids doing things they enjoy.  Or pose them with props that reflect their interests or accomplishments.

5. Scrapbook a page.  If you’re creative, you can put together several cropped photos and your greeting on holiday background paper, then photograph or scan it to be used as your photo Christmas card.  Since most photo card companies use 4 x 6 inch photos to produce your cards, trim a standard 12 x 12 inch scrapbooking page to 12 inches wide by 8 inches high as your background for your layout.

6. Embellish it.  Even if you have already ordered standard photo Christmas cards, you might still be able to jazz them up a bit.  Check out the scrapbooking aisles in your local craft store for tiny embellishments, such as bows, ribbons, and other holiday dimensional items.  These are practically flat, since they are meant for a scrapbook page, so they will still fit into your envelope after you glue them on your cards.

7. Shop around.  There are so many photo Christmas card companies on the internet that are offering unique, original, personalized designs.  Some designs can even contain multiple photos, so you don’t have to worry about getting that one perfect snapshot.  Or they will put your photo into the shape of an ornament, tree, or other holiday symbol.  Many companies will let you write your own message, so you have more choices and options.  They come in all price ranges, so it pays to do some browsing.

So, don’t be afraid to try something a little different with your photo Christmas cards this year.  With a little imagination, your holiday photo cards will be truly special.

Your girlfriend knows her way around the kitchen. She can go in there, pull out some pots and pans and in about 30 minutes you smell a tantalizing aroma wafting through the air. Count yourself lucky that you’ve got a woman who enjoys cooking and eating as much as you enjoy eating good food.

Now, finding girlfriend gift ideas for her shouldn’t be too hard, because there are countless kitchen gadgets around that do all kinds of things like, chopping, mixing, frying, grilling and baking. Your real challenge is to narrow your choices down to a few good items that you know she’ll really like. You can either get her a gift that helps her fix food in the kitchen, or, you can get her something delicious to eat.

If you want to focus on getting her a helpful kitchen item, then go into her kitchen and take a look around to see what items she already has. A quick chopper would be a nice gift, but maybe she already has one or more. If she has a nice mixer or blender, then you can scratch that off your list. If she drinks coffee, see if she has a coffee maker – if so, check to see if it looks old and tired. Check the condition of her mixing bowls and cooking utensils. These could be replaced with brand shiny new ones. Maybe she would appreciate a new casserole dish set.

If you want to focus on a food gift, then you probably already have an idea of what she likes to eat. If she enjoys eating seafood, steak, chicken, soul food, Italian, French, Asian or any style American food, you can arrange to take her out for an evening of fine dining. Or, you can order specialty food items from an online vendor and both of you can enjoy eating it at home.

If she loves sweets, there are delicious items like: chocolate assortments, specialty cakes, cookies and even a box of nostalgia candy. You could order a food gift basket online, or be adventurous and make your own food gift basket. Go to a department store, or craft store, and purchase a basket or nice looking box, get some colorful ribbon, then go grocery shopping for lots of treats you know she loves.

Here are a few more gift suggestions:

Ice Cream Maker – it used to be so much hassle making homemade ice cream, but today’s electric ice cream makers are so easy to use that all you need to do is add the ingredients and push a button.

Sandwich Press – she can make all kinds of hot, grilled sandwiches using ingredients like cheese, turkey, beef, tuna, onions and peppers with an electric sandwich maker. It’s fast and easy to use.

Bread Maker – many home cooks can now easily enjoy the taste of freshly made bread with a home bread making machine. You simply add the ingredients and turn on the machine. It does all the work of kneading and baking.

Electric Grill – she can enjoy healthier meals in minutes with a top quality electric grill. Plug it in and grill up chicken, fish, burgers and lots of other favorites. Make sure you get a brand that is easy to clean.

Do you want to give some unique Christmas gifts this year, but don’t want to spend a lot of money?  You can find gifts that are both cheap and thoughtful.  Here are ten easy ideas for inexpensive holiday gifts that are sure to please.

1. Fun, trendy watch.  You can buy watches in all shapes and colors from around $8 to $20 at discount department stores and flea markets.  Include a note in the box that says something like, “I always enjoy our time together”.  If giving this to a teacher, you could thank them for all the “time” they’ve spent teaching your child.

2. Mini recipe book of your favorite recipes.  Buy a small, inexpensive photo album that holds one 4 x 6 photo per page (usually just a dollar or two at craft stores).  Print, type or write your recipes onto 4 x 6 recipe cards and insert in the sleeves meant for photos. After you’ve made the first set, make multiple photocopies of all the recipe cards.  That way you can easily make more personal recipe books for other people this year or anytime.

3. Gourmet chocolate pretzels.  These sell in specialty stores for $20 for around a dozen large pretzel rods.  But you can make your own homemade version for a fraction of the cost.  All you need is the pretzels, chocolate melts (most craft stores have these for under $2 a bag), and optional things like chopped nuts, mini chips or sprinkles.  Simply melt the chocolate, dip the pretzels rods until about half of the pretzel is covered, then roll in the toppings and let them set upside down in a cup.

4. Handmade framed name print.  Research the meaning of the person’s name from a baby naming website. Use your computer graphics or word processing program to type his or her name in large letters in a nice font.  Put the meaning of their name in smaller letters under the name. Print it on pretty background paper, such as 8 1/2 x 11 scrapbook paper from a craft store.  Trim to fit a small frame purchased from a discount department store or dollar store.

5. Night at the movies. You can make this inexpensive by just picking up a $5 gift card for a movie rental and a box of microwave popcorn.  Or you can make it a bigger gift by adding a large bowl for the popcorn, a gift card for multiple rentals, and perhaps some DVDs. 

6. Flashlight that doesn’t need batteries.  This is a very practical gift that almost anyone can use.  Depending on the model, you either shake the flashlight or wind it up.  They really work and you never have to worry about dead batteries. The price range is between $10 and $20.

7. Photo ornament.  You can find these in all kinds of stores, some are quite inexpensive and look like little holiday photo frames.  Just insert a photo of your friend, their pet or children and you’ve got a very personalized gift.

8. Custom gift card from you.  If you’re short on cash, but not on sentiment, you can print a gift card that promises babysitting, a car wash, running errands, lessons, etc.  If you love to bake, but don’t have time around the holidays, give a gift card redeemable for your specialty in January.

9. Personalized giant candy bar.  This one is so easy.  Buy a big Hershey bar and replace the outer wrapper with your custom wrapper.  You can print one of the many free Christmas chocolate bar wrappers found on the internet.  Some of them even have places for you to put a photo and your own words.  Or make it yourself by tracing the original wrapper and cutting it out from nice holiday paper.  Then just tape or glue in place.

10. Personalized magnet, button, key ring or pocket mirror. For just a couple of dollars, this one of a kind little gift can’t be beat.  There are companies on the internet that will put any funny or inspiration quote or your own message on one of their products.  Whatever the person’s hobby, interest, or job, there is a saying or quotation out there that would be perfect for them.

A thoughtful Christmas gift doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or require hours of searching through crowded malls.  All that is needed is your big heart and imagination.