 |
Last minute holiday shopping ideas
Every year by this time I am cursing myself for not being one of those women who has all their holiday shopping done by September. Shoot, I'd be happy to have it all done by December 15th. Fine, the 23rd.
I just don't enjoy shopping, particularly at this time of year. It's the crowds, the stress, the difficulty parking, the fellow-freaky last-minute shoppers, the constant bell-ringing by the Salvation Army beggars camped out in front of every store, and those God-forsaken pushy kiosk reps at the malls. "No, I don't want to have my hair straightened or a feather added or a vajazzle. I've got exactly one hour without my kids and if I don't get something bought, wrapped, and shipped cross country by this afternoon, I'm fucked." All while Andy Williams croons: "It's the MOST... Wonderful time...of the year." Holy hell. And you wonder why I drink.
So here we are, less than a week before Christmas, and if you are like me, perhaps you still have a few last minute gifts on your To Do List.
Fear not, friends. I have some gift ideas that will keep you out of the malls and not spending a fortune!
The Lost and Found Box at your child's school has some surprisingly good stuff. Rich kids are notoriously carefree with their over-abundant belongings. Check there for great like-new jackets, sweatshirts, BPA-free water bottles, and designer lunch boxes.
Got the stocking stuffer blues? Shop your house first! What kid wouldn't enjoy their very own set of nail clippers, chopsticks, or hot cocoa packets?
Put together a quick kid-friendly "DIY Crafting Kit" in a Ziploc baggie with a bar of soap, a plastic knife, and a print-out from the Internet of soap-carved animal ideas.
Don't overlook how much quality holiday shopping you can accomplish at the grocery store. My local store carries gift cards, art supplies, toys, DVDs, and most importantly, WINE. A bottle or box of wine is my go-to gift for hostesses, public servants, and teachers. Believe me when I tell you teachers don't want another tacky "World's Best Teacher" coffee mug. Ever notice how many of those mugs you see on the shelves at the thrift shop? I rest my case.
Worried about that pesky neighbor stopping by unannounced with a tin of her homemade "fudge?" Have a few "Just for You!" baskets made up and ready to disburse on the fly so you don't feel like a schmuck. I like to fill these with random household items that I don't ever seem to use but can't bear to send to the landfill: individually wrapped laxative tea-bags, re-gifted lotions and candles I can't stand, "World's Greatest Teacher" mugs, soap-carvings made by my children, etc.
Lastly, never underestimate the power of home-baked goods. As long as you're not my neighbor who thinks melted chocolate chips mixed with a can of prepared chocolate frosting counts as fudge. She definitely proves the theory that it's better to give than to receive.
You May Also Like
Comments (37)
-
Report Tue Dec 20, 2011 - 1:13 pmGreat gift ideas! I know nothing warms the cockles of my heart like a box of wine with a bow on it. (See what I did there, Iris? I found a way to work 'cock' into a holiday comment.) And now I'm off to the kitchen to put stale Cheezits in snack bags in case the neighbors drop off cookies. As a decorative touch, I'll write HO on them with a Sharpie. That ought to keep them guessing. And when they show up in their cutesy Christmas sweaters, I'll point to my pullover and say, "Fleece Navidad."Reply -
5 replies, Last reply by Gigi (Ed.) on Wed Dec 21, 2011 at 10:46 pm
-
Report Tue Dec 20, 2011 - 1:38 pmYou sly devil. *searching house for plastic cutlery* I would never sink to such lows. *putting festive bow on a bar of Ivory soap* My children, my family, my friends and neighbors? *pouring that unfinished glass of Merlot back in the bottle* Those people matter too much for me to stoop to underhanded re-gifting! *tossing last year's unopened peppermint stick eye cream in a gift bag* Scandalous!Reply
-
5 replies, Last reply by Gigi (Ed.) on Wed Dec 21, 2011 at 10:37 pm
-
Report
Tue Dec 20, 2011 - 1:12 pm
Oh! The Lost and Found box! What a SPLENDID idea! The 12 yr old goes to a private school, and you can bet there's at least a couple of North Face jackets in there. Every December the headmaster puts out a warning that all the L&F stuff is going to Goodwill on the 15th, so same difference, right? I put Slim Jims and cans of Pringle's in my kids stockings.Reply -
7 replies, Last reply by FiveOGrrl on Tue Dec 20, 2011 at 10:38 pm
-
Report Tue Dec 20, 2011 - 9:57 pmLost and Found Box - genius!Reply
-
1 reply, Last reply by The Bearded Iris on Tue Dec 20, 2011 at 10:18 pm
-
Report Tue Dec 20, 2011 - 8:43 pmI have three words for you: The Dollar Store. Where else can you buy your favorite person a can of Chunky Soup, a loofah, and a box of colorful straws?Reply
-
1 reply, Last reply by The Bearded Iris on Tue Dec 20, 2011 at 10:11 pm
-
Report Tue Dec 20, 2011 - 6:52 pmI am giving everyone goat berries for Christmas. I have an endless supply, they are ecological and they will help the garden grow. And if the publicist is especially good I will also give her some goat gas.Reply
-
3 replies, Last reply by rootietoot on Tue Dec 20, 2011 at 8:55 pm
-
Report
Tue Dec 20, 2011 - 7:01 pm
I would advise you to be less neighbourly and tell the neighbour who turns up with the fudge to 'fuck off' then that will mean you don't have the hassle of the just for you baskets ever again. *pause repeat* ad infinitum. I am sure they'll get the message eventually.Reply -
2 replies, Last reply by Clare Macnaughton on Tue Dec 20, 2011 at 7:30 pm
-
Report Tue Dec 20, 2011 - 2:07 pmah - let me save you some trouble for next year's household rummage - One sterilite bin at the bottom of the basement stairs where all the potential regift crap "falls" all through the year. Fast food toys, Oriental Trading stuff, the 52 gajillion pencils the kid comes home with throughout the year. Goodies from the gift bags at other kid's parties, slipper socks from Aunt Helen .... it all goes in the bin ("I don't KNOW where that went, honey"). One rule: the bin must not be clear lest the children see through it.Reply
-
1 reply, Last reply by The Bearded Iris on Tue Dec 20, 2011 at 2:46 pm
-
Report Tue Dec 20, 2011 - 1:06 pmMy kids are so getting a DIY soap sculpting kit Iris. Just perfect. Anne xxReply
-
3 replies, Last reply by The Bearded Iris on Tue Dec 20, 2011 at 2:42 pm
Enter the word as it appears in the box.