Sometimes, when you find yourself busy with so many things, buying presents for the Holidays can take the backseat to everything else. You keep on delaying this task with the thought that Christmas is still a few weeks or a few days away. And then, you realize, Christmas is only a couple of days away and you don’t have enough time to do some serious Christmas gift shopping for your kids, friends and family.

This kind of dilemma is sometimes solved by a few with the giving of cash gifts, however some people find that giving cash is not really a good idea. If you are one of the many out there who find themselves scrambling to find gifts a few days before Christmas, here are a few ideas that you might want to consider.

1. Bake something – if you have a knack for baking, whip together a batch of cookies or pastries and give these out as gifts. There are lots of recipes to choose from, so simply take your pick, run to the grocery store and start baking.
2. Cook something – instead of sweet stuff, go savory and cook something festive for friends or family.
3. Craft something – if you are into arts and crafts, and you have the supplies ready for anything, you can put together personalized gifts for family and friends. Trinket boxes, foam frames and the like are just a few of the things you can make as gifts.
4. Buy ready-made pastries or goodies – a lot of bakeshops make extra goodies during the holidays to ensure that they have enough for their customers. Get a tin of crisps, a box of Christmas cookies or cupcakes and give these as gifts.
5. Box of chocolate – everybody loves chocolate! Go to the nearest grocery store or candy shop near you and buy a box of chocolates for Christmas. If you can find Christmas themed chocolates, that would be better.
6. Christmas candies – this is a variation to the box of chocolate idea. Instead of chocolates, buy candies in Christmas colors of red and green, put these in transparent jars, festive tin cans or even clear plastic containers and place a ribbon around the neck.
7. Herb salts – these can be easily made with rock salt, dried herbs and empty jars. Mix together equal parts of dry herbs and salt, place in decorative jars, tie ribbons around the neck and voila! Herb salts that can be given as gifts.
8. Bath salts – these can be found online or in your friendly neighborhood pharmacy. These can also be found in a few grocery stores and supermarkets. Repack these in decorative jars, or find some that are already in lovely containers.
9. Gift certificates to favorite stores – while this is essentially almost like cash, the difference here is that these can only be used in one store only.
10. Gourmet coffee – for those family members or friends who are coffee lovers, giving them a bag of good coffee beans or grinds is a good thing.
11. Gourmet cocoa mix – for those who do not drink coffee, hot chocolate mixes in gourmet baskets may be ideal. Add packs of marshmallows for a tasty treat.
12. Tea and tea set – for tea lovers, a tea infuser, tea steeper or tea strainer and good tea is considered a good gift to receive.
13. Bottle of wine – these are also great as gifts during Christmas.
14. Cheese and crackers box – you can find these in grocery stores as well. Try to find gourmet cheeses and good crackers that you can put in a decorative box.
15. Spa kits – there are a lot of these in supermarkets and pharmacies as well. Choose from a wide array of kits that are made for the hands, feet, face and body.
16. Aromatherapy kits – these are an alternative to spa kits and can include a few items like scented candles, essential oils and incense.
17. Books –getting someone a book can be an easy and quick gift choice, as long as you know what kinds of books the person likes.
18. E-book downloads – if a family member or a friend has an e-book reader or a tablet PC, getting them e-book downloads can also be considered. There are a lot of sites that offer free downloads and a number that also charge a nominal fee for a good book.
19. Small gadgets – USB flash drives, MP3 players, mini speakers and other similar small gadgets can also be considered good gifts for the holidays for your techie friends.
20. Spa Gift Certificate – your mom, your sister or your better half can be the happy recipient of a day spa treatment.
21. Stuffed animals – fluffy bunnies, cute teddy bears and other stuffed toys can also be last minute gifts for kids.
22. Shopping Spree Certificate – make a home-made I.O.U. type certificate and give this to your kid to entitle them to a shopping spree with you for a specified amount, of course.
23. Chore Certificate – you can offer your cooking, cleaning or babysitting services to friends and family with the use of home-made certificates entitling people to services that you are capable of doing.
24. Book Shopping Certificate – another home-made certificate that entitles the recipient to a book of their choice either on an online store or in a bookstore near you. They choose, you pay.
25. Gadget accessories – if the recipient love gadgets, giving them something for any of their gadgets will be well appreciated.