Oh no, the next holiday is only a week away! What am I going to get for that loved one? Do you still have shopping to do? You can't find items for your closest friends and family. I hear you; here are ten last-minute gift ideas to help inspire you to shop:
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- Go to a nearby Hallmark store.
- Send Regional Treats to Loved Ones.
- Buy or make homemade stuff like handmade soaps, tea mixes, and candles.
- A Great Gift Idea For Men
- Creative Spring Gift For Teenagers
- DIY TeaCup Candle Project
- How to Make Fun Sock Stuffed Favor Gifts for Your Next Party
- Homemade French Vanilla Chai Tea Mix Gift Jar DIY
- Create a playlist for them with their favorite songs.
- Buy a plain kid's t-shirt and decorate it with fabric markers.
- Send Spirits to Your Loved Ones.
- Pick up gift cards for movie tickets at your nearest grocery store or movie theater.
- Get a gift certificate for a lesson or two at your nearby dance studio or cooking class.
- Making these themed baskets is great for last-minute gift ideas.
- A Great Gift Idea For Men
- Get a subscription to a magazine or a once-a-month club.
- Other Fun Last Minute Gift Ideas Posts:
Go to a nearby Hallmark store.
If you are like me, sometimes you forget about a party or event and need to rush out to get something quick. Check your nearby Hallmark or gift card stores. You can find lots of easy, simple gifts to give to someone.
Send Regional Treats to Loved Ones.
Gold Belly is a lovely site that offers The Best Gourmet Food, Food Gifts, and mail-order foods Shipped Nationwide. They empower small shops, chefs & restaurants and inspire their passion to share their excellent food. Some of the restaurants below use this site for shipping.
Below are some I have personally sent to family members in the U.S.
Have you ever had a Chicago pizza? Try Gino's East of Chicago to send your loved ones a pizza.
Are you a fan of San Francisco sourdough bread? Try sending San Fransisco Boudin Sourdough bread to family members.
Are you a fan of BBQ from Austin, Texas? Check out Franklin BBQ in Austin.
A fan of New York Bagels? Check out NY Style Bagels or New Yorker Bagels.
How about New York-Style Pizza? Try Di Fara Brooklyn legend.
Do you love a Philadelphia favorite snack? Check out Tastykakes
Are you a fan of the original Buffalo Wings? They are AMAZING. Anchor Bar is the original Buffalo restaurant that made these yummy treats. Check out their shop to order them for your loved one.
Do you have a loved one who loves Jersey Pork Rolls? Check out the Original Pork Roll from the Jersey Pork Roll website.
Does your loved one love Tennessee BBQ? Check out Corky's Ribbs & BBQ for their shop online store.
Are they fans of Salt Water Taffy's from Ocean City, New Jersey? Check out this Shriver's store.
Have family that loves Lobster from Maine? Check out the Main Lobster Now website.
Are you a fan of Minnesota Pies? Check out Betty's Pies and Stockholm Pie & General Store.
But it is not all, you can also make edible gifts for your loved ones. In a few hours, you can share a wonderful treat with them with little effort.
Buy or make homemade stuff like handmade soaps, tea mixes, and candles.
Nearby high-end grocery stores, like Whole Foods or Wegmans, will probably carry them. Places like World Market have various things you can put together and place in a gift basket.
Or you can give them a special gift. Below are some DIY tutorials I made for my family. Feel free to check them out and try them.
A Great Gift Idea For Men
Remember a few weeks ago, I talked about not wanting to clutter others' homes this year for the holidays? If you missed it, here it is again: No Clutter Gifts for the holidays. Well, here is the first of my affordable gifts for men that don't take much time or money.
Creative Spring Gift For Teenagers
Making gift card holders is more fun for teenagers and me. They aren't youngsters anymore, and the kids baskets are not cutting it. I like giving out gift cards so they can enjoy what they want while enjoying a few sweets. So, today, I will share a way to make a spring gift for Teenagers.
DIY TeaCup Candle Project
Vintage teacups are so pretty. However, if you have several of them that you don't use, why not try making this teacup and saucer candle? I attempted to make two of them, and this post outlines the easy steps I took to create them.
How to Make Fun Sock Stuffed Favor Gifts for Your Next Party
Party favor gifts are an excellent way to show how much you appreciate your guests. You can gift guests many favors when they come to your home. I thought this was easy to make, and everyone enjoyed the uniqueness. Plus, it did not generate trash for the guests.
