'Tis the season!

Amex and VISA, be gone! You don't have to be in the red to give big this season.

Why Alexa and Kate? Could it be their great taste in magazines? Actually, these two girls are so alike they're practically sisters. Alexa and Kate's birthdays are just days apart. And their moms both have the same first and middle names. Weird! Their BEF secret? "We never, ever fight!" We would have never guessed it....

Sleigh bells are ringing, dreidels are spinning, and your two-week vacation is just around the corner. But it won't take long before that fuzzy holiday feeling gives way to...Present Panic! Unless you have a few elves living in your closet, December's festivities are enough to freak anyone out. But some of the best gifts for your BFF don't cost a dime. Guess that old saying is true: The best gifts really don't come in boxes.

A SITTING SAVIOR Is a gift without a big, fat bow still a gift? Sure! Though she's been eyeing up that new Kate Spade bag, give her something that will save her sanity. Does your BFF clock in serious baby-sitting hours watching her bratty little bro? Offer to watch the little terror on Friday night, and give your BFF the night off. A night without Barney reruns is priceless!

MAGIC MEMORIES Lauren, 12, says, "My BFF surprised me with a journal packed with really cool Kodak moments--fun times we'd caught on camera. She filled the margins with recollections of special memories and funny phrases. It's the best gift I've ever gotten."

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Save your BFF some time and tuna. Pack her a gourmet lunch every day the week before break! Test your inner Martha--she'll love a turkey rollup with cucumbers and brie. Or whip up a special dinner with food, fun and plenty o' laugh-out-loud vids. Chicken chili and Freddie Prinze Jr. What could be better?

SNEAKIN' AROUND Do something secret and fun for a week. Leave inspirational poems and cool quotes in your BFF's mailbox, decorate her locker for the holidays, send her on a scavenger hunt--along the way, she can pick up homemade goodies. Hey, holidays are a time for tradition so we have another old saying for you: It's the thought that counts.

I get so stressed around the holidays I feel like I need to get presents for all my friends. Any ideas?

Help! How can I get my BFFs a great gift without breaking the bank?

Get gifts only for your closest friends. Make some of the cute spa stuff from the O/N '00 issue of Girls' Life. Also, Claire's has good, cheap stuff. Good luck and, please, relax--its the holidays.

--Allison, 12

I go crazy when I buy presents for my friends, and that's like 40 peeps! Some people get really little things, but my good friends get good stuff so I have to borrow money from my parents. I always end up broke!

--Elsa, 14

My friends and I set a budget. I first make a list of my closest friends and then call them. We all agree to spend the same amount of money--like $5. Try inexpensive stuff like nail polish, posters and lip gloss.

--Melissa, 13

This always happens. You do not have to pick favorite friends--just watch your spending. Make packets of coupons for friends that say cute things like, "A day at the movies, my treat!" Be creative!

--Lili, 11

Bake sugar cookies for all your friends. Corny, hut it works! Have any inside jokes? Using colorful poster board, create a special poster. These are fun to make, and your friends will love them!

--Shilpa, 12