
While the following gift-wrap ideas may or may not strike you as clever (depending on how much spiked eggnog you've had), they certainly are cheap. That means a lot when you've spent your entire gift budget on the actual gifts.
--Salon hair care products can be bundled in a shower cap, which offers its own elastic closure so you don't even need a twist-tie.
--Luxury packaging (which you've wheedled from the sales staff at a high-end boutique) really revs up the perceived value of that perfume you bought at Walgreens.
--Save the plastic netting from your next grocery purchase of a dozen oranges. Throw in some votive candles and a pine cone, then tie the whole thing with a big bow. With luck, they'll think you bought it at Crate & Barrel.
--A bag or box from Victoria's Secret -- again, bug the sales staff for a freebie -- makes an interesting container for your traditional gift of a sweater for Grandma. The comic relief (think: tension, then release) will brighten Christmas for the whole family.
--For kids under 5: just give them a huge empty box, and skip the gift entirely. You know they're going to spend more time playing with the box anyway.