Homemade French Vanilla Chai Tea Mix Gift Jar DIY
It's fun making homemade gifts for family and friends. It helps you save money and show them you love. This is a French Vanilla Chai Tea Mix Gift Jar recipe. Note: The recipe makes twelve 8-ounce mason jars.
Create a playlist for them with their favorite songs.
If you have the same shared accounts in Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon (Affiliate Link) Prime Music, or YouTube Music, why not go old school and make a playlist and share it with them? People love being customized for them. Choose songs that represent your relationship with them or even songs you know they will love. The time and energy you spend putting this playlist together will make it fun and heartfelt for them.
Buy a plain kid's t-shirt and decorate it with fabric markers.
If you need a gift for a kid who loves to draw, you can give them fabric markers (Affiliate Link) and a plain kid t-shirt (Affiliate Link) to draw on and wear.
Kid t-shirt Unisex 2 Packs Cotton Tagless Short Sleeve
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Fabric Markers Pen, 32 Colors Permanent Fabric Paint Pens for T-Shirt
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Send Spirits to Your Loved Ones.
Wine and beer make great gifts. You can ship wine directly from wineries. For Pennsylvania, you can ship right to your door. You can add things like Gift cards with the wine. You could also send them flowers with a wine gift basket; check out 1800flowers.com.
Pick up gift cards for movie tickets at your nearest grocery store or movie theater.
These days, the main movie theaters have tickets everywhere. A gift card with a bucket of popcorn or candy (Affiliate Link) would be great for a family or date night.
Get a gift certificate for a lesson or two at your nearby dance studio or cooking class.
Places like "Painting with a Twist" are great places to learn something new. Sur La Table stores offer excellent cooking classes to sharpen your cooking skills. They also have date night classes, mom-and-me classes, and dad-and-me classes. We have been to several and enjoyed them.
Making these themed baskets is great for last-minute gift ideas.
These themed baskets can easily be picked up and made at home. I found that going to a discount store like Marshall's, TJMaxx, or HomeGoods has the baskets and gourmet food that your loved one would love. Below, I included twelve theme baskets that are popular and loved by everyone.
The images below are from Amazon (Affiliate Link). I will receive a small commission if you purchase something by clicking on the images or links on Amazon (Affiliate Link).
But what theme basket should I make?
The theme baskets can be designed in various ways. Here are some examples. The links below are from Amazon (Affiliate Link). If you click through and buy something on Amazon (Affiliate Link), I will receive a small referral fee at no additional cost to you.
1. Car Wash Basket
Some things you can add are car wash soap, Car wax, car brushes, microfiber clothes.
2. Spa Day or Self-Care Basket
You can add things like foot care creams, facial mask individual packets, foot mask packs, bath salts, and shower steamers (Affiliate Link).
3. Barbecue or Grilling Basket
These baskets will include BBQ sauces (Affiliate Link) or rubs, grilling (Affiliate Link) supplies, accessories, or tools (Affiliate Link).
4. Spice Mixes Basket
If you know of several loved ones who love to cook, spice mixes are awesome for them. Add things like spicy or sweet options in a basket. You can also throw in a wooden spoon or a variety of sauces.
5. Pasta and Sauce Basket
Another good last-minute present is a pasta and sauce basket. If the loved one enjoys pasta, you can give them a pasta box (Affiliate Link) and tomato sauce (Affiliate Link) basket. Pick a sauce that they may have heard of for a pleasant surprise. Instead of buying a basket, you could buy a nice pasta bowl (Affiliate Link) with a spaghetti serving spoon.
6. Date Night Basket
Date Night Baskets are another last-minute gift idea they may love. You can include movie tickets or a gift card to a restaurant near them. If they don't want to spend too much money, visit our other post about how to have an affordable date night. You can include things like microwave popcorn or chocolates in the baskets for a delicious treat.
7. Bread Making Kit Basket
Some kits out there have wonderfully put together an experience for the recipient. I made one for some of my nephews years ago; check it out here: Bread making kit.
A Great Gift Idea For Men
Remember a few weeks ago, I talked about not wanting to clutter others' homes this year for the holidays? If you missed it, here it is again: No Clutter Gifts for the holidays. Well, here is the first of my affordable gifts for men that don't take a lot of time or money.
