NEW YORK — When Patricia Smith gives holiday presents to clients, she doesn't go the traditional routes, selecting something from a catalog or Web site. Her suppliers are her clients themselves.

Smith, owner of Denver-based OnTarget Public Relations LLC, has given clients T-shirts from the women's outdoor clothing firm she represented and bath salts from another company she's done projects for. Her holiday cards are printed by yet another customer, a stationery firm.

"I'm not overtly selling the product, but saying I believe in what my client is doing," she said.

That gives all of Smith's clients the message that she's committed to them and their products and services. Moreover, she said, "they appreciate that they get something unusual."

It can be tempting for a small-business owner to go the quick-and-dirty route of holiday giving to clients: mugs or other knickknacks imprinted with the company name, fruit baskets, oversized tins of popcorn. But do that, and you miss out on some great marketing opportunities.

The whole point of giving presents to clients or customers is to let them know not just how much you appreciate their business, but how highly you think of them. Giving the obvious doesn't convey that message, but getting creative about gifts absolutely will.

Neil Vineberg, who owns a public relations firm in Westhampton, N.Y., looks for gifts that will help his clients in their work.

"I think I know my clients and I think I know what will appeal to them," he said. "They're hard-driving, entrepreneurial types, techie types, a lot on the road."

So he tends to give iPods and USB portable drives to the top executives of the firms he represents. "I want the gift to demonstrate that I'm aware of some of the challenges" they face, said Vineberg, owner of Vineberg Communications Inc.

"The gift has to be reflective of who you are as a person, and it needs to demonstrate that you've put a lot of thought and care into it," he said. He dismisses gifts like mugs as impersonal.

Businesses with a limited number of clients or customers can find it easier to buy customized or individual gifts. It gets harder to do that when you have a longer list of recipients.

Ervin & Smith Advertising in Omaha, Neb., has a big client base, approximately 500. Kristen Petrick, director of public relations for the firm, said Ervin & Smith tiers its presents, giving larger, more personalized gifts to general marketing directors and other top executives at clients.

If you decide to follow Smith's example, and choose other customers' products for your gifts, they might be willing to do the packaging and sending for you.

You can also turn to corporate gift services. They'll cost you extra. Also keep in mind that your customers and clients need to sense that it was you who ultimately chose the gift.