The clock is ticking. If you need a last-minute gift and shipping is no longer an option (either because something is out of stock or it simply won’t arrive in time), what’s the solution?
Start here: Visit your friendly neighborhood small business. These shops need your support more than ever, and they might just have the perfect gift.
Beyond that, all you need is an internet connection — and possibly your printer — to make great gifts materialize out of thin air.
Read more: Great gifts that will still arrive in time for Christmas
The gift of lordship (or ladyship)
Give someone a piece of Scotland and a title to go with it
Established Titles
What’s cooler than buying someone a star? Buying him or her an actual square foot of land in Scotland and the accompanying lordship or ladyship that goes with it. Each plot purchased comes with a personalized title certificate (delivered via email within 24 hours) and unique plot number. This conservation-minded effort also promises a tree planted for every order.
This is such a fun, unique gift. Who wouldn’t want to be “officially” designated a lord or lady? At this writing, there’s a buy-one-get-one-free sale happening, so you might be able to knock off two gifts for the price of one.
Read more: CNET’s Holiday Gift Guide — fantastic tech gifts at any budget.
The gift of racecar driving
Get behind the wheel or just ride along in a supercar
Xtreme Xperience
Nothing beats the gift of experience, right? If you know someone who’s always craved the thrill of blazing around a racetrack at breakneck speed, you can give them exactly that. Gift vouchers start at $69 for the ride-along option, with driver options starting at $199. For a limited time, promo code INSTANTGIFT knocks 25% off the latter and 40% off the ride-alongs.
The service sets the recipient up in a select supercar at one of 35 racetracks across the US.
The gift of reading
Some call it “the Netflix of books”
Scribd
Why stop at a single book or magazine subscription when you can gift someone a virtually unlimited supply?
Scribd, for example, costs $10 a month, a price that includes unlimited access to Scribd’s library of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines and more. You can give a 6-month gift subscription for $50 or a year for $100.
The gift of listening
All the music of the world, anywhere, anytime
Sarah Tew/CNET
Unlimited on-demand music is one of the true technological joys of the 21st century. So give someone the gift of Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music, Google Play Music, Spotify or another subscription service. And what a gift that is: All the music of the world (more or less) at their fingertips, with options for offline listening, playlist sharing and more.
Not sure which one to choose? Check out CNET’s roundup of the best music-streaming services. Know for sure you want to give Spotify (which, if you’re curious, would be my pick)? Here’s how to give Spotify as a gift.
The gift of watching (TV and movies)
Give Netflix, chill out
Netflix
I’ve been a Netflix subscriber for as long as I can remember, so I’m always shocked to find that some folks don’t have the service. How else, then, can they watch The Queen’s Gambit, The Crown, Cobra Kai, BoJack Horseman and countless other TV gems that can be found only there?
Yeah — you need to help these people out. Here’s how to gift Netflix for the holidays, including the all-important e-gift option.
Oh, they already have Netflix? Then how about Hulu? The Limited Commercials plan costs just $6 per month, so a mere $25 gift card would be good for about four months. Don’t want to purchase one through PayPal? You can find actual Hulu gift cards in just about every drug store and supermarket.
The gift of watching, part 2
Disney Plus edition (because Baby Yoda!)
Disney/Screenshot by Bonnie Burton/CNET
Disney Plus gives you access to the DEU – Disney entertainment universe — including Marvel, National Geographic, Pixar, The Simpsons and Star Wars. That includes The Mandalorian, the instant hit that brought Baby Yoda — sorry, Grogu — to the world.
The service supports four simultaneous streams and seven discrete user profiles, making it a great gift for families. Just keep in mind that some Verizon and Fios users will already be getting a free year to start.
You can buy Disney Plus for yourself or give Disney Plus as a gift.
The gift of Amazon Prime
It literally keeps on giving
Amazon
At the risk of sounding like an Amazon shill, I can think of few better internet-based gifts than a subscription to Amazon Prime. I mean, talk about the gift that keeps on giving: For an entire year, the recipient gets to experience the joy that is free one- or two-day shipping on most of what Amazon sells.
But that’s just for starters. They also get a considerable roster of additional benefits, including things like streaming movies and TV shows, unlimited photo storage and freely accessible libraries of music and ebooks. That’s a lot of stuff for your $119. (Too steep? There’s also a three-month option priced at $39.)
The gift that comes every month
In a box. With stuff in it
CrateJoy
Don’t forget the ever-popular subscription-box option! Cratejoy’s Geek & Gaming section can help you pick the perfect monthly delivery for your favorite tech-minded friend or family member and has boxes for lots of other categories as well.
Obviously the first box won’t arrive in time, but you can print a here’s-what’s-coming certificate and give them something to look forward to.
The gift of gift cards
Who doesn’t love them?
Sarah Tew/CNET
Sure, you can run into your nearest any-retail-store-on-the-planet to grab a gift card, but that works only if you’re about to see your recipient in person. If you need a gift card delivered, head to eGifter, which offers a huge selection of “cards” that arrive instantly via email. You can even include an online greeting card, invite others to chip in, and add a photo or video for a more personalized touch.
And there you have it! Awesome gift options you can print and wrap (or email) in seconds. If you know of any other great last-minute gifts, share ’em in the comments. In the meantime, happy holidays to you and yours from me and mine.
Originally published previously. Updated to reflect new information.