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O.M.G. Is it Christmas week already?! Welcome back for the final installment of Santa’s Sleigh List where you won’t just impress your friends, family, and colleagues, you’ll ‘slay’ them! 😉
This week I’m going to help you prepare for the ultimate Christmas emergency situation: the unexpected guest. You know the feeling: you finished your Christmas shopping early, managed to wrap all the gifts ahead of schedule, the house is ready for company then…it happens. Your company arrives with an unexpected guest (a long lost friend or family member you haven’t seen in a while)…and you don’t have a gift for them! Ugh!!!
Well, fear not! There are a few gifts you can buy and set aside as an ’emergency stash’ so you’re never caught unprepared for an unexpected guest.
Picture frames
Find me one person who can’t find a use for a beautiful picture frame. Everyone loves showing off photos of a special occasion, travel adventure, or their loved ones so getting a new, beautiful picture frame–extra points for a multi-photo frame!–makes a perfect gift every time!
Christmas ornaments
Many family Christmas trees tell a story. Whether it be a vintage ornament or an ornament bought to commemorate a special life event like the birth of a child or a wedding, receiving one as a gift from a friend or family will bring joy and memories for many years to come.
Candy / Christmas Cookies
Almost everyone has a sweet tooth and Christmas is the perfect time to indulge. Whether it be peppermint chocolate mints or whimsical holiday cookies, you can’t go wrong. Many local bakeries and even your local supermarket will always have a plate of beautiful holiday cookies or you can strike up a batch yourself! As for candy, classic chocolatier brands like Godiva and Ferrero Rocher have a wide variety of choices and make beautiful gift boxes that are generally ready to go so no wrapping is required!
Christmas Mugs
You’re probably noticing a pattern by now but it’s a proven formula that works. Buying holiday-themed items usually make great gifts for anyone, young and old. Who can resist a cup of hot chocolate in a Frosty the Snowman, Reindeer, or Santa mug? Get a whole set so your guest has something to pull out every holiday on Christmas Eve while watching their favorite holiday movie!
Wine opener/stoppers
Whether it be a romantic dinner, family get-together, or a New Years bash with friends, there’s almost certain to be bottles of ‘joy’ around. 😉 Fancy wine openers and stoppers make lovely gifts and always come in handy around the kitchen. I received a ‘rabbit’ wine opener one year and at first thought ‘huh?’ but now, it’s my favorite way to quickly and easily open a bottle of wine!
Wine / Champagne
While on the subject of ‘grapes and bubbly’, gifting a bottle of your favorite wine or champagne always makes a nice gift and provides your guest something to enjoy on New Years Eve allowing you to ‘kill two holiday birds’ with one stone! 🙂
Yankee Candles
Hopefully, you are familiar with the joy of lighting up a Yankee Candle in your home but if you don’t, let me suggest picking up two–one for you and one for your guest. Of all the scented candles I’ve ever tried from various brands, I soon learned that Yankee Candles are the ‘real deal’. They have a lot of amazing scents, last a long time–don’t let the smaller jars and wax melts fool you, these things last a LONG time–and really help get you into the holiday spirit with their holiday-themed scents. Some of my favorites are: Christmas Wreath, Autumn Wreath, Peace on Earth, and Christmas Cookies.
Scarves
As Jack Frost works his ‘magic’ throughout the holiday season, you can do your guest a favor and wrap them up in a warm and cozy scarf. Pick a classic pattern and color to make it suitable for both male and female guests of varying styles and tastes.
Tech gloves
Another tried and true modern favorite–tech gloves! Most people today have some sort of touchscreen device whether it be a phone or tablet so tech gloves are the perfect gift to not only keep their fingers warm but also allow them to use their device easily.
Gift cards
When all else fails, stick with the ultimate ‘backup gift’: a gift card. The more general the better because it can be used by almost anyone. Popular gift cards are those for large stores offering a variety of merchandise, popular restaurants, book stores, coffee shops, toy/game stores, or–even better–credit card gift cards because these can be used anywhere major credit cards are accepted. Some merchants, like Amazon, even offer gift cards that you can email and print at home!
I hope you found this holiday list helpful in finding the perfect last minute gift for that unexpected guest or even just a gift for yourself. 😉 If you did and know someone else it could help, please like, subscribe, and share on social media. And if you think of any other great ’emergency’ gifts, please share in the comments below–I’m always on the hunt for more great ideas!
{ 🙂 …BEEP!…Please stand by for this special announcement… 🙂 }
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all my readers for visiting, commenting, and supporting my blog. If you had a chance to read my About page, you know that this blog is a special ‘passion project’ for me. It was also a wonderful opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. While the journey has been relatively short, it has been amazing and for that I am extremely grateful. So thank you, dear reader, for EVERYTHING!!!
This will be my last post of 2015 so I can spend quality time with my family. I hope you all also enjoy this time surrounded by loved ones. A special shout-out to all my readers who celebrate Christmas and to all my blogger friends, I’d like to wish you all a wonderful holiday and a joyful New Year–see you next year!!!
Until next time,
♥ LilD ♥
P.S. I have a lot of new and wonderful things in store for you all next year so come back soon!!! 😉