8. Family Game Night Basket
You can add cards, popcorn, video, or board games to this basket. If you know the size of their table, add a decorative tablecloth (Affiliate Link). Pick games for the youngest child so that everyone can plan. Check out our Games to Help Kids Understand How to Organize for more game ideas.
Kid Game: 3 otters Puzzle, 2 Sets of Wooden Puzzle Tangram
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Kids Game: Educational Insights Kanoodle Genius 3-D Puzzle Game
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Kids Game: Hasbro Gaming Mouse Trap Kids Board Game
Buy Now →(Affiliate Link)
9. Housewarming Basket
If they recently moved into a new home, Housewarming baskets could include a live or artificial plant (Affiliate Link), a holiday ornament (Affiliate Link) with the year they moved in, candles (Affiliate Link), and a unique wooden sign (Affiliate Link) for their front door.
10. Mom or Dad Survival Basket
Themed Gift Baskets (Affiliate Link) are fantastic options! Suppose your loved one feels overwhelmed; maybe a mom or dad survival basket. This could include wine, beer, a gift card for a streaming service, some self care (Affiliate Link) products, or even some snack foods or artisan teas/coffee brands.
Gift Basket: New mom Survival kit
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Gift Basket: New Dad Survival Kit
Buy Now →(Affiliate Link)
11. Favorite Teacher Basket
If you are like us, you give teachers a gift during Teacher Appreciation Week ( Teacher Appreciation Week always falls on the first week of May, with Teacher Appreciation Day celebrated within that week) and the holidays. Instead of a basket, you can provide them with a fabric tote bag (Affiliate Link). Below are some things you can add to your favorite teacher's basket: gift cards, homemade cookies, a silk plant for their desk or classroom, self-care cream, to-do list pads, cool markers or pens, and stamps they could use for their students.
Gift basket: Teacher Appreciation Gifts for Women
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Gift basket: Teacher Gifts for Women
Buy Now →(Affiliate Link)
12. And last but not least, a Coffee/Tea Lover Basket
A coffee/tea basket (Affiliate Link) could include a variety of teas or coffee, a mug, or even a specialty spoon or honey.
Gift Basket: Tea & Coffee - Coffee and Tea Gift Sets
Buy Now →(Affiliate Link)
And there are even more last-minute gift ideas!
Get a subscription to a magazine or a once-a-month club.
And finally, getting a subscription to a magazine or a once-a-month club is another last-minute gift idea your family may love. There's even a beer of the month club.
If they love cookies or sweets and would love that throughout the year, check out the Sticky Fingers Bakery, which is 100% plant-based and offers delicious treats.
Visit our recently updated Tons of No Clutter Gifts post for even more ideas!
Other Fun Last Minute Gift Ideas Posts:
I hope this helps inspire you to finish your Christmas shopping, so you have time to enjoy the season.
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon, and at no additional cost, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
Sarah Soboleski says
I love that you included the suggestion of a homemade cd. I still have the holiday cd my best friend made me in college and I love listening to it each Christmas season!
Hazel Thornton says
I've often thought I could do all my gift shopping at Walgreens if necessary. And most of your ideas I could get at Walgreens (including regional, Hallmark, gift cards, etc.) if I pick the one with the liquor department!
Kathy McEwan says
I like your idea of buying artwork or spirits at your local store. In our area, local stores are closing down because people are not buying local. I totally agree with buying local and support your community.
Janet Barclay says
Love the T-shirt and markers idea! One year we bought the kids iron-on T-shirt transfers for our color printer, but your idea is easier, cheaper, and probably more fun.
Sabrina says
Great idea, Janet! I love t-shirts since they are affordable and you can make them anyway you want. Thanks for sharing.
Natalie Gallagher says
Thank you for this list! I'm really struggling with a few people on my list, and this post gave me a few ideas. Happy Holidays!
Sabrina says
Happy Holidays to you too, Natalie! Thanks for commenting!
Seana Turner says
I love the idea of regional treats! Wish I could get someone to send me a Philly cheesesteak:)
Sabrina says
I will look for you, Seana 😉
Kathy Jenkins says
My favorite gifts are subscriptions - to museums or movie tickets. Gifts that give memories, not clutter!
Sabrina says
I totally agree, Kathy. Happy Holidays!