Five Ideas for Last Minute Christmas Gifts

We all know the feeling — it’s dangerously close to Christmas and you’ve either forgotten a gift, something hasn’t arrived in time, or you’ve ended up “accidentally” using the gift yourself. Whoops. Either way, you need decent last minute Christmas gift ideas and you need ‘em fast! Fret not! We’ve got you covered with some quick easy Christmas gifts that’ll be in your hot little hands and ready to give in no time. Let’s get into it.

1. Homemade foodie gifts

If you know your way around a kitchen, homemade chutneys, jams, cookies or salts can be great DIY Christmas gifts that save the day at the last minute. Plus, they can be low-cost and super fun to make. Some of our favorites include these flavored salts, this tangy tomato relish, or these Christmas tree meringues! Present your creations in old jars with the labels removed and a bit of festive ribbon or wrapping, and you’re good to go! These DIY gift recipes are so handy, you could even leave your gifting until Christmas Eve — but we don’t recommend it!

2. Digital subscription gifts

For the ultimate last-minute gift giver, subscription gifts buy you even more time. You could give the gift of annual access to your recipient’s favorite streaming service like Netflix or Disney+, or a membership to something like a wine or whiskey club, or even a software that’ll help them manage their finances better… ahem! Not to brag, but an annual subscription to PocketSmith Premium would be a pretty sweet gift, and ultra-practical too. You can grab yours here.

3. DIY photo gifts

For last-minute gift ideas that are meaningful and won’t break the bank, photo gifts can get your creativity flowing and be whipped up in no time. Even if you’ve missed the cut-off for professionally made photo gifts like mugs and t-shirts, printing your own favorite snaps out at home or at your local photo kiosk can be a great way to put your own stamp on a DIY Christmas gift. Grab some frames or a scrapbook and give the gift of memories this year. After so many lockdowns across the world, a low-cost, meaningful photo gift will be more appreciated than ever.

4. Regifted reads

Yikes! We said the r-word. Regifting. It’s still seen as a bit taboo, but we’re big fans of circular gifting, and regifting is no different — especially for universally loved things like books! If you’ve devoured some great reads this year, regift them on to friends and family. They’d make great stocking stuffers or little extras for opening, and with environmental consciousness on everyone’s minds, the preloved nature of your literary gift shouldn’t ruffle feathers! For extra fun if you’ve got a big family and lots of reads to gift, number each book like a lucky dip, and let each family member choose a number from a box at random, revealing their festive read!

5. Experience gifts

If you’re stuck gifting for people who have everything, or you’re trying to consume less “stuff” this year, experience gifts are a great gift idea that you can access at the last minute. Search for experiences in your recipient’s local area (or in a destination they’re traveling to in 2022) and treat them to something they’ll never forget. A fun option is a mystery picnic with AmazingCo, for something a little different. Or, go ultra-personal and create your own special experience you know they’ll love, and make your own gift certificate on Canva. You can then gift them the cash for that experience with your own homemade gift voucher.

While finding gift ideas at the last minute can be stressful, it can prompt you to be more financially and environmentally savvy during the giving season! All of these ideas are low-waste, lighter on consumption and add much more meaning to your recipient than simply ordering something from Amazon!

Emma Edwards is a finance copywriter and blogger, on a mission to humanize the financial services industry by creating meaningful content that’s accessible and empowering. You’ll find her penning money tips at her blog, The Broke Generation, sharing financial insights on Instagram, or injecting life into content for her business clients.