We’re a few days into Hanukkah, and a few days away from Christmas, and maybe there are some last minute gifts you need to figure out? We here at SBTB HQ put our heads together, and we’re here to help!
Shana: “My favorite chocolate patisserie was just named as having the best hot chocolate in the US by Yelp. They sell hot chocolate kits and their chocolates online, but until very recently they had gift cards, too.”
Sarah: “I love the idea of a gift card to a local chocolate shop or patisserie!”
Shana: “I would probably pair a gift card with a bar of chocolate, a tin of cocoa, or a jar of their caramel sauce. But on short notice, I think just the gift card would be great.”
Sarah: “That is a lovely gift. I’d be very excited to receive that as a present.”
Shana: “I also like to do museum memberships as last minute gifts.”
“I love a museum (or zoo, aquarium) where members get in free, and there’s usually other fun perks as well. I love supporting unusual museums that way, like the time I bought a membership to the California State Railroad Museum for a friend who loved trains.”
“Here’s a few other examples: The Spy Museum in Washington DC (everyone hates to pay for a museum in a city where most of them are free).”
Sarah: You are Not Wrong about that!
Shana: There’s The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati.
For folks in Denver, the Denver Art Museum is offering 14 month gift memberships for the price of 12!
The Denver Art Museum has a great textiles collection, so I’m a little obsessed with it. The quilts! The samplers!
Claudia: I wish more museums had good textile collections!
Shana: Me too! They’re my absolute favorite, and I always get excited when I stumble into a good one.
Sarah: You can buy a National Park Pass as a gift by purchasing a digital gift card to be used toward a Park Pass.
Annual Park Pass: $80 Lara: Like Shana, I love a really nice gift voucher. I’ll either go for something that I know they love but seldom get (favourite local coffee shop, deli, restaurant) or something that pairs well with an activity they have planned (coffee voucher and magazine if they’re going to get a haircut soon, taxi voucher for an event they’re going to) or a completely new-to-them experience (anything from a voucher to a new bakery through to an adventure experience like paragliding).
Sarah: Lara, those ideas are fantastic.
When I was a teenager, I loved getting gift passes to the local movie theatre.
Another idea that impressed me was most effective because the person buying the gift had access to the recipient’s schedule.
A gift certificate for a facial or pedicure, especially at a local or independent spa (one of my favorites is Little Oasis in Rockville, Maryland) is always a treat.
But to level up the gift, my friend not only purchased the gift card, but also scheduled the facial for the recipient, figuring that changing the appointment would be much easier than making it in the first place. This may be especially true for people who put themselves toward the bottom of their own to-do list.
Sometimes the easiest option is to open Google Maps near the recipient, and find a patisserie, bakery, spa, nail salon, or other treat near to them and call for a gift card. I’ve done this for friends very far away (and crossed reference the reviews before I bought) and it was always appreciated.
I also love giving people candles, especially if I can find some nice ones at a discount store, or I can buy a set cheaply online, like this one:
12 Constellations Gift Set, $22
If you want to make a set out of it, you could pair a candle with a local bookstore gift card (or Bookshop.org has gift cards!), a coffee shop gift card, or a pair of very fuzzy socks as a very cozy gift.
Lastly, one of my favorite gifts is a cookbook, partially because I know a lot of people who love to cook. I wonder if that’s a coincidence?
Amanda adores the cookbook Snacking Cakes, and it’s glorious and very adjustable in terms of pan, flavors, and more.
Kiki also loves this one: “And not just because it’s the only cookbook I own! Lots of variety, easy instructions, and perhaps most importantly, lots of “don’t have this pan? Use this one! Don’t have this ingredient? Leave it out!”
Shana had a bunch of recommendations last year that would still make fabulous gifts.
Shana: I give cookbooks a lot as a gift, and the best received ones seem to have both great recipes and great photographs.
Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin is my current go-to gift. It won a James Beard award and it’s both beautifully written AND has dreamy recipes. Joanne Chang’s Pastry Love is a big thick book full of lots of savory and sweet recipes. It also has several gluten-free options, which is missing from her other books. I would recommend it for moderately experienced bakers, and who are hard to shop for.
Flour, her first cookbook, is very approachable, and would work for pretty much anyone, from someone who just wants to make exceptionally good chocolate chip cookies, or who wants to tackle eclairs for the first time. It has a chatty tone that is fun to read.
Carla’s Comfort Foods: Favorite Dishes from Around the World, is the book I gift most often. It’s similar to Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian, although it’s plant-forward with meat dishes. It’s fun to read, and gives you a sense of Hall’s personality. And it has both everyday and special occasion dishes. It’s also relatively small and light which is a blessing when you’re mailing gifts.
This is our last gift guide of the year – thank you for having so much fun with us!
What are your go-to last minute gift ideas?
I like to hit up Cost Plus World Market for last minute gifts and stocking stuffers. You can always find something unusual yet useful there. Just found out the friends coming for Christmas dinner are bringing an extra; ran out last night and picked up a nice handcrafted stoneware mug and a couple of flavored cocoa packs for a last minute gift. Got a matching towel and soap pump for my boss one year when I got unexpectedly invited to her house party. Grabbed a guidebook to under-the-radar restaurants and attractions in Tokyo for my son the year he flew to Japan. All very reasonably priced (around $10 per.) And their selection of international candies, coffees, wines, and foods are always a hit. And right now they are running a special, 10% off for buy online, pick up in store.
I’ve enjoyed all the gift guides this year, so thank you! And now I’m drooling over that hot chocolate kit.
Some last minute gift ideas ~ A gift certificate to the local doughnut store (could be accompanied by an apple fritter to eat now or freeze); A vase from the thrift store plus some flowers; some nice tea (my husband’s favorite is Earl Grey from the San Francisco Herb company) from the bulk area of our local health food store with a jar of local jam or honey.
Snacking Cakes is one of the best, easiest-yet-inspiring-est cookbooks I’ve read in years. Most of the recipes are one-bowl.
I got my brother, who loves to cook, a variety of spice blends (Baharat, Berbere, Dukkah, Hawaij) from the Indian grocery near me.
I loved the California Railway Museum. I was at a conference in Sacramento and fell into this place. It was great and I extended my trip to spend more time there. The docents were exceptional and really added to the experience.
As for other gifts. Local chocolates and baked goods are always welcome and I’ve never encountered anyone who didn’t enjoy some spa time
MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!