"Experiences always make people happier, and they tend to remember them for the rest of their lives," Gallegos says. "A toy or a material gift might break, but memories last forever."
This holiday gift could be as simple as an outing at a park, lunch at a restaurant, sledding or tubing in the snow, or painting pottery at a do-it-yourself store. Participate with the recipient to show how much you care.
Reward parents with a "date night" so they can bond without their children over a restaurant dinner or a movie and popcorn. You could offer to baby-sit.