subject: Cheap Souvenir Ideas For After Christmas [print this page] How on earth are you supposed to pick up presents for your friends and family without maxing out the credit card - again - when they've just been given everything they could ever want for Christmas? Don't panic; Holiday Discount Centre is here to help, with a whole list of ideas that will put smiles on the faces of your loved ones and your bank manager.
The pound shop isn't exclusive to these shores - you'll find limitless wonders in the bargain basements of the world, and all for a low denomination of the currency of your chosen holiday spot. The usual souvenir options - fridge magnets, calendars, mugs, tea towels - are all likely to be available, but dig a little deeper and you'll find everything from the practical to the ridiculous. They've been known to sell paddling pools, which would make a gloriously impractical choice for the neighbours should you like to see just how polite they can be about your "generosity". Hardware shops are also an unlikely source of interesting things for you to bring back. How about another country's version of a garden gnome? Or a bilingual sign with an interesting (or not especially accurate) translation?
If your budget is so blown following Christmas extravagances that you can barely afford to buy yourself lunch, there are still a few options to show that you remembered those who stayed at home. Tourist information offices will often give out free maps of the area you're visiting, which you can annotate as you travel for a reminder of your travels. There are other free things to be collected along the way; beer mats are free for the collecting and look just as decorative on fridges as magnets do. Unusual bottle caps can also become an interesting collection with a good curator, as can business cards from shops and restaurants.
If you're in the sort of place that allows you access to some nature you can bring back something along those lines. Shells and pebbles collected from beaches make a very pretty keepsake, as do pinecones and pressed leaves if you're not near a beach. If your case is packed to the rafters then leave your message written in the sand or snow and take a photograph to print out when you're home again - it proves the family got more than a moment's thought! Taking a succession of photographs of things that are only meaningful to you and your closest friends is also a nice way of showing you were thinking of them.
Just because the cupboard is bare doesn't mean you can't still be generous. Keep your eyes peeled for the sorts of things you'd normally gloss over and eventually you'll find the perfect present. And if you really can't get your hands on anything that they'll appreciate, there's always the absolute classic. It takes a little time, a little effort and very little money, but never fails to cheer up the recipient. Send them a postcard.
