Last Minute ideas for Christmas presents (for when you know you've left it too late!)

We’ve all been there, every year we tell ourselves, that this is the year we’ll buy and wrap all the Christmas presents we intend to give, well in time, yet somehow the gift-giving process still induces spectacular last-minute panic and confusion, either because you forgot to include a certain someone, or because you’ve left it for the last week, and now you’re more confused than ever, or maybe there’s a game of Secret Santa going around that you’ve completely forgotten about until you receive a present yourself and are now racked with guilt. Either way, here are 5 categories of gifts you can turn to, as well as expand on, to elevate and personalize that present you are about to buy, to help make it that little bit extra special.

1)Self Care

I feel like every second person you talk to about New Years’ resolutions will tell you that one of their main goals is to try and take more care of themselves, whether it’s their physical, mental, or emotional wellbeing. All too often, this goal is unfortunately quickly forgotten and pushed aside as the year goes by, and the same pattern starts again every new year.

So, it seems like a good idea to encourage the person you are gifting to remember how important a goal this is. At a time when the holidays can be stressful, a gift that will motivate them to pamper themselves a little and indulge in some self-care can never go amiss.

One option is to create a little gift set and include a few products they can use to relax and pamper themselves. Hand creams and Body butter are a great idea since they are one of those things that people tend to gift others but neglect to buy for themselves. You can elevate these, by making the hand creams a set, or buying a set of two types of creams, like a body milk and a hand cream. These along with a couple of nail polishes, would make a really cute present.

You could also switch it up and make it a pedicure care package,some foot masks,a few nail polishes,a foot scrub and heel balm or foot cream, and voila, they now have all the tools they need to have their own pamper session anytime they want!

Another good idea is to make up a set of teas or coffees for that tea/coffee lover in your life. If it’s a Secret Santa present, an assortment of flavored teas or coffee’s is a good idea, but if you know what the person likes you can personalize it, with their preference, and either buy a gift set, or put one together yourself. You can elevate it by adding a personalized mug one along with the gift.

Presents like these, will hopefully remind the person you’re gifting to remember to take some time out for themselves to unwind and relax more often. A great reminder to gift, and just in time for the New Year!

2) Holiday themed accessories

Cute hair accessories, jewellery or even festive socks- Christmas themed products have filled the market and are super easy to find, both in stores and online, any of these make a cute and easy present to put together. For instance, adding a hair mask or a good hair styling tool with some hair accessories can help elevate the present ,and make it the perfect holiday gift.

3)Stationery

This is an especially great gift if the person you are gifting is a stationery lover, but if not, there is always a lot of holiday themed stationary that always makes a great present. Everybody loves a good selection of stationery since its utility isn’t something anyone can ignore, and it’s always fun to gift items that can make a mundane task fun. Students or those working would love to jazz up their desk space with some new stationery, so unique paper clips, neat sets of pins in pretty jars, and interesting files can be combined to make a good present.

This time of year, a planner or diary is a great option too, as it’s just in time for a fresh start-something everyone can always use. Whether it’s a meal planner, exercise journal, or even just a cool daily planner, no one will say no to more organization as they go into the new year.

4)Books

You can’t put together a git guide and ignore books! If you know the person well, you can give them something they have been looking forward to reading or just as good, introduce them to a new book they haven’t read before from a genre you know they enjoy. The best part about gifting a book is that even if this is for a game of Secret Santa, there are certain books that have a universal appeal and would interest almost anyone. It’s a safe bet,so go ahead and gift that book!

5) The
thoughtful gift

This is the kind of gift that works best when you know the person. It can be as easy as getting them a gift card to their favourite store, but if you want to go the extra mile, a cool idea would be to gift them the tools to enjoy or inculcate a hobby or a special skill. Do they enjoy drawing or painting?Make up a little kit with art supplies you think they will enjoy playing around with.

If you know someone who wants to start scrabooking as a hobby,buy them a nice scrpabook,along with some bits and bobs they can use to decorate it,and get them started on a new hobby.

This is such a thoughful kind of present because it shows the person just how well you know them,while also giving you the opportunity to put some thought and imagination into their present,thus making it all the more special!