5 Last Minute Gift Ideas People will Actually Love

This post contains affiliate links. We will be compensated for any purchases you make at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

​So. It’s the day before Christmas Eve and you still don’t have all your gift shopping done, huh? Trust me, I get it. 2020 has been crazy and things have only gotten crazier as the holidays approached. Now it’s the last minute and we’re all scrambling to get our ducks in a row. Maybe in years past it wouldn’t be too late to order something online, but this year? Forget about it. 

I’ve come to accept that most gifts won’t arrive at their destinations by Christmas day and honestly, I’m okay with that! Just means Christmas will last a little longer. But if you’re looking for a gift to hand someone you love the day of, it’s just not gonna work.

Don’t stress, though! There are actually tons of last minute gift ideas you can grab today! Heck, you could probably grab a few of these Christmas Day if you really want to cut it close. And when I say “gifts”, I mean things people will actually want, use, and enjoy. Check out my last minute gift ideas below.

​E-Gift Cards

Some people hate giving gift cards, but honestly I’ve always loved receiving them. They let me know I was thought of but give me the freedom to choose something I KNOW I want or need. And with the ride of e-gift cards, you don’t even need to head out to the store to grab one. You can print it out at home and gift it in an envelope with a bow or send it in a festive email. My suggestions for e-gift cards?​

• Amazon E-Gift Cards: Not only does Amazon have gift cards that let you buy pretty much anything off Amazon, they also have gift cards for Google, Apple, Netflix, Uber, and Starbucks. You can customize the amounts and they have so many different festive designs available for the holidays.

• eGifter: With eGifter, giving gift cards is sooo easy and hey have a HUGE variety of shops to choose from. You can also find great offers and discounts that make the gift cards even cheaper!

​Find Experiences on Groupon

If you’ve never used Groupon before, it’s a website where you can find amazing offers and discounts for almost anything. Zoo tickets, dining experiences, spas and massages, vacations, you name it. Groupon is a great place to find a last minute gift that still feels BIG. At checkout, select the box indicating your purchase is a gift and you can have the vouchers emailed directly to the recipient at the date of your choosing and with a personalized message. It’s especially nice in current times because you can pay for it now and have the experience later. What awesome experiences can you find?

​Buy From Etsy and Print at Home

Yes, you can still support small businesses AND give a killer last minute gift. There are many shops on Etsy that sell printable items. Meaning you buy the design from the shop and have it printed at home instead of waiting for it to be shipped. Print from your own printer at home or you can have it sent to a store like Staples and they can have it printed for same day pickup. Here are a few print at home ideas!

• City Maps: Shops like Salt & Printer offer prints of numerous cities around the world. If the person you’re shopping for has an affinity for a certain place, say their hometown or a city where they studied or vacationed, this would make a very personal and thoughtful gift. 
• Inspirational Quote: “It’s a beautiful day to be alive” is one of my favorite quotes. It’s a reminder that every day is a gift and that we can find something to be grateful for every day. I love this printable quote by Maisie Lane Co because it is simple and they offer it in many download sizes, so you can pick what works best for you!
• Interactive Poster: Our Adventures with Grandparents poster would make a great gift for your grandkids! As you do things together, like explore national parks, read new books, or learn to sew, they can color it in and fill it out with their memories. 

​Subscriptions

The gift that will last long past the holidays, you can give the gift of a subscription to a service or magazine. Some ideas include:

• Streaming services like Hulu or Disney+

• Amazon Prime
• Audible

• National Geographic
• Ditto Kids Magazine
• Color Me Culturally Confident
• YouTube Premium
• Children’s Book Subscription Box

​​Typically when I gift a subscription, I will gift at least 3 months so they can really experience it and see if they like it. Just make sure the subscription fits their interests and is something they actually want or need before committing them to a few months of it.

FOOD!

Honestly, who doesn’t enjoy getting free food? Especially around the holidays. Food is such an easy gift and can be done super last minute. Pack it up nicely in a cute box and you’re good to go! This is also a great idea because you can get several little gift boxes out of just a few batches of treats. Here are some of our favorite recipes:

• Hot Cocoa Bombs: Always a popular gift idea, this year hot cocoa bombs have exploded in popularity. This isn’t something we anticipated after 6 years! But, they are super easy to make at home and you can make so many different flavors. The consensus is that our recipe tastes just like stovetop hot chocolate, and it’s been our best seller at craft fairs over the many years we’ve been making them. Anyone will be glad to receive a box of these under the tree.
• Cookies: There are a few different approaches you can take to gifting cookies. In this post we paired them with literature, but you can also pack a variety neatly in a box to give away. We have endless cookie recipes on here, but some of our favorites for the holidays are sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, cranberry lime bars, and pumpkin snickerdoodle. I won’t list them all here, but here’s a list of 16 of our favorite cookie recipes for the holidays!

• Jellies and jam: I love getting homemade jam as a gift. I know it takes time to make, it’s delicious, and homemade is always the best! Get tips for making  your own jam here.

Any of these last minute gift ideas catch your eye? Last minute doesn’t have to mean a bad gift. 
Let us know which ones you’ll be trying!
​

You May Also Enjoy

• Free Printable Tag for your Cocoa Bomb Gifts
• 20 Cheap or Free Gift Ideas for the Holidays
• A Free Holiday Printable