Last, LAST Minute Christmas Gifts

Christmas is two days away and I know some of us still have shopping to do; myself included. I for one am NOT, I repeat NOT going to anymore stores. It also helps that I only buy gifts for the children in my family. For some, it’s good to thin outside of the box. Especially when you get those people who every year say “I don’t want anything.” “I don’t know what I want.” “It doesn’t matter.” So what can you get people this late in the game and of quality? We have to realize that it’s a different time. You can pretty much buy any and everything online. Yes, I know people still like to physically open gifts, but I think that I’ve found some things (in no particular order) that you can purchase in the comfort of your own home that will arrive instantly; even on Christmas Day. (Disclaimer: Please research before purchasing.) Here’s a few things off the top of my head:

1. Amazon Prime Membership – If you shop online, Prime is the way to go. I’ve been a Prime member for about 5 years. Every time I want to cancel it, I just can’t do it. It’s pricey, but the convenience and benefits are amazing. Buying options are month-to-month or yearly. For a friend’s birthday earlier this year I paid for 3 months of their Prime membership. They enjoyed it so much that she continued the membership afterwards. Now if you’re feeling real fancy go ahead and get them a year membership.
2. Dollar Shave Club – Now this is a great gift for both men and women. I actually use this myself. I get new blades sent directly to my house every 2 months and it works out perfectly. They have three different size razors and blades to choose from. Dollar Shave Club also introduced me to shaving gel, making me give up on shaving cream altogether. They have other products to choose from and are all highly rated. They’re other shave clubs out there like Bevel (Black-owned) but this one is the most cost effective one of quality.
3. Nature Box – If you listen to Podcast, you will hear many of them talk about this online subscription delivery service where you can choose from over hundreds of healthy natural snacks. I tried a few of a my friends and what I tried led me to wanting to try more. If you want a healthy alternative when it comes to snacking that still taste great, check out Nature Box. If you chose the subscription route, you can cancel at anytime. Do like I did and buy about 6 or 7 packs of different snacks to try. By buying this, you may encourage someone to pick up healthier eating habits.
4. Streaming services such as: Netflix, Hulu, Apple Music, Spotify, Gamefly, etc. They’re many more out there but I think that those are the most popular ones. Some of these even have gift cards that can be used to go towards subscription fees. Buy them a 3-6 month member, and like I stated before, buy them a year membership if you’re fancy. 🙂
5. Coffee Clubs – Christmas 2014, I was gifted one of my favorite gifts of all time. I received a one year membership of Stauff’s coffee club (not sure if that’s what it’s actually called); but it’s where coffee was sent to my house every month. I could choose up to 3 flavors per month. Stauff’s is a local coffee shop here in Columbus, Ohio but you can have it delivered anywhere.
6. Jeni’s Ice Cream – Jeni has a subscription service as well. This is great for anyone who loves Ice Cream.
7. E Gift Cards – Many merchants and restaurants have gift cards that you can send electronically. I always give one of my friends e-gift cards to Starbucks and Panera. I received one for my birthday from Journey’s (which got put to use). The gift cards are sent right to the recipients email address and can be purchased online.
8. Donate to a charity in a person’s name. Many people question why would anyone do this. You can donate just $20 dollars in someone’s name to a charity and hopefully the gift of helping others will make them feel amazing. This isn’t for everyone…I repeat…this isn’t for everyone. Someone may get pissed off about this. But…if you have giving friend’s…they shouldn’t mind.

So basically what I’m getting at is that online and subscription services are the way to go if you don’t want to venture out to the store or you’re super last-minute. Listed above are just some of the many that are out there. I’m sure you can google subscription or home delivery for pets, toys, chocolate, food, etc and they will have something out there. Make sure they’re legit though. DO YOUR RESEARCH if you decide to go this way. Get a little creative in the presentation and hand them a card with card and/or gift certificate that you made to present their gift to them. These computers (especially if you have a MacBook) can do amazing artsy things. Here’s to the age of new gift giving!

For you creative ones in your life – I myself would love to get into beading…making necklaces and bracelets. If you know someone who has a great eye for fashion and may show some interest, buy them a beading or jewelry making kit. There’s even candle making kits which seem interesting as well. This could encourage them to pursue this on their own. Exchange cookies and treats. I was included on a post to exchange wine with friends for Christmas. I thought that it was a great idea. Just a bottle of wine. I mean who doesn’t love and appreciate wine?

I could on forever giving suggestions for last minute gift ideas. There’s so many options available today. You don’t have to leave our house or even physically deliver it. These are really good if you’re gifting to someone out of town. I just thought that I would suggest some things because many of us have been in this situation. For me personally, the best gift to give is your time to those in need. I take a few family members and friends with me all of the time, not just the holidays, but especially around the holidays to volunteer my time to help others. I have everything I need and so do many of my friends and family.