By Susan M. Keenan ©2007

As every holiday season approaches, people promise themselves that they are going to get their shopping completed early. Additionally, they promise themselves that they won’t spend a fortune. Unfortunately, many times, both of these promises fall flat even though they fall on willing ears.

Poor planning is often the culprit. Rather than wait until you have a free night to go Christmas shopping, it might be better to actually pencil in a date to do so. Now that you have the date, compile a list of items that can be used for gift giving without taking note of specific individuals to give them to during the holidays. This strategy allows you to have on hand a number of items that can be used for last minute gifts for those unexpected guests, accidentally forgotten friends, associates, or neighbours who happen to treat you to an unexpected gift.

Popular items to purchase include inexpensive, attractive bottles of wine that simply need a bow or ribbon to spruce them up with a holiday feel. Additionally, several small mini-bottles of cordials can be used to create a colourful gift either in a small basket or gift bag.

Recent additions to the literary world can also be an easy item to pick out as well as a handsome gift to give. Simply select something from the best sellers list in fiction and in non-fiction. If some of the recipients might be children, pick up a few books from the juvenile section as well.

Nearly every card store, discount store, and department store sell specially scented holiday candles around this time. In fact, most of them have advertised sales on Christmas merchandise throughout the season. Pick up a few in a variety of scents in case you need to give out more than one at the same time. At least, you will have a presentation that suggests that you took some time and thought with this one.

Something that almost everyone can use is another photo album. Pick one up in a holiday theme, a colourful pattern, or a sophisticated colour. Toss in a few disposable cameras and you have a gift that many people would appreciate.

A themed gift for the kitchen is also a clever idea that is often a big hit with the culinary minded. Instead of a basket or a box, pick up an inexpensive snack bowl and fill it with a few essentials that often need replacing in anyone’s kitchen. Items that should go into this gift can include potholders, kitchen towels, placemats, cloth napkins, and spices.

Pen and paper sets might not be as popular as they once were, but if you steer away from stationary, you should have a great gift on your hands. Purchase a few pens, pencils, note tablets, and magnets or magnetic note tablets. This type of gift is often referred to as a useful gift, but it does have its appeal for those who receive one.

Clothing items are a bit trickier since sizes need to be accounted for in most cases. However, if you purchase more than one size or item, you should have something that you can work with in the event that you need a quick gift. Christmas themed sweatshirts and tee shirts are popular in most places. That’s why there are so many in the stores.

Children do not always appreciate gloves, mittens, scarves, and hats. However, adults often like to receive a spare set to keep in the car, garage, or even at work for those days when they are in a hurry and forget to grab their own favourite ones.

A set of frilly hangers along with a few sachets for the closet can be a terrific gift for the females of the group. Quite often, frilly hangers are an extravagance that is put aside in place of paying the bills.

A recipe box filled with a few recipe cards and several spices can be quite the gift for the new home-owner or newly-wed. This can be coupled with a cookbook or recipe stand.

A Christmas themed mug and some speciality cocoa or coffee is easy to find and nice to give. Pick up more than one and you might just have one leftover for yourself at the end of gift giving time.

Purchase an inexpensive tie or one that is one sale and include an attractive tie tack with it. Ties are always going on sale throughout the year and for some men, they are always appreciated as a gift.

Ashtrays might be a thing of the past to place on the coffee table, but attractive coasters are still in. Whether you go with a Christmas theme or not, a nice set of coasters is easy to wrap as well. Plus, if you get a set in a Christmas theme, you can always just stick a bow on top.

A new mouse and mouse pad should make a good gift as long as you don’t make the mistake of giving it to an avid gamer. Gamers know exactly what type of equipment they prefer to use and if you aim to please, then you’ll simply give them a gift card for an electronics store.

Gift cards also make nice last-minute gifts. Pair them up with another item for a nice twists on the gift card theme. A box of candy with a gift card to a movie theatre, a small vase with a gift card to a florist shop, or a few bookmarks with the gift card for the book store turn an ordinary gift into one that includes a little thought and consideration.

For the retired individuals, a few jigsaw puzzles or a few recent DVDs can be a welcome addition to their collection. Filling up free time is easy when you have little of it. However, once you have lots of free time, it often becomes a bit more difficult to fill.

So, get out there with a list in hand and shop until your heart’s content. It isn’t necessary to purchase all of the items listed above in order to be prepared for the unexpected. Simply purchase a few extras so that you aren’t caught empty handed.