It’s not too late to snag great gifts for Christmas. Late-stage holiday shopping can be a little nerve-racking, but you don’t have to give up on quality gifts just because the options are getting a little sparse. Turn your attention away from that perfect jacket or pair of jeans that is no longer available in the size or color you wanted. There are always great gifts in less-popular categories, and you never know what will turn out to be the surprise winner of the season.
WHITE ELEPHANT WINNERS
Hot off the presses, I have a few new ideas from this year’s white elephant parties. People voted with their steals, and this is what the kids and adults are loving right now. Best of all, there’s still time to get your own before Christmas.
This is not something I would ever think to buy, but a tiny fridge was one of the most-stolen gifts among teens at the white elephant exchange. I had to look into what one stores in a miniature cooling fridge: drinks or snacks in kids’ rooms, beauty products that need refrigeration, medications, pumped breast milk. Many can run on indoor AC plugs or a DC cigarette lighter plug in the car. Be warned they don’t tend to last more than a couple years, but people seem to love the convenience of portable refrigeration. And they are undeniably cute. There’s a popular $30 Frigidaire model which is adorably retro but only cools 26 degrees below ambient temperature, which really isn’t sufficient for the heat of summer. This Cooluli fridge on Amazon ($46) can cool 40 degrees below ambient temp, seems to be built with cooler-type insulation and has better customer satisfaction.
My son and his friends love a good poker night on a chilly evening. A game night is more social than a movie night, and the competition gets everyone fired up. The teens perked up when someone unwrapped this handy poker set suitcase ($21 on Amazon), and they maxed out the white elephant limit on stealing it.
A bluetooth speaker is always a great gift for kids and teens, who can share new songs or have a sing-a-long during hangouts, shoot arounds or study sessions. Anker makes a really good one that’s currently $28 on Amazon.
Heated items were popular white elephant gifts with the parent generation. It’s an item you can’t really have enough of in the winter time. Even if you have one near a favorite seat, there’s always another spot in the house where another would come in handy. This one is $34 on Amazon and is still available in a festive red.
I’ve featured this funny but useful gift in a past holiday post, but it’s still around, still popular, and just $16 on Amazon. It was another much-loved gift during this year’s white elephant exchange – so silly it makes everyone smile.
I’m delighted that a book was one of the hot items of a white elephant party. My mother-in-law loved this riveting Vietnam War-era story by bestselling author Kristin Hannah, and it clearly has word-of-mouth buzz. $14 on Amazon
ANOTHER GIFT IDEA
In the era of digital photography, it’s especially sweet to have an old-fashioned printed photo on display. I’ve become very fond of these heavy acrylic frames: two clear slabs held together by magnets on the four corners. Pop the two sides apart and put a photo in – or even better, two photos back to back, so that there’s a picture on display on each side. These frameless frames make a great gift, because they can go with any decor. $20 for a 2-pack of 5×7 frames on Amazon or $45 for a 5-pack.
FIX-IT STOCKING STUFFERS
I hate to admit it, but my vision is not as sharp as it used to be. I was so excited to find a little tool to help me with the occasional sewing repair job. The pointed wire loop goes into the eye of the needle, and you poke the thread easily through it. Then pull the loop back out of the eye, and the thread obligingly comes along too. Just $4 for a box of 30 needle threaders, and what you save in consternation is priceless.
Eczema sufferers will share my frustration at cracked hands snagging delicate fabrics. I wish I’d discovered this tool earlier – it’s a needle that has a rough back end that will magically pull your snag through the fabric and make it disappear. The name also cracks me up, thinking about the olden days in which you might actually say dagnabbit when you snag your knitwear. You can buy one Snag Nab-It needle in a single package for $6.50 on Amazon, or you can buy 12 Snag Nab-It needles in a snap-lid box for $7 and put others in stockings for friends and family.
Don’t be bummed when you pull out your sweaters for the season and notice that they are more pilled than you remember. Pulling off the little fluff balls only creates more issues. With a handy-dandy sweater comb ($5.85 on Amazon), you can gently scrape off all the pills and leave your sweater looking good as new. Just lay the sweater out flat and hold it taut while you run the sweater comb along the surface.
This stocking stuffer is perfect for sneakerheads getting new shoes in slushy wintertime. A quick treatment of shoe protector spray ($16 on Amazon) will keep new kicks in good shape for the season.
Old boots and bags can come back to life with a little TLC. These horeshair cleaning brushes ($10 on Amazon) are classic tools for good leather care. You may not get new boots for Christmas, but your old boots can get a glow-up.
For use with your leather brushes – or simply apply with a soft cloth – saddle soap will clean and moisturize your leather goods. 3.5-ounce tin for $7.5o on Amazon, or a 12-ounce tin for $10.
That’s it for this year. Happy shopping, and very happy holidays to all!
love it all lil!!! I saw a ton of poker chips and those little fridges at home goods this past weekend!!! it looked so cool and def great for college kids/high schoolers.