Time's Running Out -- Last Minute Gifts!

2 days until Christmas – almost out of time to swoop up those presents!  It’s continually amazing to me how many people haven’t yet started their holiday shopping (ahem, Natalie!).

To top it off, this past weekend, many parts of the U.S. was blanketed with snow — deep snow — prohibiting (or making it difficult) for many to get out and shop.  As the USA Today shared, “Stormy winter weather affected many store openings late last week and made driving too treacherous for many to venture out for those last few gifts.”

My point?  Last-minute gift ideas are highly valued!

iVillage had some great ideas yesterday for last-minute gifts-a whole list you should definitely check out.  My favorite was tip #8: Give an e-gift card.  If you haven’t done this ever, it’s super easy.  You just enter the recipient’s email address and they receive an e-mail notification with an online code that they can use to shop. No shipping fees, no leaving the house, and you can even buy this Xmas morning to delivery later in the day!  Many retailers, including Foot Locker, and Victoria’s Secret, make the e-gift cards look just as visually appealing as a physical gift card itself!

Some other thoughts:

– Pre-shop online to find a few items you may consider as gifts.  Call the local store and see if they can put these items on hold for you, so once you arrive, all you have to do is go to the counter and check-out, saving you time once in the chaos-filled store!

– Shop off-hours! See my earlier blog post about stores being open in the early-morning hours.  Also, Macy’s is holding round-the-clock hours in several of its stores.  The flagship department store in Manhattan’s Herald Square and seven area branches will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the four-day stretch before Christmas.

Good luck!