In Search Of: Last-Minute Gifts
She knows what's up. Image via Alamy.
This one goes out to the true procrastinators who, for no good reason, haven’t managed to take care of their holiday shopping until now. If you’re frantic, let us help you out.
An experience or membership: Lean into their hobbies here. Some easy ideas include a cooking class, like this one with Julia Turshen; language instruction; or birding seminars. Memberships to places like your local botanical garden or art museum are often overlooked, but are one of those gifts they can enjoy all year long.
A new wardrobe: When you know they want clothing, but aren’t sure exactly what they’d like, try a subscription to a wardrobe-rental service like Armoire. It allows subscribers to choose from a selection of high-quality, contemporary clothing and is an easy way to test-drive new styles from top brands. Plans start at $79 per month, and shipping and cleaning is free. Right now, they're offering 20 percent off any gift card amount. #partner
Gift cards – nice ones: Not-so-basic gift cards are a great idea for people who'd rather pick out their gifts themselves. Lots of places offer these, but here are a few to get you started: Baggu, for fun totes; Cap Beauty, for Goop-y types; Masienda or Gustiamo for home cooks who love premium ingredients; or a card for a local bookshop like Books Are Magic for the reader in your life. (General gift cards work for kids, too; in our experience, $20 to spend on whatever they want at Target is pure joy for an elementary schooler.)
A media subscription: There are so many to choose from, so you can really tailor your purchase. When it comes to topic-specific newsletters, we love Is My Kid the Asshole? and Evil Witches for discerning parents with a sense of humor. If they are into travel, we cannot say enough good things about Yolo Intel (all the good guides are paywalled; they also have a magazine). For beauty, Michelle Lee’s (the former EIC of Allure) Go Ahead, Try Me is excellent. (We also recommend The Athletic for sports lovers, and The 19th News for those interested in gender, politics, and policy news through a decidedly progressive lens.) If you’d rather gift physical media, Stack Magazines will send them a different indie mag every month (you can check the selection here). For kids, The Picture Book Club curates wonderful illustrated books monthly.
A food or beverage club: We lean towards items that feel like daily luxuries and will actually be consumed, such as fancy coffee (this is our favorite), avocados, cheese, pears, tropical fruit, or even tinned fish. Of course, you can also go for upscale booze. This whiskey subscription was gifted to us in years past, and it’s excellent.
A charitable donation: Charity Navigator is a good place to double-check your selections. For kids, we have successfully gifted a “species adoption” from the World Wildlife Fund. They’ll get a printed “adoption certificate,” plus a stuffie and a picture with facts about the species.