Kathy Peterson | gift advisor | Old Time Candy Company | Tequesta

A framed photograph. It's a knockout of a thoughtful gift, says Kathy Peterson, a gifting expert in Tequesta, Florida. Do you have a candid (and flattering!) snapshot of the recipient in a happy setting - perhaps a company picnic or a birthday party? Gift problem solved.

Old-time brands. "Old is gold and retro is in," says gift consultant Robyn Freedman Spizman, and clever givers are hunting down retailers that specialize in nostalgia goods. Particularly hot for 2002: Nostalgia candies. For $22 to $33, the Old Time Candy Company (www.oldtimecandy.com) sells a sampler basket called, "Candy You Ate as a Kid."

Anything handmade. Says gift advisor Kathy Peterson: "Handmade gifts are very right for business this year." These gifts - from homemade jams to dried floral arrangements - shout home and hearth. You could never make such fancy items? Peterson says homemade gifts are actually fairly simple to concoct, "and it is very satisfying to give items you've made yourself." -

MUST-AVOIDS

You've heard the do's. How about the don'ts?

1. Anything too personal. "That's the big must-avoid in business gifts," says Los Angeles gifting expert Tara Riceberg. Such as? Fitted clothing. Scarves and ties may be OK, but beware of shirts, blouses, anything that touches the skin.