The holidays, no matter how you sell them, are fun time. We just all have to discover what benefits us and our beloved's best. Time is a slippery mistress. it's fleeting and we only have seconds to spare. How do you find the best gift in seconds?
Redditor u/debbies_a_whore wanted to talk about all the ways we make gifts happen... even in the home stretch... by asking.... What last minute gift for Christmas is always a winner?
MOTHERLODE!!!
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One year when my grandmother's memory was slipping but she was still doing crossword puzzles I found the MOTHERLODE at a bookstore. They had two different editions of phonebook-thick crossword puzzles on clearance for $2 each. I bought the whole stack of them and cycled through them for years. They kept her happy for years - when she'd finish book A I'd supply her with book B, and then a fresh copy of book A again and so on. Because her memory wasn't as sharp she'd forget she'd already done the book. Kind of sad but kind of sweet at the same time. crayongrrl
The Touch.
Massage voucher. Most adults don't really need physical things. The ones who do either buy it themselves (if they can afford it, ofc) or they would ask for it, which would make the gift not so much a last minute one. option43
A Literary Giving....
One of the best gifts I've ever received was a big box of thrifted books. I am a big reader of trashy romance novels and I go through them pretty fast. They paid like $5 for this box of books and it gave me like 3 months of reading material. I was super happy! paramourns
Chips Away....
I feel like snacks for stocking stuffers are always a win with me. If my wife is reading this please give me bbq Pringles please for my stocking. CarminesCarbine
If you buy them for yourself, you're just a weak-willed chip addict. If somebody gives them as a gift, you're morally obligated to eat the entire can in one sitting as a display of gratitude. drh0tdog
Who's Asking?
Depends on who you're shopping for.
Like, my broke college friends love getting gift cards to things like GrubHub and Uber Eats.
My mom friends enjoy those gift baskets that come with bath bombs lotions and stuff or a new, fluffy robe
Also if you have the spare time and want parent friends to really love you, a handmade coupon for a free night of babysitting so they can go to a movie or just get dinner, or even stay home and just sleep lol
If all else fails, an Amazon gift card. LividAtmosphere
So Soft....
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Super soft blanket. beregond23
As I love super soft blankets... I transitioned to weighted blankets.... best sleep ever. PrinceLewd808
Custom Made....
I made custom coasters one year for my entire family.
Step 1- Go to Home Depot get free floor samples(already perfect coaster size)
Step 2- Use a wood-burning tool to put initials into them.
Step 3- Give as a gift.
I did this several years ago and whenever I visit I still see the coasters out.
About 2 hours of burning and $0 spent and I had a heartfelt gift for everyone. justa_flesh_wound
$$$$
Cold hard cash baby. cuhcuh416
Well, when a cash man and a cash woman love each other very much, the cash man puts a deposit into the cash woman's bank. Over time, it accrues interest, and when said interest becomes valuable enough, a brand-new cash baby is born, usually in a tax haven of some variety. RamsesThePigeon
A Big One!
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I just want a big Toblerone bar every year and I never frigging get one. FloptimusCrime8
Not sure what's considered a big toblerone but now that I'm a teenager a toblerone is the only thing I get for Christmas from my parents. I LOVE toblerones. ABlankHoodie
Tamales....
This has been a rough year for me. Funds are tight so I am making 100 dozen tamales to give to my family and friends this year. And for my Christmas grandchildren's birthdays I am making them their favorite cake. Hummingbird. I know every one will be happy as I am always being asked to make these items for them throughout the year. MsHTownSmoker61
Tickets Giveaway...
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Tickets to something that person would enjoy, whether it's a play, musical, concert, dinner theater experience, live podcast, comedy show, sporting event, movie, museum, art show, historic place tour or tour of something else. It's easy to get (just buying tickets/passes to something) but also very personal & meaningful. It can also range from being a cheap gift (like movie tickets) to more expensive (like a Broadway show) depending on your price range and closeness to that person. chessie_hchessie_h
Droned....
Last year I was at Microcenter buying someone a drone, and they have bins of 32GB flash drives at the checkout counter for $3. I bought 15 and put them in everyone's stockings. People loved it. BelowDeck
USB is Out!
Last year i put hundreds of the best rock music on a USB for my dad to listen to in the car. It was the night before Christmas. He uses it everyday still. TheBrotherhoods
Shop vac.....
Shop vac. Eminently practical and it sucks having to buy one for yourself. The giftee will laugh and then you'll get a text or a call like a month after saying it's the best thing they've ever gotten. UYScutiPuffJrUYScutiPuffJr
I like my gifts to be practical, no matter who's getting them.
I like my gifts to be practical, no matter who's getting them.
- Small, bright keychain lights like the Photon Micro or the Olight IE3 EOS.
- Small Swiss Army knives like the Swiss Army Classic.
- Awesome socks like Smartwool or Darn Tough or Fox River.
- High quality beanie from Outdoor Research, Arcteryx, Smartwool, Sealskinz.
- Space pens and a small, quality pocket notebook.
- Coffee Travel mugs from Contigo.
- Small car emergency kits, everyone needs them and literally no one has them.
