You may not think it’s time to start brainstorming holiday gifts yet—let alone looking for last-minute gift ideas. “I’ve got two whole months to find something super specific and ultra-thoughtful for each and every person on my list,” you say. But we all know that year after year the ramp up to the holiday season goes by in the blink of an eye, and it’s all too easy to make it to mid-December only to realize you never managed to get around to the whole holiday shopping thing.
Jump straight to some of the best last-minute gifts:
I’m here to tell your future self they needn’t worry: There are plenty of great holiday gifts with short delivery turnarounds for when you inevitably get caught up living your best cozy-season life between now and Christmas day. Bookmark this page and come back to it in that time of need because we’ll be updating it with more last-minute gifts as we inch closer and closer to the holidays. Or if you’re the on-top-of-it kind of gifter, go ahead and stockpile a few of these presents now. These gift ideas are varied and universal enough that they’ll work for just about anyone—but I guarantee they’ll still feel more personal than that digital gift card you were tempted to go for out of desperation.
A connoisseur-worthy coffee subscription
There are a lot of coffee subscription services out there these days, and Trade has been a staff favorite here at BA for years now. Their customization options are top tier (take a curated quiz to be matched with your ideal beans), but if you’re unsure of your giftee’s coffee preferences, they also offer a Best Sellers box. Whatever choice you go with, you’ll be giving the gift of high-quality, freshly roasted, ethically sourced blends and single-origin beans delivered straight to your lucky friend’s doorstep every two weeks.
A subscription box for the person who’s constantly saving recipes in the Epicurious app
If you’ve got a friend who devours each month’s Bon Appétit magazine within minutes of its arrival, is constantly sending you the BA and Epi recipes they’re dying to try, or finds joy in discovering new dishes and ingredients to spice up their weeknight dinners, might I suggest the Cook With Bon Appétit box? Each month your giftee will receive 5 exclusive recipes and 5 specialty ingredients, all of them BA-test-kitchen-approved, things like one of our favorite chili crisps or a game-changing addition to a pasta routine. They’ll also get digital access to both BonAppétit.com and Epicurious.com, along with a few other box-specific goodies.
This duo of BA-editor-approved functional chocolates
If you know a wellness trend enthusiast who’s also big on self-care, they’ll be positively delighted to receive this duo of chocolates from Alice Mushrooms. A few of BA’s editors, myself included, have been testing these, and we’ve all been pleasantly surprised by how quickly we ticked things off our to-do lists when we tried the Brainstorm and the way we slept like actual babies after a square of Nightcap. Alice also sells these chocolates separately, and either one would make a nice stocking stuffer.
A classic holiday treat
Nothing screams Christmas like peppermint bark. As someone who grew up making an annual trek to Williams Sonoma to scope out the holiday offerings (and eat all of the product samples, of course), their festive red tins of the stuff hold a special place in my heart. Another option? Go DIY: Pick up a few cookie tins at your local craft supplies store (or order them for next-day delivery on Amazon) and fill them with some homemade peppermint bark—a great play if you’re in a really last minute, Christmas-is-tomorrow kind of pinch.
The ultimate cold-weather dinner hack
Going out for hot pot is one of my favorite winter dinner moves, but you know what’s even better than going out for hot pot? Eating hot pot from the comfort of your own home. This set from Fly by Jing makes that dream attainable—and it looks cuter than your average induction-safe stainless-steel hot pot vessel too. Pair it with Fly by Jing’s hot pot base and a gift certificate to the nearest H Mart if you’re really trying to go above and beyond.
An ice cream stash restock
People who claim the perfect gift doesn’t exist must not have realized that you can gift sets or subscriptions of really good ice cream from a wide array of artisan scoop shops across the country. Because really, there’s no more thoughtful gift than the guarantee of a freezer stocked with sweet treats for whenever the winter blues happen to hit.
King Arthur’s baking school
During the 2020 lockdowns, King Arthur Baking, which has always offered in-person baking classes at its schools in Washington State and Vermont, started hosting live virtual classes over Zoom. Now they’ve launched an on-demand program that allows you to take their classes remotely at any time. Learn the foundations of homemade pizza, or get a tutorial on pastries like babka and cinnamon rolls with the Brunch Bakes class. These cooking classes smartly teach you master recipes and techniques that can be applied across multiple baking projects, and for a comparably low price of $40 per class your gift-recipient gets video tutorials, quick technique lessons, a full recipe workbook, and an extensive set of baking tips for each class. The best part, of course, is that this can be purchased on the actual day of your gift exchange and no one will be the wiser.
A self-heating mug
The gift of always-warm coffee or tea is not to be underestimated, and the Ember mug is just that. It meets the criteria for an ideal “everyone” gift in my mind: The kind of thing you don’t necessarily want to buy for yourself, but that drastically improves your quality of life once you do have it.
Now that you have our best last-minute gift ideas, head right this way to read our full collection of gift guides. From the best gifts for coffee lovers to options for the baker in your life, we’ve got a guide for everyone on your list.
