Gift giving is not always easy. If it’s the holiday season and you’re stumped about what to give, you can always take a few cues from your favorite TV show.

On “The O.C.,” Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) creates Chrismukkah, a super-holiday combining the best elements of Christmas and Hanukkah. With one Christian parent and one Jewish parent, it is a compromise the whole family can enjoy: “Eight days of presents, followed by one day of a lot of presents!”

In the series’ first Chrismukkah episode, there are several great gift ideas. Cohen’s love interests, Summer (Rachel Bilson) and Anna (Samaire Armstrong), come up with gifts for Cohen based on his love for comic books. Summer dresses up as Wonder Woman, and Anna creates a handmade comic book in which Cohen is the main character. It’s usually a safe bet to choose something the gift recipient loves, and come up with something creative related to it, like Summer and Anna do for Cohen.

In return, Cohen gives each girl a “Seth Cohen Starter Pack,” which includes copies of his favorite movie, his favorite book, and CDs by his favorite bands. This is a great gift idea for friends or someone you are just starting to date. You can give some things you already love, in the hopes it will become something you will have in common. Cohen gifts Kavalier and Klay, “The Goonies,” and music by Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins, and Bright Eyes.

In the second-season Christmas episode of “The Big Bang Theory,” Sheldon (Jim Parsons) doesn’t know what type of gift to get for Penny (Kaley Cuoco), so he buys a variety of gifts and decides he will give her whichever one most closely equals the value of what she gives him. To save yourself this trouble, it’s okay to discuss a price range with the gift recipient ahead of time. If you agree on a limit – and both stick to it – you can avoid the awkwardness and anxiety of trying to match what you think the other person will give you.

To up the ante (but not the price) of gift giving, you and the recipient could challenge one another to be creative. In the fourth-season Christmas episode of NBC’s “30 Rock,” Jack (Alec Baldwin) and Liz (Tina Fey) decide to get each other thoughtful gifts, but without spending any money. Jack tracks down a ticket stub from a play Liz was once in and has it framed in wood from the play’s stage. Liz arranges for Jack’s love interest to stay in town an extra night and spend time with him. Both love their gifts, and neither spent a dime.

In the aforementioned “Big Bang Theory” episode, Penny gives Leonard a napkin she had signed by Leonard Nimoy. He is overjoyed, proving that it’s the thought that counts when giving a gift. Autographed items are great gift ideas, too, and can easily be found on eBay – just make sure you’re buying an authentic item and not a reprint.

The best, most heartfelt gifts are the ones that show the gift recipients how well you know them. “Parks and Recreation” protagonist, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), is great at this. In the show’s fourth-season holiday episode, Knope gives her angsty intern April (Aubrey Plaza) a commissioned portrait of April destroying her least-favorite musical group, the uber-popular Black Eyed Peas. For struggling musician Andy (Chris Pratt), a homemade gold record for his fledgling band Mouse Rat. And, for grumpy boss Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), Knope rigs his office doors to close – and shut out all the people who annoy him – at the touch of a button. This brings a tear to stoic Swanson’s eye. The recipients of your creative and thoughtful gifts will likely do the same. The key is to personalize each gift to the recipient. By zeroing in on something they love, you will show them how well you know them and how much you care.