Okay, this month has been crazy. I'm sure I'm not alone right now in my last-minute gift buying flurry. Right? For those of you who have all of your gifts purchased and wrapped up all pretty under the tree, I bow to you!

For those of you who are with me in the last minute scramble to get something thoughtful and meaningful, I'll let you in on my three tips for last minute gift buying:

1. Gift certificates. These can be meaningful and personal, if you do it right. I'm all about experiences over things (especially now that we're in a tiny house!) so I know that I for one would be pumped to receive a gift certificate to a good restaurant, a favorite coffeehouse, a spa or yoga studio nearby, or any fun local experience. If you don't have time to grab it before you gift it, spruce up a card with a picture/description of what you're gifting and tell them "it's in the mail!" - everyone's happy.

2. A subscription of some sort. This was my method last year! These days you can get a monthly subscription to just about anything - meals, beauty products, stationery, bacon, beer, music - you name it.

3. And finally, hello Amazon 2-day shipping! Now, I'm a strong advocate of buying local and enjoying the shopping experience and I think/hope that most of us try that first, but if you're getting down to the wire here and have a few things to do over the next couple of days besides stand in lines and hunt for parking spaces, here are some ideas of what you can buy from the comfort of your home.

(by the way, this post is not sponsored by Amazon in any way, I just love Amazon Prime that much.)

1. corkcicle hot and cold canteen 2. Winston Churchill coffee table book 3. leatherman multitool 4. classy shoes 5. fun party game 6. moscow mule mugs 7. outback hat 8. humans of new york stories 9. assorted gourmet chocolate bars 10. camp hammock 11. handsome valet and charging station

1. le creuset dutch oven 2. sugar lip treatment 3. Scotch and Soda Sweatshirt 4. diptyque candle 5. concert ukulele 6. big magic 7. fancy shampoo 8. grown-up coloring book 9. prismacolor art markers 10. a house plant 11. aroma diffuser

By the way, every time you shop on Amazon you can support a nonprofit of your choice. Just go to smile.amazon.com and select which school or charity of your choice will receive a percentage of your purchase.

Now, 2-day shipping will only get you so far.... we better get shopping!

Gift Guide :: Last Minute!

1. Plated // 2. Birchbox // 3. Popsugar Must Have // 4. Kiwi Crate // 

5. Citrus Lane // 6. Love With Food  // 7. Bark Box  // 8. Spice Panda //

9. Mantry // 10. ABM Happy Mail // 11. Bespoke Post

TGIF my friends! I'm feeling very merry today. Feeling ready for the weekend. Ready to jam out to some Christmas tunes, wrap some gifts, pack some bags and head on over to chilly New England. I hope you're feeling merry, too!

If last minute gift shopping is the last thing stressing you out, before an enjoyable holiday, well then rest easy - I have your solution. The answer to a last minute gifting dilemma is.....subscriptions!

Why?

a) it's the gift that keeps on giving
b) it's ready almost instantaneously (no strip mall shopping or 3 day shipping required)
c) you can make it fit your price range (gift a month, or 6, or 12)
d) there is something for everyone!

Food, books, beauty products, stationery, puppy snacks, baby toys, exotic spices, tea, crafts - you can have literally anything delivered monthly to your (or your lucky giftee's) doorstep. I already mentioned a couple of subscriptions in my manly gift guide (the monthly coffee seems amazing to me), but I've provided some of my other favorites for you here.

I also think these are good for that person you know who already seems to have everything - they need an experience.

My favorite? ABM's new Happy Mail service - wouldn't you just love to have a collection of adorable cards and notepads at your disposal? And Mantry is supposedly for men but those snack boxes look verrrry shareable :). Which one would you gift?

Have a jolly weekend everyone!