Last Minute Gift Guide

Denise — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 14:20:07 -0600

It's only fitting that I write a guide to last minute gifts... at the last minute, eh? Well not quite the last minute. I realized I was going to be writing this a couple of weeks ago, but I put it off... errr, sort of like folks who put off gift shopping 'til the last minute. I've found that writing a last minute gift guide at the last minute is a heck of a lot more fun than doing last minute gift shopping. It's fun because when you ask people about last minute gift shopping, they have a lot of opinions.

Like last night, I was thinking about writing this piece and I realized that if I'm going to have to shop at the last minute, I totally am not going to go to the mall or Wal-mart or Target or K-mart. I'm going to hit the closest little shopping center or the smallest hole in the wall store - someplace that's easy to get to and not likely to be crowded. For a few minutes last night, I thought for sure I could do all of my holiday shopping in the little shopping center closest to my house... the one I'm sitting in right now with a bunch of knitters, spinners and crocheters. TW, on the other than, thinks this is a totally bad idea. Hmph.

In this shopping center, I can get some of the most gorgeous yarn and fiber. I can get a beginning knitting kit, handmade soap, beads, fair trade baskets, arts & crafts made by local artists and bird feeders. I can get gift cards for local restaurants and national chains. I can buy a portable heating pad for my favorite traveler, (seriously - if you know someone who travels a lot, buy a small heating pad for her to leave in her suitcase. She'll love it.), candy, crafts, a sewing machine and collectible coins and stamps. Fresh cut flowers, a potted plant and books, lots and lots of books.

See - the perfect place to do last minute shopping!

I just mentioned I was sitting here with knitters, spinners & crocheters, right? Here are their suggestions:

* Run out to an ethnic grocery store and create a gift set - like a "curry gift set".
* Drink mixes or mugs with interesting hot chocolate, coffee or tea blends.
* Kiva gift certificates, restaurant.com gift certificates or charitable gifts

I just asked them if they had ever received a gift that they KNOW was purchased for them as a last minute gift and their answers were...

* Generic bath sets
* calendars
* stuff in the "last minute gift" bins at any store

Heh. I'm so amused. This discussion of last minute gifts just led to them discussing a BlogHer member, Bethfly's blog... one of the knitters just happens to be a regular reader of Fake Plastic Fish. Fiber people are so cool. Now they are talking about Global Orgasm Day, which was yesterday and if you need a last minute gift for THAT holiday, apparently the drugstore in this shopping center has some really great lubrication supplies....

What are your suggestions for great last minute gifts? Or suggestions for last minute gifts NOT to give?

~~Denise
Flamingo House Happenings

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Last Minute Gift Guide