DR. WALLACE: I'm a 17-year-old girl and am concerned that Christmas is coming because I don't have a lot of money to spend on gifts for my family and friends this year. Let's just say I've had a great social life this past summer and fall, so a lot of my disposable income and gifted cash has gone the way of good times out and about on the town.

And for the record, yes, I'm now nearly broke but I looked fabulous going through my cash!

Now I'm in a quandary trying to decide how much I should spend on gifts for my friends and family this fast-approaching holiday season. I usually buy each person on my list one fabulous and slightly expensive gift, but the truth is this time around, I just don't have the scratch to pull this off. I could buy just a few expensive gifts for a few people on my list, but then I'd have to really skimp on all of the others. And if I go down this path, someone is sure to notice the vast differences in gift prices, which could show this duchess in a bad light, a position no duchess ever wants to be in.

And please allow me to preempt any suggestion you might have of telling me to make homemade gifts because homemade gifts are so often cliche and frankly are looked down upon within my brand-label conscious family and close circle of upwardly mobile friends. What's a princess like me to do now? — Duchess with a depleted bank account, via email

DUCHESS WITH A DEPLETED BANK ACCOUNT: OK, duchess, I won't go with your so-called cliche of suggesting homemade gifts but I will give you a well-worn yet profound saying: It isn't how much you spend on gifts; it is much more about the thought behind them.

I trust you enjoyed your social spending spree this summer, so let's set you up to handle your holiday gift list on a much tighter budget this year. Let's start by scrapping your idea of a few very pricey gifts for a few people and then skimpy scraps for the rest on your list.

Instead, I suggest you go with a much larger volume of small, inexpensive gifts for everyone. Think of themes that fit the guys and gals you'll be buying for. Come up with a half-dozen inexpensive but quirky and interesting gifts for everyone. You may be able to give everyone the same "gift basket set" so that you can save time and they can all discuss amongst themselves just what they find most interesting and useful.

Then finish up by taking the time to put some real time and thought into how to wrap these gifts in a unique and avant-garde way. Make those gifts look as fabulous as you did this summer!

This way, your array of small gifts will be a de facto "dim sum" of holiday gifts for those on your list, and you'll cross the finish line under the low wire of your tight budget this year.

I'M TIRED OF THESE ATTENTION SEEKERS!

DR. WALLACE: How come many high school teachers haven't ever figured out that students who chronically misbehave in class are just crying out for attention? — Tired of rolling my eyes at these clowns, via email

TIRED OF ROLLING MY EYES AT THESE CLOWNS: Some children are not mature, and social skills are learned at very different paces. This may be part of the reason for what you call chronic misbehavior.

Also, realize that in some cases, social skills for some students are only learned at school and not at all in the family home.

I suggest that you do less eye rolling and more interacting with a few of your fellow students. Ask a few of these students if you can assist them with any of the issues they bring up in class. Simply say that you like to help others and when you do so, you always end up learning something new and useful yourself along the way.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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