What makes a great gift?  Is it the price?  No, it really has nothing to do with price.  Some of the most appreciated gifts are homemade.

How do you find great gift ideas?  Well, the most important thing to consider is the person to whom you are giving the gift.  The old adage, "It's the thought that counts" really is true. The most important aspect of a present that makes the recipient happy is whether or not you have considered them.  One example of a bad gift:  When my father retired, I gave him a bathrobe.  For a lot of people, this would be a great gift.  My dad hated it because he has never been the kind of person to lounge around in his bathrobe.  It made him feel old.  A bathrobe would be a great gift for me when I retire, but it was not a good gift for my father.  I doubt he has worn the thing once.  He probably gave it to the Salvation Army.

So think about the other person and what they would like, not what you would like.

The second thing that makes a person appreciate a present is the effort that you put into it.  Did you go down the street and buy them some junk at a chain store?  It might be something that they like or will use, but it is not something that will fill their heart with joy.  One example of a very good gift that I once gave was "money" that I gave to my wife.  I had cut out a bunch of pieces of paper, drawn a semblance of myself in the middle, put the number one in the corners, and given a value to each "bill."  "This note entitles the bearer to one back rub."  "This note entitles the bearer to one 'shut up and leave me alone.'"  "This note entitles the bearer to one bathroom cleaning, no questions asked or complaints raised."  There were about 50 of them in the envelope.  It took me a long time to make them, and she really appreciated it.  She redeemed her notes to the bank of me, too.  Over the course of the next year, that gift cost me many hours of effort but it was worth it.

The third aspect of a wonderful and unique holiday gift is to have some idea about the things that the person is likely to do for themselves.  Give them something that they will use and appreciate but which they would probably not buy for themselves.  Socks are not a good gift unless the person you're giving them to never buys their own socks.  One of the best gifts I ever got was a nice pen.  I love to write, but I would never splurge on a nice pen.  Years after it was given to me, that pen goes wherever I go, and I always think about the person who gave it to me.

That's it.  If you cover those three bases, you will be able to come up with unique holiday gift ideas for everyone on your list, and you'll probably save some money.