Why don't you challenge yourself this holiday season? Have you ever tried to brainstorm as many creative, handmade ideas as possible to give away to loved ones? Now's the perfect time to let your thoughts run wild with ways to hand someone inexpensive but thoughtful items this year.

Whether you're gifted with words, painting or photography, whatever your strength, you can express your love and showcase your talent while passing out presents around the Christmas tree.

My parents kept every poem I ever wrote them. My mom has a few still hung on the walls. My sister pieces together beautiful mosaics. A good friend of mine used to practice her photography skills by offering my family a free photo shoot. There are hundreds of inventive ideas for giving creatively. All it takes is one good brainstorm.

What's the point of this challenge? Why is it important to spend time thinking about making something? That takes time and energy. Exactly. In this era where people of all ages are easily obsessed with following trends and buying the latest and greatest phone or gadget, it's pleasantly counter-cultural to exert time and energy on someone else.

I remember days before graduating from high school hearing my friends whisper guesses to one another as to what kind of gifts their parents had purchased to celebrate. During this time I was busy making my own guesses. A smile crept on my lips whenever I thought of how my parents would react to the photo album I'd been creating for them. I'd invested hours sorting through old pictures from a miscellaneous and often neglected drawer. I wrote poems, descriptions and matched humorous antidotes to the pictures. I recall thinking about when my mom and dad flipped open to the first page of the album they'd see what made me most excited about giving it to them.

On the first page, I'd written a detailed letter of gratitude.

I love that God planted this initiative inside me. I love how He nudged me to make my parents an album and give it to them when I graduated. It was the exact opposite of what they'd been expecting. They planned on getting me a gift and certainly didn't expect one in return.

And nothing beats my memories of the expressions on their faces when they went through the album.

I'll endure my first Christmas without my father this year. He died in March. One of my most cherished memories is how my parents reacted to the gifts me and my sisters created for them. Those were the real treasures. The gifts and their reactions.

Anyone can buy stuff. But it takes some extra planning - some extra thought to create something with a loved one in mind.

Wendy Miller’s work has been published in inspirational books, online magazines and on numerous websites. She is passionate about encouraging women through writing and speaking, and currently Wendy leads a small group of seniors from her church. Raising her three little girls, writing novels, creating craft projects, and hiking are other ways she enjoys spending her time. Feel free to visit her blog to peek inside the window of her thoughts as she actively pursues what it means to follow the Lord. Wendy's Website