The holidays are coming, the holidays are coming! No, but really: Hanukkah starts today. Christmas is now 12 days away. And Kwanzaa begins the day after that. Yes, there’s always express shipping, but this time of year that’s hardly the most dependable or cost-effective move (lost package alert = saddest news ever on Christmas Eve). And yet, if you haven’t quite finished getting gifts for everyone on your list, there’s still time to find a meaningful present or ten. We’ve rounded up our favorite ways—donations, subscriptions, and e-gift cards—below, and if all that fails there’s always the ever-giving gift of
1.an Amazon Prime account.
Make a donation in their name
It might sound obvious, but making a donation in a giftee’s name is perhaps the simplest, most thoughtful last-minute gift of your funds. Not to mention endlessly customizable: Pick a charity that ties into a passion of theirs, like a local museum or favorite radio show, or simply give to those in need and consider it done.
2. their favorite radio show
3. a local museum or historic home
4. the ACLU
5. an organization that buys gifts for kids in need, like Coalition for the Homeless in NYC
6. the Architects Foundation (the charitable arm of the AIA)
7. a disaster relief effortthat hits close to home
8. a “meals on wheels” organization that delivers food to home-bound citizens
9. their local parks department or a green initiative in their city
10. an animal rescue group, like those cropping up to save furry friends displaced in the California fires
11. a local historic preservation group
12. an artists’ foundation, like the Judd Foundation
A category that has sprung to life in the last few years, subscription services can be purchased for everything from seasonal wreaths to beauty supplies. Even if you don’t complete the order in time for the first installment to arrive on the holiday, pick up a stand-in—i.e. a good hunk of cheese to give with a note that says “Look forward to more of this every month for a year!”
13. seasonal wreaths (a new one every time the weather changes!)
14. fresh flowers
15. a great newspaper or magazine (AHEM, this is a good one)
16. good coffee
17. good cheese
18. good olive oil
19. an Audible or
20. Netflix or
21. Spotify Premium account, depending on how they get their kicksx or
E-gift cards
Cash is, well, king. We love
22. the service Tendr, which is essentially a very pretty electronic way to give cash gifts (start a fund towards a certain cause, like “new couch,” or keep it general). Or if you know they love a certain design shop, get a gift card there. Here are some of our favorite e-gift card options for design lovers.
23. AREA
24. Dear Keaton
25. Dusen Dusen
26. Food52
27. Kauffman Mercantile
28. Menu
29. Minna
30. Need Supply Co.
31. Poketo
32. Rikumo
33. St. Frank