Twas the weekend before Christmas, when you felt like a louse
Because you had forgotten to buy gifts for all in the house.
The gifts bags were empty, the wrapping paper was there,
But you desperately needed to find a gift with some flair.
As the kids stood watch with pans on their heads,
Using candy cane swords to strike their foes dead,
You sat quietly wondering “What the heck am I going to do?
Six shopping days till Christmas and I don’t have a clue.”
When, suddenly the cobwebs from your brain began to scatter,
And your fears of a giftless Christmas ultimately shatter.
“The internet’s the answer!” you think to yourself.
“It’s far better than any silly elf on a shelf!”
Then, the glow of that beautiful screen,
Suddenly seems a whole lot less serene
When the realization begins to set in
That there’s no way your items will reach you before Christmas is “Fin.”
You could always pay extra so they deliver it real quick,
But the amount of money involved would certainly make you sick.
And with only days left to find something in the mall,
It’s going to be tough to find your kids’ Christmas doll.
However, I’m here to say:
“Fear not on this wondrous winter day,
For if it is a last-minute gift that you need,
All you have to do is read here and take heed!”
1. Tickets
When I say tickets, I’m not talking about parking tickets or speeding tickets because while it would be great if you could give somebody you absolutely loathe all of your unpaid tickets and require them to pay them for you, the world just doesn’t work that way. Instead, what I’m actually talking about here is tickets to the theater or tickets to a sporting event. I mean when you stop and think about it, almost everyone has a band, a musical, a sport, or some other type of event that they absolutely love but don’t necessarily want to pay for. As a result, buying tickets to a show or a game that a friend or family member really wants to go to can be a great way to grab a last minute gift.
In fact, this type of gift is great for people that already have a lot of stuff because you’re buying something that they really want and something that doesn’t take up a lot space. Best of all, you can always print out the tickets at the very last minute and still have them under the tree for Christmas.
2. Coupons
Alright, I know you’re probably sitting there looking at the word, “coupons”, while slowly backing away from the guy who’s obviously lost his mind, but bear with me for just a second. I’m not suggesting that you should hand your beloved aunt or uncle the coupon booklet from [Insert Store Here] that you just got out of the mail. What I am suggesting is that you, like most people, have a very unique set of skills that may come in handy to other members of your family. For example, you may be good with a computer or good with a hammer while the rest of your family screams like somebody out of a horror movie every time someone mentions the word “mouse” or “batt” (for those of you who are not familiar with carpentry terminology, batt refers to a specific type of insulation.) This means that you may be able to offer your skills as a present if there is something that you can do to make someone else’s life easier.
In fact, you don’t necessarily have to have a unique skill. If there is a task that someone hates to do or a task that someone is simply too busy to do, you may be able to give that person a set of coupons that represents your promise to carry out some of the tasks that he or she finds time-consuming or bothersome. Best of all, some of the tasks that you offer could actually be fun (especially if you’re an adult and you use your imagination), and most of the time, they won’t cost you a thing.
3. Memberships
If you know someone that loves a particular museum, zoo, or another similar location, a membership to that location can be one of the best and easiest gifts that you will ever find. This is because memberships typically allow an individual to go to their favorite museum, zoo, gym, or other location for a substantially discounted price all year long. In fact, most of the museums and zoos that offer memberships will actually allow their members and, in some cases, their members’ friends and family, to enter the museum or zoo for free. This means that if you have a family member with young children that goes to the zoo several times a year in spite of the alarming amount of money it costs, you could buy them a membership that would allow them to go as many as times as they wanted for significantly less or, in some cases, without paying a dime (until the kids reach the gift shop and all bets are off.)
For more last minute Christmas ideas, see last years’ weekend before Christmas post.