Best Last-minute Gifts From The Supermarket

Last-minute Christmas gifts from the supermarket are surprisingly easy to find if you’re willing to be creative. Pluses: Your supermarket gift is likely to be consumed quickly. You don’t have to worry about it being the right size for the recipient. And in most cases, you don’t have to worry about it matching the decor. 

If you have large supermarket nearby, chances are that it has an aisle or two devoted to toys and last-minute, as-seen-on-TV items that you can grab and go. But even a small, local market is likely to have a few items that you can gather in a basket or box wrapped in colorful paper and deliver with pride. Here are some ideas to spark your imagination:

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[/one_fourth]• 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 tea pot, and some colorful tea towels. If you’ve purchased loose tea, add a tea strainer.

• Pastas and sauces. Who doesn’t like putting together an easy, cozy Italian meal on a weekday 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.

• Beauty items. Depending on where you shop, you may find some nicely packaged soaps and fragrances that can be easily wrapped for gifting. The other day at a Whole Foods store, for instance, I found fragrant soaps—three for $6—that could be nicely mixed and matched. I’ll be giving those to a couple of friends.

• Batteries. This isn’t a glamorous gift, but you can be sure that extra batteries will be very well appreciated throughout the year. In my house, we’re always searching for AA’s and C’s, 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 reminders: With any food gift, 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 last-minute gifts in the passenger seat while my husband is driving to the holiday event. It’s not a pretty scene, but the recipients never know.