Personalized Holiday Gifts: Great Ideas for $25 or Less

The holidays are just around the corner, but it's not too late to find unique gifts for everyone on your list without spending a bundle. What's the secret? Give personalized gifts! For $25 or less, you can add a name, a monogram, a personal message or a photo to a product and instantly turn it into a one-of-a-kind gift certain to be cherished. Read on for a few personalized gift ideas that happen to be very affordable.

The beauty of personalization is the way it turns an ordinary product into an extraordinary gift. For example, a travel mug that might be too boring on its own becomes a great gift once you personalize it. Select the perfect fabric to wrap under that mug's plastic exterior, have a name or monogram added with the thread color of your choice, and suddenly you have a one-of-a-kind gift made just for its recipient. And, you've spent less than $23.

Many other products that might appear run-of-the-mill on their own turn into wonderful, affordable gifts once they are personalized. A lunch box, for example, makes a great present when embroidered with a child's name or monogram. Pacifier clips, those handy gadgets that keep babies and pacifiers attached, become desirable fashion accessories when you choose the perfect fabric for them and add a monogram. A wine glass engraved with a special holiday message to a friend instantly becomes a more meaningful gift than a plain wine glass (and sets you back only $20). A blown-glass Christmas ornament turns into something extra special when personalized with a hand-painted initial. A notepad becomes a thoughtful gift when you select its pattern and color and add a name or a clever phrase to the top of each page. A pocket mirror, once it is covered in a fabric you choose, makes a fantastic stocking stuffer that costs only $10. A key chain purchased for a friend becomes a treasure once an artist paints a mini-portrait of that friend's child on it. Even something as simple as a placemat turns into a holiday gift that will make a kid smile when it features his name and a hand-painted, kid-friendly picture (a fire truck, perhaps, for the vehicle-obsessed boy).

Of course, not all affordable personalized gifts have a practical use; some just taste great! Send the cookie lover on your list an 8-inch, hand-decorated sugar cookie in the shape of a Christmas tree and her whole family will be grateful (and you've spent only $23). Or, send a box of beautifully decorated organic cookies in holiday shapes (you pick the flavor and designs) and do your part to protect the environment at the same time; they arrive in gorgeous eco-friendly, recyclable gift packaging! If you're looking for a unique party favor to send home with your guests this holiday season, consider what you can have done to an Oreo cookie. For $1.85 per cookie, a decorator can turn an Oreo into a beautifully decorated snowman face, tuck it into a cellophane bag, and tie it up with a ribbon of your choice. Oreos look equally amazing dipped in chocolate and hand-painted with snowflake designs!

No matter who you are shopping for this holiday season, give a personalized gift and say you care without spending a fortune. For a complete selection of unique, handmade, personalized gifts for the holidays or almost any occasion, including births, weddings, and memorials, visit http://www.cccgifts.com today.

Diane Cullen Page specializes in personalized gifts for all occasions and is the founder of CCC Gifts http://www.cccgifts.com - dcullenpage@cccgifts.com. CCC Gifts offers not only the best personalized gifts and holiday favorites, but also unique gifts for occasions such as Gotcha Day, memorials, weddings, births, etc. Check out the holiday specials going on now. Article is free to be reprinted as long as bio remains.