Last-minute holiday shopping can be stressful. But if you know how to do it right, you can still ensure a great holiday gift exchange. Many businesses have extended hours that you can take advantage of in order to maximize your shopping time, so don’t give up just because the holiday deadline is approaching. Check online for deals and online shopping opportunities, and use all the resources in your local area to find the perfect gift. Finally, instead of buying anything at all, think about making something yourself.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Shopping Online

  1. Shopping online is a great way to holiday shop, but if the site you’re using is disorganized and poorly designed, you should look elsewhere. An easy-to-access shopping site ideal for the last-minute holiday shopper should be accessible on mobile devices and desktop computers alike.[1]
    • Additionally, the site you’re shopping on should quickly provide relevant information about the product you’re looking for. For instance, if you’re shopping for computer monitors at the last minute, you should be able to enter a search in the site’s search bar and quickly get information about the monitors available. You should be able to customize and organize the results by brand, size, and price.
  2. When last-minute holiday shopping, you’ll get better deals the closer you get to the holiday. However, if you get a great deal too close to the holiday, you might have to pay extra for rush delivery, which could negate any savings you might have had.[2]
    • Buy online on Green Monday. Green Monday is December 12, and many online retailers offer deep discounts on this day.
    • December 16 is free shipping day for hundreds of stores. Look for free shipping deals on this day from one or more of the stores with an online presence.
  3. Shipping has two important components that the last-minute holiday shopper should be concerned with. First, you must check the shipping costs.[3] Second, you must ensure that you’re ordering something that will actually arrive by the holiday you’re celebrating.[4]
    • Shipping a small toy or game might not have much – if any – added shipping cost. But a larger item – a piano, guitar, or computer – will probably have a significant added shipping cost.
    • If you order something on Christmas Eve, it likely will not arrive on Christmas. Check the expected shipping and delivery date during your last-minute online holiday shopping.
    • Alternately, if delivery will take too long, you might be able to accelerate the process of getting the gifts you want in your hands by selecting in-store pickup when you order online. Just choose the “pickup in-store” option when checking out.[5]
Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Shopping In-Store

  1. Depending on how last-minute your holiday shopping is, the stores you’re interested in visiting might be operating on different hours. In the weeks before the holidays, many stores extend their hours to allow additional shoppers to shop later and/or earlier. But if you cut it too close to December 25, you might find that shops are closed early – or altogether.[6]
    • It might be best to shop during the extended or early hours. You’ll beat the rush of other shoppers who – unlike you – haven’t been careful enough to check whether the store’s hours have been adjusted for the holidays.
    • Early hours shopping will also give you the best chance to find full, well-stocked shelves before the great mass of shoppers have descended upon the store.[7]
  2. If you’re shopping for the holidays at the last minute, you’ll have even less time to get all your gifts wrapped. Ask about complimentary gift-wrapping services at the stores where you do your shopping. Toy and book stores, especially, tend to be quite good about providing wrapping, gratis.[8]
  3. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, Christmas Eve and Christmas are the days that many stores choose to close. But even if you’re still not done with your holiday shopping on Christmas Eve, you might still be able to find stores that are open. Keep looking for what you want to get right up until the holidays arrive.[9]
    • In a way, shopping at the very last moment (even on Christmas Eve) can make your shopping experience better because you’ll be less likely to encounter large crowds of people.
  4. Grocery stores and convenience stores are usually not the first place holiday shoppers go to find gifts for the loved ones on their shopping list. But these smaller stores can be perfect for stocking stuffers like candy, small toys, and other holiday knickknacks.[10]
    • Pharmacies are also great for small gifts, candy, and knickknacks.[11]
  5. When you’re shopping last minute, you might not have time to make a big trip out to a large shopping center where stores of greater variety are. Instead, look for holiday shopping opportunities in your immediate area. For instance, set a travel limit – say, 20 miles in any direction – and stick to it.[12]
Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Looking for Good Deals

