Alex Rodriguez is planning a "heartfelt" Christmas gift for Jennifer Lopez.

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez

The 43-year-old former baseball star wants to do something "creative" for his partner to mark the festive period, rather than "going out and buying something expensive".

Speaking about the Christmas git, he said: "It has to be something creative. I can't just go out and buy something expensive. For Jennifer, something that is handwritten or maybe is a photo - I don't want to give any secrets away for this holiday. It's something that is heartfelt. It is something that resembles a memory that we've had together that involves our children or involves our home. Ultimately, that's what it is all about."

And Alex is "more grateful" the older he gets.

He told Access Hollywood: "The older I get, the more grateful get. It think holiday season is really about giving back. One of the things that we mandate for our kids, all four of them, is to go into the Boys and Girls Club, go into the inner city - whether it's Thanksgiving or Christmas - and they have to give back. One Christmas we made it where they only got one gift and all the gifts that were supposed to go to them, they donated to people who couldn't really afford it. I think it's really important for our children ... to bring them some awareness about how important it is to give."

Jennifer previously revealed she feels as though she's developed a more mature attitude towards her relationships over the years.

She said: "When we met, we'd both already done a lot of work on ourselves. Everybody has flaws, and the people I want in my life are the people who recognise that and are willing to work on those flaws. It's super-important: someone who's willing to look at themselves and say, 'OK, I'm not great here' or 'I could do better there.'"