Gift for a boyfriendIt’s a little more than a week until Christmas, have you finished your online shopping list yet? Monday, December 17th is Free Shipping Day and Tuesday is the last shipping day for many online stores to guarantee Christmas delivery for the cheapest, ground-shipping option. You’ll still have options for expedited delivery, but at a greater cost. So, what can you do if you find yourself searching for a gift when shipping is no longer guaranteed at most stores? Consider these three options for last minute gifts that are frequently able to be shipped later and still arrive for Christmas.

Creative Gift Certificate Ideas

Are you loathe to send a generic gift card or gift certificate to a loved one this year? Consider these more creative options for gift certificates. Spa gift certificates for a local spa treatment, which you can find through SpaFinder, bring about relaxing thoughts. At Xperience Days, you can purchase gift certificates for exciting adventures and experiences, such as a flight lesson, food tour, NASCAR ride, boat tour and more. One last idea is a travel voucher, such as a free flight ticket, hotel stay or resort experience from any number of travel companies. Check out these coupons for travel companies to find one that matches your needs.

Jewelry

Jewelry stores, such as Zales and Ice.com frequently have a little longer time for items to be guaranteed for Christmas delivery because jewelry items tend to be so small. Plus, even if you do not make the cutoff, the cost of upgrading your shipping time is frequently less also because of the small item sizes. Consider shopping for gift ideas under $250 at Zales.com, in addition to Zales coupons. Necklaces, earrings, bracelets and watches are all great ideas because these don’t need to be custom fit like rings do.

Gift Baskets and Flowers

Gift baskets, gift towers and flowers usually have faster delivery times as well and cheaper options for shipping upgrades. GiftTree.com, a popular gift basket store, also advertises that they only need two days to deliver to most of the USA because of multiple warehouse locations. Don’t forget to check out GiftTree’s coupons before shopping! Peppermint bark (my favorite), wine baskets and fruit baskets are all unique ideas for Christmas, if you are looking for something different.  For flowers, companies such as 1-800-Flowers are able to offer same-day delivery options, because they are usually arranged and delivered by a local florist working with the company.

Don’t forget, many stores now also offer free ship-to-store options, so if you want to avoid the hassle of the mall or other big-box stores, consider making your purchase online and picking it up in-store at a convenient kiosk. As Christmas approaches, many online stores will also begin offering free or reduced shipping upgrade coupons. If you are truly stuck at the last-minute, gift certificates are really the only way to go. Make it more personal by printing out the gift certificate and putting it in a card with a special hand-written note to the recipient. Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year savvy shoppers!