In case you haven’t done your shopping yet, here are seven great gift ideas for this Christmas.

1. Personalized candy bag. I got the initial idea from Martha Stewart. All you need to do is put together a goodie bag of candies and chocolates, then seal it with a top featuring the photo of the recipient. You’ve turned a simple - and economical - gift into something remarkably thoughtful.

2. Rice grain with gift recipient’s name. This gift idea was big back in the 90s, and is making a comeback. Available at the Bead Shop, this simply gift involves writing the name of the gift recipient on a grain of rice, then sealing that rice grain inside a glass pendant filled with colored liquid. You can then choose the necklace type - leather? silver? - and gift it.

3. Betty Crocker baked goods. You can buy mixes from Betty Crocker for anything from PHP90 up and bake it yourself. Cookies, blueberry muffins, cakes… these recipe mixes are as easy as 1-2-3, and you can package it however you so wish. Technically, it’s homemade; who’s gonna know?

4. Homemade yet professional-looking videos. If you’ve got photos or videos of your family and friends, you can visit muvee.com and download the free software. The ridiculously easy interface makes making videos a total and complete breeze, guaranteed! You can save your videos as mpeg and gift it to a friend with a dedication.

5. 3D keychain. I just discovered this little gem at Netopia last night. For less than PHP160, you can have a 3D or animation portrait made on a keychain. There’s a whole variety of other products; I personally think it’s terribly refreshing, and it’d be a kick to get one.

6. An OPM album - legit. There are a ton of local albums out now below PHP300, including the suave Bossa Nova Christmas, the driving Drama Queen EP by pop-rocker Kitchie Nadal, and the oh-so-cozy I’ll Take Care of You by crooner Richard Poon. You can email either Nadal or Poon or visit their online communities and who knows? Maybe you can get it autographed for your gift recipient.

7. Anything from CD-R King. For the techies in your gift recipient, anything from 15 blank CDs, to a USB flash drive, to perhaps a decent headset. Okay, so it’s not personal, but come on, in this day and age, it’s the useful gifts that stand the test of time, not that expensive box of brownies.

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