1. Planning: First, you must have a gift, or treasure. The beauty of this is that it doesn't have to be something expensive or store-bought. The effort you put into it says a lot more than a piece of jewelry. You can either make something homemade or a few small inexpensive items.
Next, you have to decide where you plan on carrying out the scavenger hunt. Inside your house? Their house? Outside? Then you have to figure out where you want this gift to be. Personally, I ended up putting the gift in her trunk, while giving her clues that led her all over town - in her car.

2. The Clues: This isn't as hard as it sounds. While it is fun to write riddles, that require them to figure it out before they can advance, it isn't always necessary. If you make the scavenger hunt long with a lot of clues, it makes up for the difficulty. I usually write little poems. Two sentences that rhyme. But its up to you.

Next you have to decide the order. You have to place each clue at a different spot, with each one leading to the next. 1 must give a clue to 2, 2 must give a clue to 3, etc. You can also use this opportunity to add fake trails. If they guess the wrong spot for clue #3, it can be funny to leave a note saying "Wrong, try reading #3 again.

3. Other fun ideas: The more creative you get the better. I've hid clues behind payphones, around street signs, buried under ground, in my pocket ;-), in her shoe. But sometimes its best to get other people involved. Send her to a neighbor who "has been waiting for him/her". Send her a letter in the mail with the first clue - so you don't even have to be there for her to get enjoyment.

So yeah, I guess it's pretty self explanatory, but it's a damn good idea. My girlfriend still talks about this with her friends, which always results in "wow hes so sweet". It saves you money, unless s/he is a snob, is romantic, and just a lot of fun.

Let me know what you think, as well as some of the gifts/gestures you have given or plan to give this holiday season.