My nieces and nephews are all getting books this year (except the college student, who's getting a gift certificate for Powell's). I'll tuck a nice little check in between each book's pages, so they have to read the book, or at least open it, to find the surprise. I love the deviousness of that.

The Chief and I always take a day and do holiday shopping together, during which we buy each other the thing(s) we want. This is our solution to several years--when we were first married--of odd gifts that eventually got returned or never used. We make an occasion out of it: the hunt--er, shopping--then dinner out somewhere. Always enjoyable, we each get what we want from each other, and we have a nice day together enjoying the holiday atmosphere. Works for us.