So for people living in residence, or friends you have that have folks overseas.. this gift might be something worth looking into.
It's called MagicJack. They were an ad sponsor on MacInsiders for a few months, you may have seen their banner on the homepage.
You can read more about it at
http://www.themagicjack.ca, basically it is a USB gadget that you plug into your PC or Laptop, and as long as you have internet you can plug a phone into it and call anywhere in North America unlimited, no monthly bills or minutes. It costs $19.95/year to keep the service, no contracts, and you get the first year for free to try it out. Pretty sweet