Liz Smith | 12/03/2008 11:00 pm

Who Wants a Blank Check From Liz Smith?

In response to: A recession economy does not mean you can't afford Christmas. What's your best (and cheapest) do-it-yourself gift idea?

My best do-it-yourself gift idea is exactly what most people want and expect — the Christmas check made out to them personally.

I find most of my real friends don’t actually want anything. They don’t need anymore stuff to clutter their lives. For them I invariably think — "books!"

On the other hand, people who work with me and my fabulous relatives all appreciate that special Liz signature on the HSBC check.

Click here on this text to read my New York Post column.

9 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

I am a seamstress, i have been for over 30 ty years. so i make most of my gifts, like tote bags, pot holders, plastic bag holders, wine bottle covers aprons, gift bags and etc; anything that can be sewn i can do and all my friends and relatives love them because there from the heart.

By shirley adams on 12/04/2008 8:11 am

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Of course today, lots of people would like a check this year—-even me! ha! Several years ago, my family stopped giving gifts at Christmas…(besides, the sales in January are worth the wait if there is something anyone REALLY wants)….but we DID give gifts of ‘Time’. As half of the newly married couple, with a husband in college, and me working a couple of jobs at a time to pay for it, we didn;t have a whole lot of money to splurge on gifts——so I made Coupons! I was one who proudly made the ‘round tuits’ for all my gal friends to put on the refrigerators, in case they needed to give it to their hubbies, now and then-..so from that idea, I thought that a coupon to offer ‘free babysitting for an afternoon’, or ‘a night away from the stove’ coupon, or an “I will clean up the kitchen’ coupon, would be a nice way to gift someone at no cost—yet still be personalized…. I made up the coupons…fancied them up with magic marker pens in colorful design…and gave them as Christmas gifts to those who could use the time or the time off. My peer group thought it was such a great idea, they started doing it too! And even the CHILDREN started making coupons to give to their parents! No money spent….lots of creativity, and gifts given year round. Coupons could be good for 1 ‘favor’ or for the favor to be good for 5 times….or 10 times….a babysitting coupon, for instance, worked really good when it gave 10 babysitting events for the year, to be used at any time needed—-like at the end of the month when there was no money left to pay… I ‘babysat’ my first godson many many times, because of a ‘coupon’ I gave to his mom. She would hand it to me, with a quirky smile on her face, and because I had given her ‘permission’ to ask, by giving her the coupon, she felt no guilt at asking—- and instead of giving some ‘THING’, I gave of my time—-far more valuable than something money can buy in a store….

By Patty E on 12/04/2008 12:21 pm

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Patty E, I loved your ideas. Maybe I can implement some of them this year. I used to have a ceramic “roundtoit” and had it on the wall. Don’t know where or when, but it got broken. I think I need a new one. Thanks again for sharing your ideas.

By Murphy Mac on 12/04/2008 5:20 pm

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Hello Margaret, it doesn’t have to be made of ceramic. Make one out of paper. You can use the back of an old card to make it sturdy. Then hang it up. But best of all make up specific coupons for services and then honor them when the person you gave it to cashes it in. Then you can regive out the already used ones again for another holiday or even Birthday. Make them with no experiation date. The most loving thing you can do is to honor a coupon that is years old. For the specific coupons we just use scraps of paper, torn off peices of junk mail, whatever paper we can find. It is the listed service on it that counts.

By Christine Cline on 12/05/2008 9:29 am

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Thanks again, Christine!

By Murphy Mac on 12/05/2008 10:03 am

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Hey, guys, I don’t now who wrote the headline on my Christmas comment but I never said anything about giving a blank check. I am just as pushed to the wall these days as everybody else. Newspapers and magazines, my bread and butter, are going bust all over America and I am right in there with them. But Merry Christmas anyway. Liz Smith

By Liz Smith on 12/04/2008 3:20 pm

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I am not joyful at anyone’s financial stress, but I was wondering if it was too late for me to change careers. I am rather new to this site and I love this community. Thanks to you all!

By Lou Hoover on 12/04/2008 3:36 pm

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Lou, it is never too late to change careers. To say so is to assign an age to yourself. You are as old as you feel. Remember that and go by that , not your outward appearance or the date listed on your birth certificate. I am chronologically 45, will be 46 on the 28th. But I am just beginning. I am getting younger everyday. That is the secret of wisdom. When you get smart enough to know that everything you thought you ever knew is just a bunch of hog wash. And you get the wonderful joy of entering a new school of life. You decide how old you are. Do not let someone else assing an age to you. Then go for what ever you wish. Good hunting. And Happy Holidays!

By Christine Cline on 12/05/2008 9:37 am

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A blank check? I just want a way to get my career going so my granddaughter and I do not have to go without food or clothes anymore. That is what I want for Christmas. For anyone interested a small sample of my work can be found on www.redbubble.com artist name blueccs. Have a Very Merry Holiday everyone!

By Christine Cline on 12/05/2008 9:23 am