Welcome, everyone, to Procrastinator’s Anonymous. I’m Rick, self-appointed group leader, and I’m here to help you cope with this year’s Gift Procurement Postponement Situation (or GPPS).
As I write this, it’s Dec. 22, meaning you’re juuust about out of time to get something shipped. (Here are the holiday shipping deadlines, just in case.) So why not support your friendly neighborhood small business? Bet you can find some great last-minute gifts there.
Of course, as the clock clicks closer to Dec. 25, your retail options grow smaller. Thankfully, as long as there’s ink in the printer (and, um, internet in the computer), you can score something great — even with just minutes left before gift-exchange time.
Here, then, is my list of the best last-minute gifts you can print at home or email from anywhere.
The gift of reading
Why stop at a single book or magazine subscription when you can gift someone a virtually unlimited supply?
Texture, for example, is an all-you-can-read digital magazine service that gives you unlimited access to most major mags. You’ll get over 200 of them, including back issues. Apps are available for Android, iOS and Windows. And there’s a great promotion running right now: three months for $15, or six months for $25.
There’s a similar option for your favorite book lover: Scribd costs $8.99 per month, a price that includes unlimited access to Scribd’s library of ebooks, audiobooks, sheet music, magazine and news articles and more. You can give a three-month gift subscription for $25; six months for $50; or a year for $100.
2. The gift of listening
If you know someone who still consumes music old-school — LPs, CDs and so forth — it’s time to introduce them to the joys of unlimited on-demand listening.
In other words, give them the gift of Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music, Google Play Music, Spotify or another subscription service. Purists may decry this notion of “renting” music and balk at the idea of paying $10 a month for the rest of their lives — right up until they experience the bliss of having all the music of the world at their fingertips. They’ll probably also realize they’re already on the hook for cable, phone and other streaming services — so what’s another $10?
Not sure which one to choose? Check out CNET’s roundup of music-streaming services. Know for sure you want to give Spotify? Here’s how to give Spotify as a gift.
3. The gift of gaming
Stop thinking old-school when it comes to computer games: You don’t need to find a store, buy a boxed copy, wrap it and all that. Instead, you can gift a game by email.
Just head to Gamer’s Gate, choose the game you want to give and click Gift This Game below the Buy button. Or hit up Steam, add a game to your shopping cart and then click Purchase as a gift. The recipient will receive a download link and activation code by email.
4. The gift of Prime
As Larry David might say, the gift of Amazon Prime is pretty, pretty, pretty good!
AmazonAt the risk of sounding like an Amazon shill, I can think of few better internet-based gifts than a subscription to Amazon Prime. I mean, talk about the gift that keeps on giving. For an entire year, the recipient gets to experience the joy that is free two-day shipping on most of what Amazon sells.
But that’s just for starters. They also get a growing roster of streaming movies and TV shows (many of which can be downloaded for offline viewing) along with unlimited photo storage and libraries of music and ebooks. That’s a lot of bang for your 99 bucks. (Too steep? There’s also a three-month option priced at $33.)
Here’s a complete list of what’s included with Amazon Prime.
5. The gift of gift cards
Sure, you can run into your nearest any-retail-store-on-the-planet to grab a gift card, but that works only if you’re about to see your recipient in person. If you need a gift card delivered, head to eGifter, which offers a huge selection of “cards” that arrive instantly via email. You can even include an online greeting card, invite others to chip in and add a photo or video for a more personalized touch.
6. The gift that comes every month
Don’t forget the subscription-box option! Cratejoy’s Geek & Gaming section can help you pick the perfect monthly delivery for your favorite tech-minded friend or family member and has boxes for lots of other categories as well.
Obviously the first box won’t arrive in time, but you can print a here’s-what’s-coming certificate and give them something to look forward to.
And there you have it! Six awesome gift options that you can print and wrap (or email) in seconds. If you know of any other great last-minute gifts, share ’em in the comments. In the meantime, happy holidays to you and yours from me and mine.
Editors’ note: This post was originally published on Dec. 23, 2015, and has since been updated with new information.
