Last-minute gift ideas

Now, I know this comes a little late, but that's the whole point! You never know if you get an out-of-the-blue invitation to a Christmas party or if your relatives or friends announce they're going to come over after all. In case you decide to agree and go to that party or invite those extra people over, you may want to have something beautifully wrapped for them. (Especially if you're doing the visiting.) Or perhaps someone you hadn't considered in the gift-acquiring process has hinted they have a gift to you?

But no panic - WIP last-minute gift guide to the rescue!

First things first. How much time do you have to get the gifts? If the gift-giving event is further than a day ahead, go to the nearest department store and splurge a little. The cost of not thinking about gifts in time is, well, money. Expensive gifts - cashmere scarves, designer candles, leather gloves, whiskey glasses - are always in style. Analyze whatever you know the gift receiver and go with that.

But you don't always get several days' warning. Sometimes you have to get the gifts ASAP. If that's the case, you won't have time to walk around a department store, spending money. The good news is that if time is tight, so will be the money spent. Perfectly affordable yet universal and available last-minute gifts include wine (all kinds), aged scotch, well-branded candles, a basket full of treats, high-end bath products, and high-end notebooks and other utensils.

Also - forget everything I said earlier about chocolates being impersonal. If it's last minute, and if it's the only thing you can think of, go for it. It's better to bring chocolates to a Christmas party than not bring anything at all. But do make sure you get the well-branded, a bot more expensive box. (The cheap ones are for you to devour when no one's watching.)

And if you know the gift receiver well, use that information instead of this article! Giving your best friend a luxurious bathrobe is a tasteless choice if you know they would prefer a large bag of marshmallows.