If you need gifts and there’s no time to go shopping or get something shipped, you need some quick gifts you can whip up at home! Look through this list of ideas before you decide to panic. 🙂
Printable Gifts
- Free coloring pages
- Purchased coloring pages
- Free printable activity pages
- Purchased printable activities
- Coupons
- Flashcards or games
- Bible verse cards
- Printable wall art
- Verse-a-day sets
Resources: Keeping Home Store, Keeping Home Etsy Shop, free printables on Keeping Home or A Biblical Basis + Etsy and Pinterest.
Make a Quick Gift
- Bake something, like bread or cookies
- Make a mix/gift in a jar
- Sew something: tissue holder, totebag, bookmark, cord keeper, scarf. There are lots of possibilities.
- For other crafts, consider what small items you could quickly put together: bookmarks, accessories, ornaments.
- If you’re a crafter and giving to a crafter, make a kit instead of the finished object.
- You could even put together a quick arts and crafts inspiration kit for kids, if you have appropriate supplies.
Resources: Youtube, Pinterest. For example, search for “quick gifts to sew”, “easy diy gifts”, “gift in a jar.” This might help, if you sew: https://seekatesew.com or https://www.youtube.com/@seekatesew .
Other Options
- Coupons or coupon books (make your own or search for printables)
- An offer to help with a specific project
- Re-gift something
- A family heirloom (it doesn’t have to be old to be something a younger family member would cherish)
- Take something from your pantry/storage (do you have enough to make a themed gift basket?)
- IOU (I Owe You). Make it special by wrapping it just like any other gift. If you think it needs a little more help, wrap it in a box, in a box, in a box (etc), or send the recipient on a treasure hunt. Or, write up something to go with the IOU (or a way of presenting it), such as an elaborate apology or a humorous fake legal agreement–whatever seems to fit the situation!
Share What You Have
If you’re giving to someone with similar interests or overlapping interests that you understand well and have supplies for, just share what you have.
- Cooking: tips, recipes, new foods (from your pantry) to try, gift basket, recipe kits (recipe + ingredients).
- Gardening: knowledge, unused supplies, extra seeds, saved seeds.
- Crafts: supplies, kits, books you’re finished with.
Brainstorm your own ideas based on the person you need to give to!
Tips
My first tip (and the most important one) is to make sure you know your recipient. Some of these are very unconventional ideas, so you want to make sure they will make sense to the person you’re giving to.
Wrap your gift. Make it fun. Use your sense of humor (and appeal to theirs). Make it special and memorable, even if it’s simple.
These last minute “quick” gifts can take longer than you think, so once the ideas start to flow you may have to hold yourself back a bit to make sure you have time and energy to truly complete them.
If you also need last minute gift TAGS, there are some printables one here (you’ll need a color printer).
