I floundered in the sea of shoppers swimming through Del Amo Mall, one of the biggest malls in the United States. Oh, right, I thought, dodging paper bags. It’s that time of year. Last-minute shoppers storm the halls to buy Christmas gifts for loved ones, spawning a second rush hour.
I’m a procrastinating shopper. Buying gifts the week of Christmas was kind of my move…until recently. Now, I buy some of my Christmas gifts online. I get to skip the hassle of last-minute crowds. It makes shopping faster, easier, and, in some cases, cheaper.
Are you also a last-minute Christmas shopper? Look no further for inspiration. Here are five Christmas gifts that can be delivered instantly to someone’s inbox — no shipping or in-person shopping required.
1. Audiobooks
I’ve got a friend on an absolute tear right now, ripping through audiobooks like my Labrador rips through her squishy chew toys. My friend buys her books through Audible, Amazon’s popular audiobook platform.
I’m gifting her a couple of books through the platform. You can do so easily by paying with your Audible credits (for current subscribers) or your credit card on Amazon. (Start at the Audible gift center for the smoothest experience.)
You can purchase one month of Audible membership plus one audiobook credit for $15.
I’ve scheduled the books to be delivered to her inbox on Christmas day. All she needs to do is click the link to access her fresh reads. Tip: If you’d like to surprise the giftee, check if they have a public Goodreads wish list. Many book lovers do, including my friend and me.
2. Streaming services
So your gift recipient wants to watch a show but doesn’t want to shell out for another subscription. It’s your time to shine, gift-giver. Big streaming platforms make it easy to gift subscriptions in seconds.
Netflix lets you buy “gift cards” for new accounts. YouTube Premium lets you purchase annual subscriptions that don’t auto-renew (or you can gift a Google Play card that they can spend toward a Premium subscription). Hulu lets you give gift cards that keep an account active until the funds expire. Your giftee can redeem them with clicks and codes.
3. Mindfulness apps
It’s been a rough year. Many folks are struggling with the aftershocks of inflation, plus the tough housing market. I’ve found solace in the mindfulness app Waking Up, one of many such popular apps on the App Store. It keeps me grounded and relieves stress.
Some apps let you gift subscriptions. You can give a year’s or lifetime access to the Calm app, a popular mindfulness app with over 100 million subscribers. Alternatives include Waking Up, a secular mindfulness app by Sam Harris, and Pray, a Christian meditation and sleep app.
4. Groceries
Is your giftee busy, doesn’t like to shop, or orders out frequently? A subscription to a grocery delivery app may be in order. Instacart, Doordash, and Amazon deliver groceries fast. They let you gift subscriptions and gift cards through their websites.
Just be sure your friend is OK with paying slightly higher prices online. It’s typically more expensive upfront to have groceries delivered. But the time savings might be worth it. One of my friends has two kids and uses Instacart, and she loves not having to schedule in-personshopping.
5. Games (digital)
Tons of people game online, myself included. If you and your giftee are friends on Steam, you can easily give them a specific game through the online gaming platform. Steam will ask you who the gift is for as part of the checkout process — it’s super easy. You can even schedule the delivery.
Note: If your giftee plays games on the Epic Games store, you can’t gift them games like you can on Steam. But you can buy Fortnite gift cards on Amazon, which they can redeem online. Likewise, you can gift Roblox players digital Roblox gift cards on Amazon.
Keeping it personal
Digital gifts are great, but nobody wants to attend Christmas empty-handed. One way to add the “unwrapping” factor is to wrap printouts of digital cards in boxes. That way, your giftee feels the holiday vibes when receiving your gifts. Keep it merry, and all that jazz.
Even better — many digital gifts can be purchased for less than $25, a common holiday budget. Many audiobooks, games, and memberships offer a range of prices to meet your needs.
The holidays should be fun. It’s kind of the point. Lighten your load by looking into a few easy Christmas gifts your giftees will appreciate. But if you’d rather shop in person, check out the four best places to buy wonderful Christmas gifts.
