Christmas is a time of giving and receiving. Even kids would want to get into the picture. Giving gifts to their friends and loved ones.

Now what gifts can kids give that do not look tacky? I mean, kids generally do not have much income. It kind of breaks a mom's heart to see a kid break his or her piggy bank just to buy a gift for someone who might not really appreciate it.

A better alternative is to get kids to make something cute to give as gifts to those who matter to them.

One thing that comes to mind is a pet rock. Those cute little pebbles with faces, which one could get quite fond of. These are easy to make, and they are practical as well. Pet rocks make great paper weights. Add a secret message below and you have an adorable, personal gift a kid could make, without breaking the bank.

All the kid has to do is to collect some smooth pebbles, each around the size of his or her palm. Mom can supply the felt, glue, cardboard and pens. Kids just spend their free time making gifts they can give out on Christmas day. The glue must be able to stick the felt to the stone. To avoid disappointment, test first by sticking a small piece of felt to a stone that you do not want. Stick another small piece of felt on top of it. Let it dry. If the felt pieces stay stuck to each other and to the stone, you are all set to go.

How To Make Pebble Pets

1. Wash and clean the pebbles. Let these dry. Take 1 dry pebble to begin with.

2. You need white, black, brown, pink, and red felt, and a light colored felt to write the message.

3. Cut 2 ovals from the white felts to be the white of the pebble's eyes. Cut 2 smaller circles out of brown, blue or green felt to be the irises of the eye. Cut to even smaller circles out of the black felt to be the pupils of the eye.

4. Glue the 2 white ovals towards the end of the pebble, where the eyes should be. Remember to leave some room for the nose and mouth. Glue the irises to the white of the eyes and the pupils to the irises.

5. Cut out a small triangle out of pink or brown felt to be the nose. Glue it right at the center, beneath the eyes, where the nose should be.

6. Cut out a small crescent out of pink or red felt to be a happy smile. Glue it below the nose, where the mouth should be. Let the pebble pet dry.

7. Cut a piece of light colored felt slightly smaller than the pebble. Write a secret message on the felt. Glue the felt under the pebble with the message facing outwards. That way, whoever gets that pebble can turn it over and read the secret message beneath it. Kids love secret messages. This should appeal to them.

Once you and your kid have made the first pebble pet together, your kid should be able to make the rest of the pebble pets he or she can give away on Christmas day.

Here is another a tip about Christmas gifts. Every year, you and your kids would get gifts you do not like and spend money on gifts for your loved ones which they do not really like either. Everyone wastes money that way.

A smarter way is to be more upfront. Go to What Do You Want For Christmas and search for the things you and your kids really want. Then add what you want to your personal registry by clicking on the pink add to my giftlist button right below the gift. Get that registry to email your choices to those who give you gifts each Christmas and ask them to return the favor by adding what they like to their registry. Everyone gives and gets gifts that will really be appreciated. No money is wasted that way.

The writer is the webmaster of Christmas Giftshop which helps you with your Christmas preparations and with gift shopping.