Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees... It doesn’t have to be a personal gift that you give to a person - it can be for several people.

In fact, giving to everyone in a household might become rather a burden - say, if you’re single, and your brother has a wife and five children!

So think in terms of what might be fun, useful, pleasurable for all of them...

One of my favorite ideas is a gift certificate for a party you’ll throw for another person, couple, or family. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful gift to get?

Or give something like… Christmas ornaments. Family games or jigsaw puzzles. Tickets to the circus. Food. A coupon for your taking them all out for ice cream sundaes. You building the tree house for the kids so the adults don’t have to. Arranging a surprise visit from Grandma, or to Grandma (maybe just the kids?). That stuff that makes fireplace flames turn all different colors (or real fireworks). A beautiful framed photograph. A food dryer. A neat welcome mat. A puppy (ask first!!).

If the family has recently moved, give them a practical housewarming gift:  a bucket filled with useful items such as sponges, little stick-on protective pads, an extension cord, tape and glue, twine, an address book, a pizza coupon.

Make it really fun... Hide their gifts around your, or their, house; make up clues for each person to find their own gift? Wrap a box (perhaps a lid-less box with just tissue paper across the top) full of small gifts with strings attached - so that each family member just chooses a string, and pulls... Give family theme gifts - e.g., all travel-, reading-, or beach-related. Or if you give the family a DVD player, each one gets his/her own DVD (or gift certificate). Or... invite them all over for a Christmas Eve slumber party, and surprise them with brand new sleep garb as their gifts!