Be the Pro in Procrastination: Last Minute Gifts that Don’t Scream Last Minute
We’ve all been there. Okay, not all, but most. It’s the eleventh hour and you realize that you’ve waited too long and the item you wanted to gift someone won’t arrive in time. So do you, 1. Order it anyway and blame shipping delays? 2. Order it and blame yourself? Or 3. Don’t order it at all and scramble to look for something else? I definitely fit in category 3 (fitting to that of the labeling of hurricanes, to say the least) but leave it to the pro to ensure that the present is oh so innocently waiting under the tree come Christmas morning.
Here are some speedy solutions where even purchasing the day of would work with plenty of time to spare:
Plant or succulent. Add a sweet note of how you grew as a person because of them or share an experience you both had together that allowed you to either see growth in them or growth in yourself (see what I did there?)
Lottery Tickets and scratchers. You can make it a little extra (if time permits) by buying a variety of lottery tickets and scratchers and forming it into a wreath, bouquet, or framed collage.
Online subscriptions. There are so many subscription services out there: books, meals, chocolate, coffee, clothes, makeup, or toys for babies and kids. You can also get an online subscription to a magazine or newspaper and gift the actual periodical with a printout of the online subscription confirmation. Whatever you end up getting a subscription to, print out the confirmation and add it to a physical representation of the subscription. For example, meal subscription with a spatula, coffee subscription with a mug, chocolate subscription added to a box of various chocolates—all things that you’ll easily be able to find last minute.
Meal Kit. Big name grocery stores are usually open on major holidays even if just for the morning hours. Go into their cookware/bakeware aisle and put together a box or basket of cooking items that go together: Pasta theme (colander with various types of noodles and sauces with oven mitts), Baking theme (spatula, muffin tins, pie pan, vanilla extract, cake or cookie mix, oven mitt, kitchen towels and/or cookie cutters. Movie theme (popcorn- various kinds, candy boxes, salts, popcorn seasoning and a popcorn bowl).
Alcohol. Duh!! Nice bottles of wine or liquor will always make a recipient happy and if you’re lucky, so buzzed by the time you reveal that you shopped gifts last minute, they won’t blink an eye. You can add a little extra pizzaz by creating a theme (going back to the idea above). Example, Margarita theme- along with tequila and triple sec, add some limes, ice trays, lemon squeezer, coarse sea salt and glasses to a basket, gift bag, or box.
A big box of junk(food). For something more humorous, find the biggest box you can and fill it with junk food: chips, soda, candy, cookies, beef jerky and anything that would satisfy a late-night craving. Don’t forget to add some tums or antacids to the mix as well. It’s all about packaging—so make sure you wrap it up with a pretty bow, add a message like, “Don’t put this gift to waist”, and people will ooh and ahh at the sheer size of the gift; only to discover….
Lastly (and obviously), a DONO gift card. It’s a convenient purchase made all within a few clicks and taps on your phone. If you are at a loss for what to gift, this is an easy way to ensure that your special person can receive something of their choice, as they can use it anywhere Mastercard® is accepted.
With shipping delays, staff shortages and disruptions with supply chain all related to the pandemic, this year of gifting can be a struggle. There is no need to sweat as there are plenty of creative options that will impress even the most motivated individual, and hey, you might even decide to add them to your gift list because you’ll have plenty of time!