Can you believe there are less than 10 days left until Christmas? If you haven’t finished your holiday shopping, it’s time to kick it into high gear. But don’t worry – it’s entirely possible to gather a bunch of great gifts in the week before Christmas. To save yourself time, money, and stress, however, we encourage you to use our last-minute Christmas shopping tips.
Last-Minute Christmas Shopping Tips
Make a List
Before you head to the mall or begin browsing online, make a list of all your gift recipients. Then, write down a few ideas for each person and a general budget. As you shop, cross items and people off the list. Remember that each gift doesn’t need to be perfect; it just needs to make the recipient happy. Your list will keep you organized and help you avoid going over budget.
Shop Online
To save yourself time and stress, we recommend starting your Christmas shopping online. Shopping online also makes it easier to search for gifts and compare your options. Start shopping now, however, to ensure that your gifts are able to arrive in time for December 25th. And before you spend too much time browsing on a particular website, make sure that the shipping options work for your schedule.
Give Gift Cards
Some people turn their noses up at gift cards, but who doesn’t want to enjoy a shopping spree at one of their favorite stores or restaurants? So long as you make sure to pick a company that suits the recipient’s interests, this is a foolproof gift idea. Plus, you can easily “dress up” gift cards so that you’re not simply handing over an envelope. The following ideas are great gift combos:
- Book + a gift card to a bookstore
- Mug + a gift card to a coffeeshop
- Popcorn and candy + a gift card to a movie theater or streaming service
- Socks + a gift card to a clothing store (to complete the outfit)
- Wine + a gift card to a restaurant
- Luggage tag or passport holder + a gift card for an airline
Choose Edible Gifts
Who doesn’t like tasty food or delicious beverages? If you’re talented in the kitchen, you could cook or bake some gifts. If not, you can purchase ready-made options. Or if you know the recipient enjoys cooking or baking, you could gift them an ingredient (or perfectly portioned ingredients with a recipe attached). Some popular options include the following:
- Sweets (cookies, brownies, rice krispie treats, candies, fudge, hot cocoa, etc.)
- Bread
- Hot sauce
- Coffee or tea
- Olive oil
- Nuts
- Spices
- Cheese
- Snack mix
- Fine alcohol (Bailey’s coffee creamer, wine, whiskey, gin, etc.)
- Gift box from Harry & David, Hickory Farms, etc.
- Gift card for a meal subscription service like HelloFresh or Blue Apron
Look for specialty items – things that your recipients wouldn’t buy for themselves normally. And be sure that you “dress up” edible gifts so that they look more like gifts and less like groceries. Additionally, try to choose gifts that will last a little while, so that your recipient isn’t forced to consume the gift quickly.
Choose Experiences
Studies show that millennials tend to value experiences over things, so especially if you’re shopping for young adults this Christmas, consider gifting an experience as opposed to an object. Although it might look a little plain under the Christmas tree, a gift certificate for an amazing experience will be much appreciated. In some cases, this also allows you to give the gift of your time. For example, you could offer to pay for your grandchildren to join you at a baseball game or treat your daughter to dinner and a movie. The following are some great experiential gift ideas:
- Tickets to a sporting event
- Tickets to a musical, play, concert, or ballet
- A cooking class
- A boat tour
- An annual pass to the National Parks
- A pass for yoga classes
- A massage or facial
- A wine tasting class
- Membership to a museum
- Tickets to a theme park
- Tickets to an escape room
- A plane ticket
Of all our last-minute Christmas shopping tips, this is perhaps the one that offers the greatest possibility for a jaw-dropping reaction. Plus, you can easily purchase many experiences online.
Shop Small
Consider heading to some small, independent stores for your last-minute shopping. Not only will you be supporting small businesses, but also small stores tend to be less busy at Christmastime compared to big-box stores and malls. You can also find unique gifts – special items you would never find at a mass-market retailer.
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So what are you waiting for? Now that you’ve read our last-minute Christmas shopping tips, it’s time to start shopping. Good luck!
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