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Last-Minute Gifts From the Supermarket
You don’t have to shop way in advance or at a fancy store to get a great Christmas gift. You can, if you’re a little creative, just head to your local supermarket. There are all kinds of benefits to making the grocery store your choice for last-minute gifts. Among them, you don’t have to worry about a gift being the right size and in most cases, it won’t have to match the decor.
Even if food isn’t quite what you had in mind, if you have a large supermarket nearby, chances are that it has an aisle or two devoted to toys and as-seen-on-TV items that would make great last-minute gifts. Even a small, local market is likely to have a few items that you can gather together and display in a basket or box and perhaps wrap in colorful paper. Here are some ideas to spark your imagination:
Gourmet Eats
• Gourmet beverages. Grab three or four bags of gourmet coffee and place in a box along with filters, flavored creamers, a variety of teas, hot chocolate, and maybe some fancy turbinado sugar. Check in the housewares aisle for a couple of mugs, maybe a nice teapot, and some colorful tea towels. If you’re purchasing loose tea, add a tea strainer.
• Pastas and sauces. Who doesn’t like putting together an easy, cozy Italian meal on a week night? Gather a couple jars of gourmet pasta sauce, a few different types of pasta (gluten-free, if you must), a hunk of parmagiano-reggiano (parmesan) cheese, a jar of pesto and another of fancy olives, a fancy bottle of extra-virgin olive oil, whole peppercorns (best in a container with a built-in grinder), and maybe even a hard sausage. In the housewares aisle, pick up a hand grater for the cheese, and a metal colander or hefty pasta pot. Arranging the items in the colander or pot makes for a charming display.
• Chocolate. Whether it’s an ingot of fair trade, 72 percent cacao, sustainably farmed from a plantation run by indigenous farmers in Madagascar or your basic, reliable Hershey bar, chocolate of all kinds is a great present in a pinch. A large supermarket may offer deep selections of bar chocolate from Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and elsewhere. For fun, choose one brand for each of the 12 Nights of Christmas, wrap them in different types of paper, and present them in a single box to savor over time. Or, if the folks you’re celebrating with are game, unwrap them all and do a blind taste-test, Consumer-Reports style!
Practical Buys
• Batteries. When it comes to choosing last-minute gifts, this idea certainly isn’t glamorous. But extra batteries will be appreciated throughout the year. In my house, we’re always searching for AAs and Cs, and you can be sure at least one child’s gift at your holiday gathering will come without batteries included. Add a couple of flashlights and a package of candles to turn this into a gift home-emergency kit.
• Magazine subscription. My sister came up with this winning suggestion. Buy a magazine you know the recipient will read, and wrap with a note saying you’ve arranged for a gift subscription. Of course, you’d better follow through!
• Prepaid cards. They may seem uncreative, but prepaid gift cards are popular items that don’t necessarily scream “last minute.”
Just a couple of reminders: If you’re buying last-minute gifts you may be in a rush. But with any food gift, take the time to read food labels to ensure you’re mindful of your recipients’ food allergies and preferences. (Just to be on the safe side, avoid anything with nuts.) And be sure to pick up wrapping paper, ribbon, tape, cards, and scissors, if you need them. In my family’s routine, I’m often wrapping gifts at the last minute in the passenger seat while my husband is driving to the holiday event. It’s not a pretty scene, but the recipients never know.
Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.
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