The Eleventh Hour Christmas Gift Save

By Alex Carrier


What were you thinking? It’s Christmas Eve and you still have gifts to buy. You used your best excuse last year with the whole “kidnapped by aliens” story.

Your Christmas goose is cooked – or is it? Believe it or not, you can still find a gift as long as you have a sense of humor and a little creativity.
Some stores might be open but if you have waited until all the regular options are gone, there are still places to shop.

Twenty-four-hour grocery stores stay open later on Christmas Eve or may even open a few hours on Christmas Day. Obvious choices include fresh flowers, cards and foods. Larger scale food stores even stock non-food items to consider.

If other last-minute shoppers have taken all your ideas, you are still in luck. These suggestions may be unusual (the sense of humor helps here) and not what you wanted (remember you are desperate) but they will allow you to arrive with gift in hand.

Look at everything in terms of containers and contents. A pretty container holding something you don't like can always be emptied to hold something else. Check your home before departure for containers you can fill or use one from the store.

Here are some ideas. Give a pasta gift. Fill a colander with pasta and a container of sauce. Add bread sticks and Parmesan cheese. Top with tongs and brightly colored towel. If you want to be fancy (and bribe your gift recipient with an more expansive show of generosity), go with gourmet products, fresh if possible and top the gift with a grater and a chunk of fresh Parmesan cheese. Add a good bottle of wine and perhaps the person receiving your gift will toast you over a nice Italian dinner.
If you want gifts for children, get cookie and brownie mixes. Pile them up in the containers needed to bake them. Top with a bottle of special sprinkles and a card offering to give them a “baking” lesson. This can double as a gift to the parents who can take a few hours off together while you are in charge of the children.

Go chocolate for the chocoholic on your list. In a large mug or teapot, put gourmet candies and a selection of hot chocolate mixes. A small bag of mini marshmallows will warm any chocolate lover’s heart. Can’t find a mug or teapot? Use a large microwave safe measuring cup or small sauce pot.

Go ice cream with some dishes, gourmet ice cream, an ice cream scoop and assorted toppings. Put it all in a small cooler for extra effect and portability.

If you want to stay away from food products, check out the sundries and pharmacy aisles. Get the weekend warrior a microwavable heating pad and Epsom salts.

Fill a foot massager or footbath with pedicure products and soft socks. For something a little personal, buy scented candles, baby oil or lotion and attach a note offering a massage.

Give an emergency cold care kit with heating pad, soothing rub, a box of tissues, cough drops, a digital oral thermometer, and a paperback book or two.

If you are going to a home with children, buy a large trash container. Inside, put a disposable camera, a photo album or frame, and assorted batteries for all the toys that don’t come with enough supplies. Offer to take pictures of all the fun. You can add a bottle of wine or a bottle of pain reliever for the parents.

This will also work if your recipient has a digital camera. Buy some photograph quality paper and add an extra frame or two. Make sure you take time to take a picture of the whole family together.

Does the person you are buying a gift for have pets? Pack some toys and treats into a fancy food dish or pet bed. Add some large fluffy towels for drying off wet pets - especially dogs.

So, it’s the eleventh hour and even grocery stores are closed. You are not yet out of luck. Some gas station food marts are open. Although selection is limited, you can still make do.

Containers may be your biggest problem but most of these stores carry coffee mugs and thermal beverage containers. Don’t forget coolers and plastic food containers. Even plastic drink cups will suffice.

Buy a sports television survival kit. In whatever container you have chosen, put a selection of nuts, chips, popcorn and snack items. If you can get a small cooler, you can add dip and cold beverages.

If the gift is for a commuter, get the mug and a gift certificate for coffee. You can also buy coffee, sugars, creamers and some breakfast snacks.
Put together an emergency travel kit. The overnight kit would include toothpaste and brush, soap, deodorant, and anything else available. Slip in a small sewing kit.

An auto emergency kit might include gloves, lock deicer, ice scraper and some snacks in case the driver gets caught in traffic or an accident. If there is kitty litter available, add that for traction under tires. Disposable cell phones or phone cards are a thoughtful addition.

Most grocery and gas stores offer gift cards. Even if you have been reduced to the gift card selection, put it in something interesting and wrap it up.

If even the gas store is closed and you have a computer, fate has handed you a “get out of jail free” card. With Internet hookup and a credit card, you can get gift certificates emailed to you within minutes. If you need a gift for someone out-of-town, you can email the gift certificate directly to them.

To make the certificate special, wrap it in a box with a picture of the item you think they would like and you have provided sufficient funds to purchase. Try to get a certificate to a company that has an actual store where the gift recipient lives. Some people prefer to shop in person. If it is a catalogue company, have the current catalogue mailed to them.
Keep your sense of humor and holiday cheer. Between people who care for each other, it truly is the thought and not the gift that counts.


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