I know it might be too late for this suggestion this holiday season, but it is actually applicable throughout the entire year for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, baby showers, bar mitzvahs, etc. Tell your friends and family to create a wish list on Amazon.com.  Wish Lists are a great way for people to let others know the things they would most like to own. They also make it easy to ensure that the gift gets sent to the right place and that the recipient doesn't receive more than he or she wants. Set an example and create one for yourself, too.  It does work. My sister looked at my list and sent me a couple Ken Follett books and the awesome CD from Paul Potts, the cell phone salesman that won the Britians Got Talent competition singing opera.  Simon Cowell was one of the judges and he could not say anything bad about this guy. Here is the video of his audition which blew me away. 

 

Now if you feel that you or your friends or families have everything they need or want then check out  redefinechristmas.org.  "Redefining Christmas is a simple idea to make our holiday gift giving more meaningful and more charitable. Instead of the wasteful gifts we sometimes give, consider giving your friends and loved ones donations to their favorite charities. And ask that they do the same for you." You can purchase charitable gift certificates for a wide variety of charities listed on justgive.org. You can even create a Wedding Registry on the site.