Stock can be a sweeter gift than candy

— -- Q: I'd like to buy some Hershey stock as a gift for a chocolate lover. What are some ways I can do that?

A: Do all the sweater vests, toys and other gifts you give your friends and family keep ending up in closets? And does giving cash seem too impersonal? These might be some reasons to consider giving the gift of stock.

About this time of year, investors looking for gifts that have more meaning and value consider stock. Typically, when people think of stock, they think of paper stock certificates. Stock certificates are the paper form of ownership in companies, which has been the standard for decades. Sometimes stock certificates can be beautiful and feature art showing the company's products and services.

Stock certificates, due to a variety of reasons, have become less frequently used over time.

People used to buy paper stock certificates from their brokers. But increasingly, brokers are making it more difficult and expensive for their clients to not only buy stock certificates but also to process them and sell them.

But there are options. If you're just looking to buy a share of Hershey stock as a gift, you might consider one of the companies that turn these paper certificates into frame-worthy pieces of art. OneShare.com, for instance, will hold your hand through the whole process, allowing you to view the stock certificate and have it framed and delivered.

These framing services only sell one share. If you'd like to buy more than one share, you will need to try something else. One thing you might consider is purchasing the stock through your online brokerage. You can then ask the broker to transfer the share into the DRS, or direct registration system. Some brokerages may charge for this service, but most do not.

After your shares are in the DRS system, you can contact the companies' transfer agent. The transfer agent is the firm responsible for monitoring the ownership of shares. Most large transfer agents, like Computershare and BNY Mellon, will issue paper certificates to you for free. Hershey's transfer agent is BNY Mellon.

Some investors giving the gift of stock want something tangible to wrap and put under the tree. But, if your goal is to foster interest in stock ownership and reduce costs, you might consider doing it all electronically. If the gift is for a child, you can consider setting up an account at a low-cost brokerage firm in the child's behalf and put the stock for them in the account. ShareBuilder has a program where you can set up an account and put some seed capital in the account.

As you can see, there are many ways to give the gift of stock. You'll need to consider what your goal is and how much time you want to put into the process.

Matt Krantz is a financial markets reporter at USA TODAY and author of Investing Online for Dummies and Fundamental Analysis for Dummies. He answers a different reader question every weekday in his Ask Matt column at money.usatoday.com. To submit a question, e-mail Matt at mkrantz@usatoday.com. Follow Matt on Twitter at: twitter.com/mattkrantz