Little Last Minute Gift Suggestions

It’s rather shocking to realize that Christmas is in a scant few days! I am pretty well finished with my shopping, but then I don’t have a lot to do. However, I was scouting around for some ideas for last minute hostess presents, and for people who stop by the house. My aim with these little gifts is to give the recipient something that they might not buy for themselves.

I don’t think that you can go wrong with a nice candle. My favourite at this time of year is Thymes Frasier Fir candle, because it smells like a real fir tree, and not chemicals. You could go more high end and give a candle from Diptique or Cire Trudon.These candles come in a few sizes, so you could have the smaller ones on hand as last minute gifts.

Another great items is luxury soaps (although I do hate that term!). I like the Claus Porto soaps, since they’re so beautifully wrapped, and they come in a great range of scents.

I used to give my favourite I Coloniali Soaps, but they’re becoming so scarce and difficult to source, that I find myself hoarding the few bars I have left. I forgot to pick up some more when I was in London in the spring.

Of course, you can hardly go wrong with a bottle of bubbles. For about $40, you can pick up a nice bottle of Veuve Clicquot.But if that’s out of your budget, a bottle of Presecco can be a nice treat. If you pair it with some inexpensive champagne flutes, you’ve got a great presentation.

To inject a bit of springtime into the dreary days after the holidays, head to your thrift shop and pick up some cheap glass vases, then head to the garden center for some small stones and some paperwhite narcissus bulbs. You don’t need loads of stones, and you can even do these in a shallow bowl.

There are loads of great jams and jellies that you can get in lovely jars. Stonewall Kitchens has some great flavours, including Maine Blueberry and Strawberry Balsamic. Check Sur la Table or Williams Sonoma or even your local gourmet grocery store for some other selections.

If you’ve been forward-thinking, you might have made your own jams. I made that great fig-bourbon jam this summer, but not enough to give as presents. Maybe next year. Failing that, you can still make lemon or lime curd and put it in some great jars, like the Weck jars I used for the jams.

Do you have a last minute go-to gift?