With the holiday season upon us, many of us are thinking about the gifts we plan to give to friends and family members.

For children, the latest toys, pieces of sports equipment, or video games seem to be popular choices. For an adult, it may be a bit more difficult to choose a gift, especially for those who already have everything.

I thought I would share some gift ideas for myeloma patients or their caregivers that may come in handy. Gifts need not be too expensive to be thoughtful. It really is the thought that counts.

Being a needleworker, I like to use a telescoping magnet wand to pick up pins and needles that have fallen to the floor. That way, I don’t have to bend over and can give my back a break. These wands can be used to find and pick up any metal object that is magnetic.

Even though I have not used it myself, a long-handled pair of tongs may also be useful to pick objects up off the floor without straining the back.

A good walking stick can be a boon when getting out and about. There are telescoping versions, and some allow you to change the tip to be either pointed or with a basket to make it like a ski pole. Using two walking sticks at a time can be wonderful for reducing stress on the knees. I have used walking sticks both for hiking and for walking on icy pathways, especially when I was recovering from back injuries, because they provided me with some stability.

Recently, for a long plane flight, my husband and I bought a pair of horseshoe-shaped cushions that are worn around the neck. They were really helpful for sleeping in an upright position on the plane. Our necks did not fall over when trying to sleep, and that relieved tension through the neck and shoulders. I think that they would be good for any situation where you want to rest in a sitting position.

Healthy food gifts, such as fresh berries and colorful vegetables, may be appreciated too. If you are planning on giving an assortment of teas and coffees, you may want to omit green tea if the gift's intended recipient is being treated with Velcade, as green tea may interfere with the drug’s efficacy.

A manicure is a real holiday treat for both women and men, whether they are patients or caregivers. I found the chemo to be hard on my nails, and I couldn’t trim them myself sometimes. I recommend choosing a salon that is really careful in sterilizing their equipment to decrease the risk of infection.

A gift of a meal, whether you take it to the patient and their family or you invite them to your home, is also a lovely idea because it is helpful to both the patient and the caregiver.

Of course, most of the time we are doing our own cooking, and I would like to mention a couple of handy items that are now in our kitchen. One is a yogurt maker. Yogurt is a good source of calcium and may be a good alternative for people who cannot digest milk. Although you can buy yogurt makers as electrical appliances, I recently found a double boiler stainless steel type in an East Indian grocery store (otherwise called a ‘milk boiler’). Using (organic) milk and a little yogurt for a starter, you can make really delicious yogurt.

The other gadget that I recommend is a hand-held blender. It’s an inexpensive gadget and perfect for mak­ing smoothies. Put some yogurt, frozen berries, half a banana, and some fruit juice in a steel milkshake container, and blend. Voila! A delicious, healthy drink, and so easy to make.

People who like music may appreciate a gift certificate to an online music store, especially if they use a portable device for their music. Music aficionados may also like a new, good-quality head set.

Reading, in my opinion, is a nice form of escapism while waiting for appointments, spending time in the hos­pital, or recuperating at home from treatments. A gift certificate to a book store may therefore be wel­come. If you want to give a book you have chosen yourself, I would just suggest that you keep it positive in terms of its content. I wouldn’t give really scary murder mysteries, for example, that could frighten a patient who already has a lot of worries to deal with.

Myeloma patients who read a lot might also like a clip-on reading light so that they can easily read at night without disturbing their spouses.

A new tote bag may also come in handy to carry books, tablets, and other necessities around to appoint­ments and while in the hospital. Another variation on the tote bag is a day backpack, but with wheels and a handle. No heavy lifting will be required if you stash your stuff in a wheeled pack.

Many of us spend a lot of time online. Patients using a tablet device without a keyboard may appreciate having a stylus. It may be particularly handy for patients with neuropathy, given how hard it sometimes can be to push those tiny buttons and use the surfaces on smartphones and tablets. It is also a way to keep one's fingers clean and away from electronic keyboards that others may have touched.

New hats, gloves, and mitts are also good gifts for patients who like to spend time outdoors in the cooler winter weather.

I also find fuzzy bed socks to be a useful gift because they are a wonderful sleep aid. Even with the rather mild neuropathy I suffered in my feet, they do get cold easily.

For patients with neuropathy, nice hand creams or peppermint foot cream might also be welcomed.

The best gift in my opinion is a hand-made gift, such as a knitted scarf or a hand-made card, because it shows that you care at a deeper level. A hand-made gift represents time spent, not just money. And that’s what we myeloma patients and our families need most.

Do you have gift ideas that you would like to add to the list?

I wish all readers a nice holiday season and Happy New Year for 2014.

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The quotation for this month is an excerpt from the musical “The Sound of Music” (1959); lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II: "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things."