Do you find yourself short of ideas for holiday gifts? Challenged by budgets? Tired of giving the same old thing? The best thing to do is, do less. In other words, slow down and simplify. Here are a few ideas to do just that--with simple gifts. Many simple gifts, especially homemade ones, don't cost much and they require little, if any, wrapping paper which means less paper ends up in your local landfill.

For starters, blooming houseplants brighten up every indoor space, be it your living room or office cubicle. Repot one of your own plants, buy a new one or pot up some daffodil and hyacinth bulbs for a splash of bold color. You can decorate the container with paint, beads or shells and wrap it with a bandana.

Homemade jams, jellies and preserves are also easy and inexpensive to make. Get fearless and combine a variety of fruits and spices. For example, rhubarb ginger jam, rhubarb fig jam (can you tell I love rhubarb?) or mint-basil jelly. How about a chutney made from rhubarb, apples, dates and cardamom? One of my favorite ways to celebrate food is to make herbal vinegars like raspberry-oregano vinegar or garlic-sage vinegar.

Finally, take a break from the kitchen and write down your recipes. In case you didn't know, the second week of December is “Recipe Greetings for the Holidays Week” suggesting this is a great excuse to share recipes by sending them as holiday greetings...yet another way to simplify by killing two birds with one stone.

No matter how you solve you gift-giving challenges, remember one thing, "It's not so much about what you do as the intention behind it," says cardiologist Pim van Lommel in an interview in Ode Magazine about his monumental study of near-death experiences.

Happy Holly-Days!