Last Minute ideas for Holiday Gifts

OK. If you’ve still got names on your list that aren’t crossed off, and empty spaces under the tree where packages should be, you’re officially a last-minute shopper. And, even if you are one of those organized types who like to have Christmas shopping wrapped up by Halloween, chances are there are one or two unexpected presents that need to be picked up and delivered. Traditionally, this is the time when I blow the most cash. When I make one more trip to the store, for one more thing. And I come back with bags of impulse buys. In the spirit of saving the green in my wallet, while trying to have a greener holiday season, I’ve come up with a list of last-minute gift ideas that won’t blow the budget or your good intentions. Give a little • Instead of going to the big box bookstore for one best-seller, why not hit the used bookstores for like-new classics. Put together a stack of “must-reads” tied together with ribbon and decorated with a sprig of real holly. • Look through your photos. If you’ve snapped a shot that would mean something to the recipient, frame a print. Thrift store frames are real bargains. • Make it personal. One year, my children framed a cardboard cut-out of Santa that had been my husband’s when he was a boy and presented it to him. His childhood Christmas memory now hangs on the wall each December. That’s a wrap • Wrapping paper is expensive and wasteful. Used once and discarded, it doesn’t make a lot of sense when you stop to think about it. Instead, look for reuseable options. If you’re giving kitchen products or food items, wrap the gift in a new kitchen towel. • Plain brown paper, old maps and even newspaper comics make unique wrapping options. • Old sewing patterns, picked up at garage sales and thrift stores make interesting and inexpensive gift wrap. Very delicate and interesting to “read.” Food for thought • If you’re a good, or even just an enthusiastic cook, why not a certificate for a dessert or main dish or even loaf of bread a month. This kind of gift would make me very happy, indeed! • Offer to teach. Invite friends over to learn to make your world-famous Thai food. They’ll go home with recipes and a full tummy. Who wouldn’t like that? • If you belong to a social group, organize a monthly charity outing. Serve meals at the local shelter. Bake cookies for fire and police departments. Take a shift at the local Ronald McDonald House and feed visiting families. Celebrate the senses. • Custom CDs, made with favorite tunes of friends and family, will be enjoyed long after the holiday ends. Print your own labels to make them one-of-a-kind. • Use your own herbs, or organic herbs from the market, to make bouquet garni or bath sachets. You’ll be remembered each time they are used.