Last Minute Gift Ideas

I have a confession.  With our trip to Florida last week and a busy work schedule, I'm still no where near done my Christmas shopping!  Yikes!  If you are still fighting crowds at the mall or scrambling to finish your holiday shopping too, here are some last minute gift ideas:

Books

Books are easy to find and always make for a nice gift for anyone including children, family, or coworkers.  If you're buying for a fiction lover, I recommend The Time Traveler's Wife (it's an amazing book, but you'll need a box of tissues while you read it!).  If non-fiction is more their thing, I recommend Eating Animals for anyone who is concerned about eating healthy or helping the environment.  Book gifts can be personalized by adding a nice inscription inside of the book cover or by making your own bookmarks like these cute ones.

DVDs

DVDs are another easy to find gift that you can purchase just about anywhere.  TV shows on DVD are always a hot hot holiday gift and your gift recipient will be able to get more viewing time out of a TV series on DVD than just a 2 hour movie.  TV shows from the 80s and 90s, like my ultimate favorite The Golden Girls, make great nostalgic gifts.  Popular TV shows like Glee, which I've been wanting to check out, make fun gifts too.  To add a personal touch to a DVD gift, try adding a sweet treat like chocolate candy popcorn.

Cookies

Me love cookies, nom nom nom nom nom!  If you need a gift for the Cookie Monster, or a friend with a sweet tooth, you can't go wrong with a batch of cookies.  I'm planning on trying these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie and Oatmeal Chocolate Pecan Cookie recipes this year.  If prepared cookies aren't feasible (because maybe you're traveling or mailing the gift), cookie mix in a nicely decorated jar makes a great gift too.

Gifts for the Home

It can be hard to find gifts for someone's home because there is always the risk of them already having the item or getting the color scheme wrong, but there are a few pretty safe gift options for the home.  Picture frames always make a nice present and the recipient will likely be able to find a place for it whether it's in their home or office.  And you can add a personal touch by including a special photo in the frame.  Throw blankets are another nice gift idea because soft and cozy gifts are so nice to get and because they can usually be used in multiple rooms in the house so there's always room for another one.  Both of these gift ideas are available online or in-store at Target.

Donations

If you're gifting to the person who has everything or doesn't want anymore "stuff," try giving a charitable donation.  While I wouldn't recommend donating to the The Human Fund, charitable donations to real organizations can give the gift of a warm and fuzzy feeling to the recipient and provide a very needed donation to help those in need.  My charity of choice is Heifer International.  Through Heifer International, you can give the gift of chickens, ducks, cows, and other animals to impoverished families throughout the world.  Those families will use the chickens (or other animal you gift) to lay eggs for nourishment and will sell any extra eggs as a source of income for themselves, often to afford to provide schooling for their children.  The gift keeps on giving because once the family lands on their feet, they will be able to pass along additional chickens to other families in need.  You can learn about this great organization and donate by visiting their website.  It's a great way to pass along the Christmas spirit!

For more last minute gift ideas, check out some homemade gift ideas.