Remember when "Store Bought" was an insult?

I do.

A gift, generally speaking, represents the time and effort one puts into creating it.  Consuming things as a means of representing your affection is...rarely successful.  

For XMAS this year, give your loved ones the gift of not wanting anything from the store.  This will save them from having to spend time in stores during XMAS - an invaluable gift in itself.*  Acceptable substitutes for commercial products include dinners, back-rubs, "back-rubs," letters, poorly recorded songs, and if you know any children under 7, a couple used refrigerator boxes is like, the ultimate thing.  Make sure to include a box cutter for them, so they can really build a wicked fort.

*The relentless juxtaposition of overly amplified and forcefully merry holiday tunes crossed with crowds of stressed out and angry looking people always set my teeth on edge.