Best Last-Minute Holiday Gifts
Procrastinating a little too much this year? There's still time to find the perfect present.
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Even the best or most thoughtful gift givers can, at times, find themselves racing against the clock to wrap up their holiday shopping. We’re not here to judge. And to be fair, Thanksgiving was much later this year, thus cutting into the unofficial-official start of the season.
But there’s still time to shop in stores, and don’t forget the option to pick up an online order in person. For those who are really pushing time limits, we have you covered as well. From creative last-minute gifts you can grab at the grocery store to digital options that’ll be delivered in a flash, there are a host of ways to thoughtfully treat the ones on your list. And when all else fails, there’s always cold, hard cash.
For more ideas and inspiration, head over to Consumer Reports’ holiday gift guide.
Something Fresh
Headed to a friend’s party or a family gathering and don’t want to show up empty-handed? Raid the local supermarket for a handmade gift basket filled with their favorite treats. Make it themed for a curated touch—think about everything they’ll need for a pasta night or the ingredients for a dessert. Pro tip: Print out a recipe and include it with the grocery items.
Line the basket with a tea towel that they can use afterward. A large serving bowl or platter will work, too. Supplement the goodies in the basket with small bundles of fresh flowers, taper candles, or beautifully packaged sweets, all great ways to fill in the blank spaces.
Murray's Cheese Cheese Tower for Two
If you want to take things in a different direction, head to a local cheese shop for all the fixings for a cheese board or a charcuterie platter. New York City shoppers, don’t miss out on Murray’s Cheese’s impressive collection from around the world. Case in point: This delectable tower, which has tangy and sweet goat cheese as well as walnut and butterscotch cheese made from cow’s milk. For those in other areas, you can still order from the store’s website, but you may have to pay for expedited shipping for your order to arrive in time.
FreshDirect Tiramisu
Thanks to all the food delivery platforms available these days, it’s easier than ever to surprise someone from afar. Choose a gift card to an ordering system of their choice (perhaps DoorDash, Seamless, or Uber Eats), send them a complete meal from a restaurant they love, or simply give a bottle of bubbly to toast the holidays.
For a sweet, thinking-of-you treat, try fresh-baked goods from a local bakery or grocery store. Apps like FreshDirect and Instacart can be especially helpful in these instances.
Books and Prints
There’s something to be said about a framed memory, especially if it’s of a special moment shared between you and a giftee. Head to a local retail pharmacy, such as CVS Photo, to print out your photos. Pair them with frames, which you can purchase either online with fast delivery or from a local store. Opt for those with matting for a little added drama.
Spoil the avid reader with a collection of e-books that can be delivered instantly to their devices. Here are a few titles you don’t want to miss out on.
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
If you haven’t already heard, Sally Rooney’s novel “Intermezzo” has the reading community abuzz. “Turns out everyone who told me I needed to read Sally Rooney was right,” says Angela Lashbrook, a CR senior multimedia content creator. “The Irish novelist’s latest focuses on two brothers, a competitive chess player in his early 20s and a lawyer in his mid-30s, as they repair—and destroy—their fractured relationship in the wake of their father’s death. Romantic entanglements both assist and get in the way of their mutual healing. Despite being only loosely plotted, this character-driven novel is a page-turner.”
How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water: A Novel Angie Cruz
“Few recent novels have affected me as much as Angie Cruz’s latest, about a 56-year-old Dominican immigrant in New York City who, after losing a job she’d held for decades, recounts her life story to a job counselor during a series of job coaching sessions,” Lashbrook says. “The narrator, Cara Romero, is funny, outlandish, fierce, and wise, and her story is enraging and moving by turns. At only 208 pages, it’s a quick read. I’d recommend it to just about anyone.”
All the Restaurants Limited Edition Prints
Among my favorite gifts to give are prints of locations that hold a special place in someone’s heart. Maybe it’s the restaurant where they had their first date with a significant other or a neighborhood spot they frequent.
John Donohue is the artist behind All the Restaurants, where he features works depicting various establishments around the country. He draws each in person in ink and spends 20 minutes doing so without erasing any lines. Each limited edition print of a restaurant is available in two sizes (sometimes more), with only 365 versions of each. So once they’re gone, they’re gone for good.
If you can’t get a print in time, once purchased, the website provides a “gift sheet” as a placeholder, with a brief explanation of what’s to come.
Experiences
For the one who prefers experiences to material goods, opt for tickets to a show, concert, or sporting event. Treat the adventurers to a river cruise, pickleball or tennis lessons, or a session at a rock-climbing gym. And for those who relish self-care, book them a treatment at a local spa or grab a gift card to their salon of choice. Whatever the recipient may be into, the key is getting them something that plays to their interests.
Gift Cards
When you’re racing against the clock and have surpassed any and all shipping deadlines, gift cards are hard to resist. And while they often get a bad rap as being impersonal, they can be far from that, especially if you make them, well, personal. In lieu of a generic card for a big-box retailer, opt for a place you know someone loves. Maybe it’s a local coffee joint, a small business they frequent, or an online shop that caters to their interests. Here are a few ideas we love.
Goldbelly Gift Card
One of the coolest aspects of Goldbelly is its wide network of deliverable goods from restaurants and chefs. Indulge in crab claws from the iconic Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami, grab pizza from New York City’s famed John’s of Bleecker Street, or, if you’re feeling especially decadent, choose a whole brisket from the pitmasters at Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas. Craving something sweet? Ina Garten’s coconut cake is a delight on so many levels.
Big Night Gift Card
Big Night is a New York City shop that focuses on lifestyle products and entertaining essentials. The store is full of little treasures, like olive-shaped candles and elevated takes on everyday items like colorful glassware, and its online shop is no different. Whether your giftee can make it out in person or prefers to shop digitally, they’ll surely delight in discovering all that the store has to offer.
Easyplant Gift Card
Fuel their love of all things green with a gift card to Easyplant, an online shop that makes plant care, well, easy. Its signature feature is that its plants come in self-watering pots that take the guesswork out of one of the harder aspects of plant care. The lowest denomination available for a gift card is $50, which is just enough to get them started with their very own potted green.
Airbnb Gift Card
If you can’t give someone their dream vacation, help them out with their accommodations instead. An Airbnb gift card gives them access to the world. And who knows? You might inspire their next big adventure.
