5 Tips for Last Minute Holiday Shopping

You had good intentions of getting your shopping completed early, but here we are just days before Christmas and you haven’t finished. What can you do to knock it out successfully and not spend a fortune?

Make A List

Make a list of who you need to shop for. Note whether the item needs to be shipped or if you will be delivering and when. Consider your overall budget and how much you want to spend on each person. Ponder some items to purchase for each person and where you might get them. Write all of that down.

Then plan your route and time to hit the stores you need to go to. Buy local for people you will be delivering the presents to. Unless you like to wrap, consider having them professionally done or get things you can put in gift bags. Check things off and you go!

Shop Online

First off, accept the fact you are going to have to pay for overnight shipping. Or, acknowledge that the items may show up after Christmas. At least the thought was there, right? Maybe just make it a New Years present instead and mention that in the card? You get the gist. Regardless, this will save you the time of having to stand in line at the post office

Going off your list, let’s just use this resource for the out of towners you are shopping for. Consider the items you need to get. You could get all of the items from a big box place, but a mom and pop shop or specialty store might offer a better product or at least look like you put more thought into it. Plus, your purchase will help real people vs entities and the communities they live in. For example, if you know you want to do a chocolate and wine gift basket, or some wine, you might consider Heart of the Desert. Or if you have a Bourbon lover on your list, go with a bottle from a small distillery that they won’t be able to buy in the store, but can always buy more online. Etsy is always a great resource for custom items. Maybe even consider a shop that supports their favorite cause, such as www.iheartdogs.com, www.toms.com, www.sevenly.org. There are many more, you’ll just need to do your research.

Give Gift Cards

Gift cards may seem impersonal, but if done right, they are perfect. You need to know where your recipient likes to shop before you go this route. For example, if you know that they stop at Starbucks or another coffee shop every morning for a cup of coffee, or if their little treat for themselves is a hot mocha with a little whipped cream, then a gift card would be perfect. Add it to a cleverly worded mug, a sweet treat to go with their coffee and they will appreciate your thoughtfulness. Maybe you know they are a reader, grab a bookstore gift card and put it in a classic novel that everyone should have in their collection. Can you say 1984, Catcher in the Rye or The Grapes of Wrath?

Even better, pick something that you can do with them. Perhaps a movie theater gift card and one to the new restaurant in town or one for that shop that does the wine and paint classes?

Food

Food never fails! If you have time to bake, make a big batch of your signature cookies or chocolates and package them up in Christmas tins. Not your thing, hit up the gourmet market in your area and pull something scrumptious together. From tasty nibbles like pistachios and other nuts, to gourmet chocolates, who can resist? Maybe a basket full of breakfast items for Christmas morning? How about all of the ingredients for an Italian dinner? Maybe a one-month subscription to a food service…there is something for every palate these days. 

Get Creative

Getting creative doesn’t mean you have to make something. You are already pressed for time. Consider a service or talent you could offer. Maybe you could offer to pet sit when then go on vacation or babysit so they could go on a date night? Know they want to retile their kitchen and you’ve done this a few times, offer your services. You could detail their car, paint their living room, provide some landscaping help, make some pillows for their new couch, create custom invitations for their next party, or offer to design their new business website. Maybe they need a home-cooked meal with a nice glass of wine and you fancy yourself a Home Chef. We all have some sort of talent we could offer to give someone a brighter Christmas.

Now get to it! Christmas is right around the corner and you don’t want to look like the Grinch that forgot Christmas!

Happy Shopping!

Heart of the Desert is a working pistachio ranch and vineyard with four retail establishments in New Mexico. They are best known for their farm fresh pistachios and Award-Winning New Mexico wines. Each store offers wine and pistachio tastings. They offer worldwide shipping and produce attractive gourmet baskets that make great corporate and family gifts. The main store, on the ranch in Alamogordo, offers farm tours that showcases how pistachios are grown and processed as well as a stunning Tuscany themed patio that overlooks the groves and is available for weddings, private parties or enjoying a relaxing glass of wine.