The winter holidays are fast approaching, and the same old message is everywhere you look: Spend spend spend! Sure, there's some "love thy neighbour" and "feed the hungry" in there as well, but for the most part, you know the holidays are just around the corner when all the advertising starts hitting full force. The Christmas decorations are in stores, toys start leaping off the shelves into shopping carts, and your wallet magically ends up mugh lighter than you're used to it feeling.

It's a dangerous game, but not one that you have to play.

For the most part, everyone loves to receive presents, and that's no bad thing. The trick is, when you're on a budget, to know how to spend your money creatively so that you get the best bang for your buck, and so that everyone comes out happy in the end. One way that my friends and I have found to accomplish this is by having Dollar Store holidays.

In a nutshell, we set a limit for each person, usually somewhere in the region of about $15-20. Then we take that money, and go nuts at a local Dollar Store. Just about every city has one of these, and though they all seem to go by different names, they're basically the same sort of store. Whether it's the Dollar Store, Dollar Barn, Buck-o-rama, or the Loony Bin, it's all roughly the same thing. The biggest difference is the parent company that the store is owned by. But they all sell things for a dollar, pretty much. Some get a little fancy and set their prices at $3 and under, but the idea behind it all is the same. Cheap, and plentiful.

Whish isn't bad, if you can throw away the notion that the amount you care about someone is directly proportional to how much money you spend on them.

Part of the fun of this endeavour is getting to take a look at all the strange things that dollar stores tend to sell. As a perfect example, I once found Pez popcorn. Yup, Pez. Those little candy tabs that come out of cartoon-themed dispensers. (It was candy-coated popcorn, and the box said it different flavours, but really, it all just tasted like sugar.) Or the various candies and chocolates from foreign lands that have questionable English on the wrappers. There are plenty of things to fill up a stocking, if you've got friends with a good sense of humour who don't mind trying new things.

The creative minds can also find good gift ideas at dollar stores. The stores around here often sell small unadorned plywood boxes. They're nothing to look at on their own, but with a $1 tube of paint and a few gel pens, just look what my roommate made for me one year.

This fancy-looking box cost less than $5 in materials, and at the same time is absolutely priceless.

Try the same thing for yourself. Get a few cheap craft items, and go nuts. You'll be amazed at the things you can create for only a few dollars, and the fact that the gift is handmade will make it all the more special to the recipient. This is something that you took the time out of your day to make with your own two hands, and for most people, that means far more than the pricetag.

If you have a friend who's artisitically inclined themselves, invest in a few supplies for them. If you look around, you can often find sketch books or good pencils at dollar stores. If they like scrapbooking, pick up some brightly-coloured paper, some stickers, and some small balls of novelty yarn.

Don't lmit yourself to the strange and whimisical, either. Sure, your friend may love that adorable metal unicorn figurine, but if they've beenmentioning that they don't have a cheese grater or that they need new cutlery, don't shy away from the more practical sections of the store. Though it may not be a 'fun' gift, if it's what the recipient needed, then it will undoubtedly be appreciated.

Feel free to wander, and don't be ashamed of taking your time to browse. While you're looking, you may come across things that you know your friends will like but that you wouldn't have thought of if you hadn't seen it right there on the shelf. Go in with an open mind and don't rush yourself, and you'll find all sorts of good gift ideas that won't break the bank!

Most stores will also carry convenient gift bags or Christmas stockings for your haul. These things can be reused, and so are less wasteful than wrapping everything up in bright paper that will just be thrown away as soon as the presents are uncovered. Invest in something like this to hold all the little things you just bought for your friends. Use some ribbon and tie a bow on the top as an added festive touch. This will probably only add $2 per person to your total.

And much in the same way that looking inside a Christmas stocking is, the fact that there are many small presents can be more fun than one big one. The thrill of, "Ooh, I wonder what else might be there," adds an element of childlike joy to the gift-giving that a lot of adults take for granted in their lives. There's no shame in being excited to see what else might be waiting for you in the toe of the stocking, or the bottom of the bag. Go around in a circle, and have each person pull out one item from their bag, to make the gift-giving last longer.

The hardest part of doing a Dollar Store Holiday is remembering that love doesn't come with a pricetag, and the more money you spend is not an accurate reflection of how much you care for someone. So many people have that impression without even realizing it, and so it can be hard to break away from. But that $20 bag of little goodies can actually mean much more than a designer piece of clothing or the latest video game. Spend less, and give more.