During a recession, the normally festive holiday season could become just another source of unbearable expenses and stress.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

“I think it’s important to really sit down and think about why we’re celebrating the holiday season ... instead of looking at it as a reason to spend money,” says Diane Nielson, family and consumer sciences agent for the K-State Research and Extension Office in Atchison, Kan.

Ms. Nielson offers some tips for cutting costs as the holidays roll around, such as not giving gifts to people to whom you aren’t very close — which not only reduces your expenses but also frees them from feeling they have to buy a gift in return — as well as knowing before you even start shopping exactly who you’re buying for and exactly what you want to spend.

“Make that list like Santa Claus does, and check it twice,” she says.

When it comes to making this list, the Better Business Bureau notes that aside from cutting the list down to only the closest of friends and family, other options include giving gifts only to children, setting generally accepted limits on what family and friends can spend and drawing names for gifts among family.

“Unfettered giving is fun and spontaneous,” it says on its Web site, www.bbb.org, “but the credit card bill that will come in January can make even the most cheerful of givers grumpy in the New Year.”

And when it comes to cutting the cost of gift-giving, a little creativity can go a long way, Ms. Nielson says. She suggests giving the gift of yourself by utilizing your talents to create something artistic or to provide a service such as an evening of free child care.

Another option, especially for seniors on a fixed income, is to pass down an item from a collection or something else that will be of significance to their children or grandchildren, Ms. Nielson adds, noting that this could be a gift as simple as a pie in a pie plate that a grandmother has been using for years.

And at the other end of the age spectrum, look for toys for children that will engage them mentally and physically — which doesn’t necessarily require big spending — rather than buying big-ticket toys that are entertaining for only a short time.

“How many of us have gone out and bought that hot toy of the season,” she says, “only to find that our child plays with it for three hours, then has more fun with the box?”

Lifestyles reporter Erin Wisdom can be reached at ewisdom@npgco.com.