What to give for the holidays?

Santa Claus and Rudolph are popping up on shelves. The holidays are slowly creeping up on us! For those of us who are accustomed to giving gifts, it's time to start planning. This is when things get tough. What do you get for business clients, associates and partners? While it has to be within budget and appropriate, you also want it to be personalized and thoughtful.

In my opinion, the best gifts send a message that you've been paying attention to them and remember what matters to them. It doesn't have to be expensive. For example, you give your client a baseball cap of his favorite sports team or a book of her favorite author because you guys had a conversation about it a while back. And it doesn't matter that the gift is generic, like a bottle of wine or gift certificate, as long as it's personalized. For example, you give your mortgage lender a bottle of his favorite Pinot Noir or certificate to her favorite restaurant.

Unfortunately, my ideas are limited, which is another reason why I am writing this blog. I was hoping to get some ideas from you guys out there. What are your favorite, maybe creative or unique, gifts that you love to hand out?