We all have trouble around the holidays deciding what gifts will truly touch the lives of those around us. But with the growing feeling of consumerism and materialism, you need to ask the question: are all those presents for your special someone something they want or need?

Were all entitled to something special around the holidays, but when asking for presents we need to ask ourselves do we really need that? For example, a brand new Nintendo Wii for $300? Or maybe a gym membership? Do you need that new Louis Vuitton purse? Or to fix the bumper falling off your Civic?

Too often do we get caught up in the hype of the newest thing on the market. But ask yourself, do you really want your dad to get robbed when he comes out of Best Buy with your Playstation 3? Or is a 56-inch flat screen television really necessary? Do new rims really help your self esteem?

We tend to forget what the holidays are really about. That all the loot, the tree that will be there till January, the lights, the songs, and all the cookies are to remind us that this is the season of giving.

So let’s think about the gifts that our friends and family really need. For good old dad, instead of that new HD receiver so he can see every vein on his favorite player’s head, a pair of nice binoculars should make him feel like he’s really at the game. It should also help when he’s spying on the neighbors from the backyard.

For Mom, she gets a Magic Eight Ball, to help with all those tough decisions she has during the day. We all know that the Magic Eight Ball is more accurate than Nostradamus and Miss Cleo combined. She’ll never have to decide between making chicken or beef ever again. Because frankly, she should ask again later.

For the younger brother under the age of 12, get a set of blow-up punching gloves. As much as you will claim this is a gift for him, it’s really a gift for you, because punching your little brother with your fist is wrong and might cause him to resent you for the rest of your life. But punching your little brother with a blow up fist is fun for the whole family.

For brothers over the age of 12, invest in some real boxing gloves, because by age 12 one of the greatest gifts you can give a young boy is the means to defend himself, even if he doesn’t want to learn.

For your younger sister, how about a wardrobe that doesn’t make her look like 24-year-old stripper? Every 13-year-old girl should be able to go to the mall and not to be hit on by a 22-year-old with pedophile tendencies.

For the older siblings, an iTunes card for 20 bucks is perfect. That way, out of the 20,000 songs they already have, only 19,980 of them will be downloaded illegally. And when the police show up for Internet piracy, they can claim they got most of the songs from the iTunes store.

Any relative over the age of 50 doesn’t really expect anything. So get a few pieces of construction paper and use the commercial breaks between “Scrubs” episodes creatively. A homemade card cost about a dollar and 10 minutes, and Uncle Bill will probably send you 20 bucks anyways.

Great gifts that people will truly enjoy take about 5 minutes of extra brain activity and are usually cheaper than an iPod. Not to mention it won’t be stashed away in a closet or given back to you for your birthday next year. So remember, no bread makers, fruitcake, and holiday socks this year. Instead, give a gift people will remember for years to come.