- Powerbanks
- If you live some place it snows: A good snow scraper, because again, for some reason, everyone has some piece of junk from a gas station.
- Magnetic charging cables. Seriously. I give these all the time and they're a huge hit, especially for iPhone users who seem to be constantly breaking either their cord or the charge port. I like the NetDot and Volta.
- Small, quality multi-tool from Gerber, Leatherman or SOG. These are especially popular with women that get them from us.
If the gifts aren't for office randos or distant cousins I see every 10 years, I'll make themed sets, like a small light, a power bank and the magnetic charging cables or beanie, socks, travel mug.
You can spend 20-50 or more on high quality, practical gifts or you can spend the same on a breadmaker that'll get used once.
College Life....
One year I went to my grandmas house and snapped a few pictures of the old albums. Went home, made some collages out of the pictures, made them into magnets. (I did this at home with what I have, but a mail order place can do it too) I didn't know if people would like them but several people cried when I gave them out. They all compared pictures and still have them up.
I figured I'd add it here for anyone curious, this is one of the collages I tried to have the collage feature the person it was intended for, this one is heavy on my mom in her cat-eye glasses and on the back of the motorbike, and my lovely aunt sitting front. in_the_wind_
$5 Win!!
A card with $5 in it and a super sweet message from my grandpa about how proud of me he is.
Happened to me when I was 12. My grandpa had just passed away and he had already made cards for everyone. I still have the card and the $5. aurarasburst
Homemade cookies.......
Homemade cookies. One year I was particularly broke and decided to make everyone Xmas biscuits. Felt a bit stingy as I didn't really spend anything on it (had all the flour, eggs, spices etc already at home and only had to buy a single chocolate bar to make choco chips) but people LOVED it and now ask me for them each year. I usually personalize the flavors or ice the person's name/something they like on them. For one friend (who loves warm cookies) I gifted a log of cookie dough and cooking instructions, that went down pretty well. ididitforcheese
Happy New Year!
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If they're drinkers, a nice bottle of Champagne. New Year's is right around the corner, and that way they'll have a nice bottle of bubbly to enjoy their night with. Oldpenguinhunter
Of course, most of the time, it was “just a phase". And looking back, those phases are regrettable, to say the least. Here are some prime examples of that.
SirGergoyFriendman asked:
What was your biggest/most regrettable "It's not a phase, mom. It's my life." that, in fact, turned out to be just a phase and not your life?
The enthusiasm of a young person can lead to some unexpected changes that parents are just not ready for.
Hi, Wheeljack!
I was VERY into The Transformers when I was a wee lad in the 1980s. One day, I decided to change my name to the name of my favorite Autobot. My name was lame, and I wanted an awesome Transformer name. And I was VERY insistent that my parents only call me by my new name. Calling me by my 'old' name would cause a big fat tantrum on my part.
So for the better part of a week, my poor parents had to call me Wheeljack.
Very 2008.
Ariana Grande Shrug GIFGiphyMy cat-ear phase. I wore cat ears every single day. Everywhere. I had like 20 pairs of them. Now everyone thinks I'm a furry.
I find that very cute and wouldn't have thought you'd be furry. Even if you'd had cat mittens. I think my suspicions would have started if you moved a bit like a cat, displayed catlike grooming habits or got a cat mask.
Not gonna lie, that car sounds cool.
I went to a car show once as a teen, and the only newer car there was some chick's PT cruiser. It was hot glittery pink, and at the time I was obsessed. I insisted that one day I would have a hot pink car, with pink seats, pink dash, pink carpets, etc. I was pretty heavily goth at the time, so my parents just rolled their eyes.
These phases can often lead to some very strange fashion choices.
That’s commitment.
When I was a teenager (early 00s), I was waiting for my mother to pick me up and was wearing one of those sh!tty sports wristwatches. It was itching me so I took it off for a second, but then she arrived and because I was struggling to get it back on my wrist, I looped it around the equally sh!tty chain I had around my neck in a rush to get out the door.
My mom asked me about it in the car, and I told her this was my new style and I planned to wear it like that every day. She rolled her eyes.
I wore that watch on a chain around my neck every single day for 3 years or so. There are even professional family photos where I'm wearing it because I refused to take it off.
One day, the chain broke and I lost the watch. I was in high school at that point anyway and it was a major lady repellent, so... phase over.
Not everyone can be Eminem.
slim shady eminem GIFGiphyBaggy pants, being a rapper someday and being a professional skater.
When I was about 14 and Eminem was starting to blow up I bought myself a keyboard with a synthesizer. It cost like $200 which was all the money I had saved up. It finally came (this was way before amazon prime and such) and I tried rapping.
My sister told me "you're effing horrible" and I gave up right then and there.
This should be a sin.
I used to button the top buttons of polo shirts.
I must say, this is probably the worst one I've read.
Looking back at our regrettable choices, all we can do is cringe.
An optimistic look at bad tattoos.
check me out season 3 GIF by PortlandiaGiphyBeing a tattooer. Regrettable because of those poor people who have my awful doodles on their bodies.