  1. Gift cards are an easy way to make a gift to someone without worrying about choosing the right color, size, or brand of whatever it is you intended to purchase for the people on your shopping list. You can get digital gift cards through the websites of most major retailers, and the recipient can use it online. Alternately, you could visit the store in person and get an actual card that the recipient can then use in person.[13]
    • Many grocery stores also sell gift cards to a variety of restaurants, digital retailers, and other big-box retailers.
  2. According to research, people who spend on experiences rather than objects often experience greater satisfaction. Instead of giving an object to the loved ones on your holiday shopping list, consider giving plane tickets to a favored vacation destination, or (if you’re of more modest means) tickets to an upcoming theater performance.[14]
    • Shopping at the last minute doesn’t mean you’ll have fewer opportunities to make a holiday gift of a great experience. For instance, you can obtain gift certificates or passes for rafting trips, amusement park visits, concert tickets, or movie tickets.
    • Even dinner at a nice restaurant with your partner can be a great last-minute holiday gift.[15]
    • If you can’t find such an “experience gift” in your immediate area, check online for more options. Alternately, you could create your own gift certificate by using an online gift certificate template and printing out the specific experience you want to give the recipient. Later, the recipient can “cash it in” with you by asking to have the experience in question.
    • A simple gift certificate, set of tickets, or passes for a unique experience will save you time that you’d otherwise spend wrapping.
  3. Holiday-themed cookies, tea, and candies could be a good choice for last minute gifts. For instance, pick up some chocolate gelt, blue-and-white cookies, or a relevant tea set for Hanukkah.[16]
    • Consumables are readily available during the holidays, so picking some up at the last minute can help you devote more time to hunting down harder-to-find holiday gifts.
  4. A tea kettle and/or teacup set, a cutlery set, or a new blender might be just right for the culinarily-inclined person in your life. Alternately, some quality furniture might be in order. A new bookshelf or nightstand, for instance, could be great gifts for someone who needs or wants them. Identify functional items that someone might enjoy and provide it for them in the form of a holiday gift.
    • Home items are perfect when shopping for a couple. Instead of buying two people two gifts, give the couple a gift they can enjoy together.
  5. Last-minute holiday shoppers love buying toys and games.[17] If you have a young person in your life, or an adult who has the heart of a child, they might enjoy a new toy or game.
    • Video games, puzzles, chess sets, action figures, and other playthings are great because they don’t need to be matched to a specific holiday.
    • No matter their family traditions, every kid loves getting new toys and games.
    • Because of their popularity as holiday gifts, shopping for toys and games (even at the last minute) will give you a wide variety of options to choose from.
  6. If you’ve waited until the last minute to do your holiday shopping, you might be better off giving a gift that you made yourself like holiday-themed cookies, a homemade holiday card, or a knitted winter scarf instead of trying to find something to buy. Homemade gifts are often prized because they have a personal touch that mass-produced gifts do not.[18]
    • Put holiday cookies you baked in an appropriate tin. For instance, if you’re giving Christmas cookies, put them in a Christmas-themed tin.
    • If you’re making a card, use heavy-duty cardstock available from an arts and crafts store.
  7. [19] Just because you’re holiday shopping at the last moment doesn’t mean you’ve been doing nothing up through the period just before the holidays. Use the time you’ve not been shopping to find out what people want, and develop a solid shopping list for all the special people in your life.[20]
    • The best way to find out what someone special in your life wants for the holidays is to ask them. Just ask, “So, what would you like for Christmas?”
  8. As the holidays approach, retailers that haven’t sold adequate amounts of their wares might decide to boost sales by offering even deeper sales.[21] You might find great deals online and through apps like SlickDeals, too.[22] Holiday sales and deals are especially common when it comes to holiday-themed goods like cards that are aimed at people who celebrate a particular holiday. For instance:[23]
    • If you celebrate Christmas, you might be able to find discounted stockings and tree ornaments.
    • If you celebrate Kwanzaa, you may be able to find discounted candelabras or African-themed décor.
    • If you celebrate Hanukkah, you might be able to find discounted menorahs or dreidels.

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