Five gift-giving tips from your friends at Recess

1) You think giving someone a gift certificate is somehow different from handing him or her a wad of cash. It’s not. Please don’t.

2) Don’t know what to get your college-aged brother/cousin/boyfriend? A George Foreman grill is pretty much always the answer. They come in lots of different prices and colors, and the only way you can go wrong is if he already has one.

3) Save money, give food. Make big batches of two types of cookies and pack in boxes with colored cellophane. Make the simplest recipe look special by drizzling with melted chocolate from a ziploc bag with a tiny hole in the corner.

4) If you want to spend less than $30 on a significant other, your gift must either be incredibly thoughtful (disposable camera with a small photo album and a note that says “for our memories”) or really labor intensive (carpentry, embroidery, metal sculpture).

5) Themed packages are creative, fun, and seem more expensive than they really are. Try flavored tea and gourmet honey packed in mugs and tied with a bow. Or make blueberry muffin mix with freeze-dried blueberries and give with a muffin tin. Or give Norri sheets, a sushi mat, chopsticks and wasabi.