Last Minute Christmas Presents
The holiday season can be really stressful. You have to worry about hosting relatives, cooking on a larger scale than usual, shopping for an enlarged household, and dealing with your loved ones in an extended, high-energy environment. Thank goodness it only happens once a year! But beyond the humdrum of big families in small quarters, there’s the matter of gifting. A Christmas present will sometimes pass messages you can’t convey in words. The trouble is … those messages can easily be misinterpreted, adding even more pressure to the season.
These days, it’s pretty easy to hint on what you want for Christmas. Assuming someone cares enough to get you a gift, you can send them a link of what you’d like, compete with shipping times and gift-wrap preferences. Yes, it takes the surprise out of it, but at least you’re sure they’ll be happy with their present, and you know your sentiment won’t be misunderstood. These types of orders have to be made in good time though. Otherwise, they won’t be delivered until the new year! But some online stores are more open, pun intended.
They get that Christmas is the busiest time of year, and they want to get in as many sales as possible. So they offer packages and policies that are more accommodating to the last-minute shopper. This could take the form of same-day delivery or express shipping. They might even give you discounts to sweeten the deal or bundle something extra onto your gift. So what kinds of things can you fall back on if you left your gift-excursions too late?
Savoury selections
Not everyone is into chocolate and Christmas cookies, but that doesn’t mean they have to be left out of the festivities. A Christmas basket is a welcome gift in most places. And just so they know it wasn’t a last-minute cop-out, you can add something sentimental and personal to show you really did have them on your mind. It could be a card, a customised mug (preferably one that can be digitally printed in minutes!) or some seasonal socks. Yes, socks are a low-hanging gift, but at least you got them a Christmassy pattern!
The Savoury Christmas Delight hamper contains crispbreads baked with hazelnut and cranberry, plus some nougat and Christmas pudding. There are also packs of olives and peanuts to serve as Christmas nibbles. This gift basket comes with a gift card, so if all else fails, you could always bribe them with that. Just make sure they live in a neighbourhood where they can actually redeem your gift card. It won’t do much good if there’s no store nearby to shop at. Or you could offer them an Epicurean Christmas Hamper.
It has stuffing mix, Christmas mousse, nuts, nougat, crispbreads, cranberry sauce, and Shiraz. Delivery times for these seasonal baskets range from same-day to 5 days for the more distant parts of Australia, though it costs a little extra to mail the package to a P.O.Box rather than a physical address. And if you forgot to shop for multiple recipients, you could order the same basket en masse and have them sent to different venues. You can earn discounts that way too, and you can track each individual package, setting your mind at ease.
Gadetty gifts
Alternatively, you could always opt for something cute and colourful, though you do get extra points if it’s functional too. With portable electronics, the tinier the better, because you can take it anywhere, and it can fit in hand-luggage, a backpack, or a purse. Consider something like a mini Bluetooth speaker. You can use it anywhere, even without electricity. You just have to charge it in advance. Today’s speakers come in many shapes from little Santa’s to cookie jars. There are even Bluetooth models designed to resemble retro amplifiers.
Lexon mini-speakers from Urban Outfitters are so tiny they can fit in your palm, and you can order them in pink, gold, or gold, or grey. Or maybe you could opt for something equally functional but a bit more cheeky. Tassels could call to mind your grandma’s tufty sofas, a cow-girls playful skirts, or pass-times that are a little more risqué. For our purposes, your pocket-sized tassels serve as camouflage for your iPhone charger. And it’s a keychain too!
Another option? Beats X have comfortable in-ear buds with a convenient cord that loops round the back of your neck, keeping its wiring out of your way whether you’re running a lap or labouring through the dishes. They hold charge for up to 8 hours. If they prefer analogue, buy a scratch-off chart to track their 100-book resolution for 2019. It comes with pre-printed book recommendations though, so be prepared to buy some of the books on that list …
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