Weâve all been there. You thought youâd ticked off all your friends and family on the Christmas shopping list, when suddenly you realise youâve missed someone out. Or worse, Aunty Sandra is pulling up outside with a boot full of presents and you didnât know she was even coming over this year. What last-minute Christmas present can you pull out of thin air? Can you re-gift something? Can you try and pass off Christmas dinner as a present?!
Calm, calm. Weâve got 9 digital present suggestions that you can buy literally seconds before you give them. Yep, theyâre pretty much variations on the gift card theme, but you can make them seem like so much more than that. We believe in you.
9. An evening out
Treat them to an evening of wining and dining. If youâre lucky, they may even take you with them!
Browns and All Bar One are two of many that offer email gift cards ranging from £5 to £100, and can be sent by email or text (ie instantly). Get them emailed to yourself, print them out and pop them in a card to make it look a little more polished.
Alternatively, how about a cinema giftcard? Cineworld even let you buy a yearâs worth of unlimited film-watching for just over ÂŁ200. If youâve got time, you could buy a ÂŁ20 gift card, pop it in a card with a symbolic packet of Butterkist and present it as “a night at the movies.”
8. Digital gift vouchers
Kinda obvious, kinda unoriginal, but also kinda hard to go wrong with.
Amazon offer email vouchers from ÂŁ1 to £1000 and iTunes offer online gift vouchers that can be spent on their music, apps and books. For extra presentation points, print a ÂŁ10 iTunes voucher, put it in a CD case and wrap it nicely. You bought them their new favourite album - they just havenât picked it yet.
7. Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and Nintendo eShop
Looking for a quick fix for a gamer friend or relative?
GAME sell online credit for Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and the Nintendo eShop. The credit can be redeemed instantly and all you have to do is download the voucher.
If theyâre more of a PC gamer, Paypal sell Steam Wallet gift codes.
6. Gig tickets
Many of us have felt the adrenaline rushes of desperately trying to buy tickets to gigs that seemingly sell out in seconds. Who even gets those tickets? Iâll never know.
BUT maybe if you have a lucky friend who loves music, you can pass that ticket buying stress onto them as Ticketmaster offer online vouchers that can be sent straight to their email.
You spend the money, they buy the tickets. A good time for all.
5. Beauty treatments
Know someone who could do with a little pampering?
Wahanda have superb last minute options, with their online e-voucher and gift card options being available instantly with a simple email being sent to the lucky individual.
You can choose a specific treatment for your loved one, or opt for the gift voucher so they get to choose. So many options to cure that Christmas Eve panic!
4. TVÂ subscription
Christmas and New Year gives us a chance to really snuggle down with a nice cuppa, and catch up on all those programmes missed in the hectic previous months.
A great last minute idea is giving the gift of a TV subscription service. Paypal sell online vouchers for NOWTV Entertainment, Sky Movies and iTunes too, so they can catch up on all their favourite shows. Netflix vouchers are available from Tesco, but not digitally, so youâd need to be able to get to a store. Most are open on Christmas Eve.
3. Spotify subscription
New Year, new music. If you know a music lover then a great way to treat them this Christmas is investing in a Spotify eGift code.
giftcloud.com offer them at ÂŁ10, ÂŁ30 and ÂŁ50 and are available to redeem online so can be bought and used instantly.
Another Christmas saviour for the less organised buyer.
2. Monthly beer subscription
This is generally just an awesome idea, but also a great last minute solution as beer52.com offer online vouchers for their craft beer delivery services.
They offer one month, 3 month, 6 month and 12 month specialised craft beer crate packages from £24, an excellent option for any beer lover out there.
For more subscription-based ideas, check out our roundup of the UKâs best subscription boxes.
1. Someone to do all their boring stuff
Last but not least, for those who have run out of time to buy gifts this Christmas, perhaps buy others the gift of time? In the vain hope they may return the favour…
TaskRabbit is an online service offering help with cleaning, handy work, shopping and even moving house, leaving you time to put your feet up.
They offer instant online gift vouchers so you can supply friends and family with a helping hand this Christmas, without getting your own hands dirty. Perfect.
Main image: iStock/RoBeDeRo