Take heart! My favorite tattoo is the one I drunkenly got my buddy to do in his living room one year during March Madness! It's dumb and frankly mediocre? But such a good story and has such good associations I smile every time I see it.
RIP Fredro’s.
My friend and I decided we were going to open a bar in Jamaica with exotic snakes in glass cages in the walls at each booth. We convinced ourselves it would be amazing for at least two years in college. It was going to be called Fredro's.
My entire family made fun of me for it. Once we got out of college, we realized it was not feasible and joined the office grind. We're also two white guys with no ties to Jamaica.
Talk about cringey.
I wore a top hat with an anime pin on it for around a year. Met one of my current best friends while wearing it, idk how he could bear to speak to me after that.
My weirdest phase was probably when I insisted on wearing knee-high rainbow socks to school every day. But honestly, I don't regret it. I rocked those socks, and I wish I still have a pair.
To all the people out there cringing over their past selves, remember that you were just a kid, and to be easy on yourselves. After all, we've all been there
Yet, too often, manufacturers who oversell their products fail to deliver what is promised and are inevitably left with angry customers who want their money back.
Whether the merchandise was defective or ridiculously overpriced, strangers online shared some of their worst purchases when Redditor BooksMcGee asked:
"What is the worst product you ever paid money for?"
Short Life Span
"This NERF gun that's supposed to shoot tennis balls for your dog. I bought it cause I thought you could load 3 at a time and shoot them far, but it's just one and it's super loud and the gun broke after like 4 shots (reading reviews later, this was a common issue)."
Lame Pets
"There were these toys called squiggles when I was a kid and the commercials made it seem like the toy was alive. It looked like you would get this crazy little fuzzy worms as pets that would follow you around an so sick tricks and listen to your every command. It was really just a piece of fluffy string tied to another piece of string with googly eyes on it. People may say that it was supposed to be a magic trick but they should also explain that to a 5 year old who really wanted a pet."
Card Value
"Not their fault, but I paid $70 for a Yugioh card hours before it was limited to one copy. Probably dropped to $20 by the end of the day."
These purchases were bad for your bum.
"A bicycle that literally fell apart before I made it out of the parking lot."
Not Worth Sitting On
"Joybird brand couch. Was so terrible, we returned it. Still hard to believe, we returned a freaking couch."
Going Nowhere Fast
"A 2000 VW Beetle (used)."
"Biggest piece of sh*t that literally had to have just about everything replaced before 100k miles and would still break down every time you left the driveway to the point where the tow-truck driver knew us on a first-name basis."
Expensive Lemon
"An Oldsmobile Achieva from one of those buy here pay here places. I should have known better, but I was young and thought I was getting a good deal. I had the thing for about 5 months, I drove it for maybe 3 weeks. The rest of the time it was either in the shop, or in my driveway waiting until pay day so I could afford to fix whatever broke on it this week. Eventually told the dealer just take it, I'm not paying for it any more. He said nope, and I will make sure your credit is ruined. I said well you sold me a lemon, do you really want to go this route? He came and took it. Never reported anything to credit. I heard he got sued by several other people who sold sh**ty cars too and eventually went out of business."
"Always amazes me when I see them driving around still, I can only assume there's enthusiasts who just love repairing horribly designed cars."
– zerbey
These Redditors were not convinced what they ingested was edible.
Bad Cereal
"A box of plain Cheerios. Thought they were honey nut, poured a bowl, was very disappointed."
"If I wanted to taste cardboard, I'd just eat the box."
– gor8884
Space Pizza
"A burnt frozen pizza at the air and space museum cafe in DC. I Don't wish that experience on anyone. There are some amazing restaurants in DC, don't settle."
– Alseids
The following electronics just gave off a bad charge.
"Asus Transformer Pad TF700"
"This was one of those early 'high end' Android tablets that was grossly underpowered, and it showed. Thing was slow as sh!t in no time flat. Rookie mistake investing into shiny new tech while they were still working all the bugs out. Think I paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $350-400 for it..."
– Luke5119
Bad Apple
"macbook pro 2018 13" touchbar. 2 years old and dead (battery). they're asking $300-$400 to change the battery. malfunctioning keyboard with double presses and missing presses. that's a lot of money for bad design."
Chilly Reception
"Past winter my old room heater broke down and I had to buy a new one. Went to a store nearby and somehow got convinced to buy a very costly heating device.. It's also my fault, since there were some sligthly cheaper options around, but nope. I wanted the expensive one thinking it will make my small room a volcano with little to no effort/cost (that's also what the seller told me). Long story short the device wasn't doing ANYTHING. No significant temperature changes, too much space, a weird noise, and was doubling my previous device in utility cost. I still gloom over those 80 euros.."
Some of my disappointing purchases was clothing, but only because I purchased them online. Unless they are a brand I'm familiar with, I'm usually fine with buying new jeans off of their websites.
But when it comes to graphic tees only available on specialty shops, an M-size shirt is not necessarily the same size as those found in other reputable stores.
I bought a medium sized T-shirt from a boutique store online because I loved the look of the design. But when it arrived, the supposed medium fit me like an XL.
At least I gained a fierce cleaning rag from this impulsive purchase.