• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechChristmas shopping

5 Last-Minute Gift Ideas That Say You Care (Or Have a Credit Card)

By
Stacey Higginbotham
Stacey Higginbotham
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Stacey Higginbotham
Stacey Higginbotham
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 24, 2015, 11:35 AM ET
AP F NJ USA Earns Starbucks
A person holds a Starbucks Coffee card Wednesday, Nov. 31, 2007 in Pennington, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)Photograph by Mel Evans — AP

My goodness, it’s Christmas Eve and you, my friend, are stuck with a gift giving occasion in less than 24 hours and no idea what to wrap. Before you pull into the nearest Starbucks let me offer a few quick ideas that yes, does include a gift card (but it is a gift card for a specific item, so it at least shows you care). I’m a gadget lover, so these skew toward the connected and expensive, but I tried to offer a few cheaper options. We don’t have a lot of time, so let’s get to it.

For the lady in your life: Give her the gift of jewelry that frees her from her phone. The Ringly connected ring is both attractive and functional. It connects to her Android or iOS phone and vibrates or lights up via an LED on the side to let her know when a text, phone call or a variety of other messages are coming through. It’s too late to pick up the ring, but order a gift card and let her pick her own favorite style and size, which is what she’d want to do anyway. Ringly-$195

SIGN UP: Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter about the business of technology.

For the renter: Give your kid who is at college or your apartment-owning friend a sense of security with this all-in-one connected home security and air quality monitoring device called the Canary. To get it today, pick it up before 5pm from your local Home Depot (HD), and also get $70 off the retail price. This product connects to an Android or iOS device and sends an alert and starts video recording when it detects motion in the home. Canary (at Home Depot)-$179

For the fitness fanatic: This is a great gift for anyone who is feeling stressed about their health or weight. Give your recipient a jump start for their fitness goals with a subscription to the Daily Burn. This is a program of unlimited workouts that can stream to a huge variety of devices. Offering this as a gift may be a tad difficult since there isn’t an option for a gift card and you’ll eventually want to cancel the monthly payment or transfer it to your friend, but this isn’t a gift you want to offer a total stranger, so I bet you and your pal can work this out. Daily Burn-$12.95 a month (first month is free)

WATCH: For more on this related topic see our highly relevant video.

For the host/hostess gift: Look you already know this one, but I’m going to tell you anyway, because you are stressed and you’ve forgotten. Williams Sonoma (WSM) makes really baller, expensive candy that is a great gift to bring along for holiday parties when you don’t know the host or hostess well. Yes, it’s pricey, but its Peppermint Bark is actually the best I’ve ever had (the sales people tell me it’s because the company uses real peppermint oil, but of course, they would say that). Get there before 6pm. Williams Sonoma-$20-$40

For host/hostess/anyone else: Did you feel that I led you astray with the candy idea? If you were expecting some kind of app or gadget and felt like candy was just the lamest thing I could offer, then how about you trundle over to Best Buy (BBY) (it’s open until 6 pm today) and pick up a Google (GOOG) Chromecast Audio device? This is for your friends who like to listen to music on their computers or phones but also want to hear it coming from their actual speakers. Plug one end of the Chromecast Audio into the port in the back of your speaker. Plug the other end into a power outlet and then connect it to your Wi-Fi network. Soon your loved ones can “cast” any music they listen to on their phone or computers to their house speakers without worrying about going out of range as happens with Bluetooth speakers. It’s also cheaper than a Sonos setup by a lot. Chromecast Audio-$30.

Hopefully you’ve found something better than that iTunes or a Starbucks (SBUX) gift card on this list, so gas up the car and get thee to the mall. Apparently everyone shopped online this year, so maybe the crowds won’t be so bad.

About the Author
By Stacey Higginbotham
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

A man in a suit wearing glasses.
Big TechAlphabet
Alphabet plans to double capex spending to a possible $185 billion—but it’s keeping CEO Sundar Pichai up at night
By Amanda GerutFebruary 4, 2026
2 hours ago
electricity
EnvironmentElectricity
Over a million people are losing power during a freezing snowstorm while data centers nearby guzzle electricity
By Nikki Luke, Conor Harrison and The ConversationFebruary 4, 2026
6 hours ago
Phone displaying quantum computing company IonQ's logo.
Big Techquantum computing
IonQ, the biggest quantum computing company on the stock market, disputes short-seller claims it failed to disclose holes in its revenue
By Jeremy Kahn and Jim EdwardsFebruary 4, 2026
6 hours ago
altman
Startups & VentureMarkets
Scott Galloway predicts OpenAI could pull its IPO amid AI ‘vibe shift’ as investors ‘gag’ on Trump proximity, questionable revenue
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 4, 2026
6 hours ago
AILayoffs
Pinterest cracks down on dissent, fires engineers for an internal layoff tool as AI shake-ups keep employees on edge and in line
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezFebruary 4, 2026
6 hours ago
McNuggets
Travel & LeisureMcDonald's
McDonald’s wants you to eat caviar McNuggets this Valentine’s Day
By Dee-Ann Durbin and The Associated PressFebruary 4, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
In 2026, many employers are ditching merit-based pay bumps in favor of ‘peanut butter raises’
By Emma BurleighFebruary 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Trump may have shot himself in the foot at the Fed, as Powell could stay on while Miran resigns from White House post
By Eleanor PringleFebruary 4, 2026
11 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Investing
Tech stocks go into free fall as it dawns on traders that AI has the ability to cut revenues across the board
By Jim EdwardsFebruary 4, 2026
16 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Cybersecurity
Top AI leaders are begging people not to use Moltbook, a social media platform for AI agents: It’s a ‘disaster waiting to happen’
By Eva RoytburgFebruary 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Gates Foundation doubles down on foreign aid as U.S. government largely withdraws
By Thalia Beaty and The Associated PressFebruary 3, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Meet the Palm Beach billionaire who paid $2 million for a private White House visit with Trump
By Tristan BoveFebruary 3, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.