If you’re anything like me, no matter how hard you try to be organized…there always seems to be a few people that you would really like to show some appreciation for in the form of a simple gift at Christmas that you just didn’t remember….until now! Being that it’s Christmas Eve Day there aren’t a WHOLE lot of options (unless of course you’re crazier than I am and want to brave the mall or some other store today!)…but you might want to consider the grocery store. It’s amazing the things you can find there when you think outside the grocery bag!
As part of their Countdown to Christmas, Target challenged me to see what last minute goodies I could find in their Grocery department to help people finish up their Christmas lists. So I spent Saturday afternoon (along with A LOT of other shoppers!) wandering the aisles of my local Target grocery store and came up with some fun ideas I can’t wait to share with you! Plus, in addition to the gift inspiration…Target would also like to give one of my readers a $75.00 GiftCard! Win-Win! (Look for details at the end of the post.)
So let’s get started….
A Winter Bouquet
Who says Christmas flowers have to be red poinsettias? In the produce section of Target there is a nice selection of fresh-cut flowers. I selected two a bouquets…one made up of Christmas greenery and pinecones and a second bunch of white daisies and combined them to create a snowy floral arrangement. Flowers always brighten up a home no matter what the season!
The Gift of Hydration
Water bottles seem to be all the rage lately! There were so many cool ones to choose from at Target I had a hard time deciding! Pair one with a couple bottles of MiO Liquid Water Enhancer and you have a very hip and healthy gift!
Strawberries and Chocolate
It’s hard to imagine anyone not appreciating this timeless and tasty treat! Grab a box of juicy, red strawberries and a tub of chocolate fruit dip and dress them up with a brown paper lunch bag and a bow and you’re set!
Spice Up The Holidays!
The thing about giving the gift of spices for Christmas is you can be fairly certain they will not go to waste! Everybody needs basic spices, and when they come in these darling bottles from Archer Farms…they are impossible to resist!
Nuts For Pistachios!
Probably the simplest gift I picked out…but another “sure to please” gift idea. The hubster LOVES pistachios and always considers them a treat at Christmastime! At our holiday party last week, one of the “door prizes” was a BIG bag of pistachios and it was one of the FIRST gifts to be selected. :-)
Hope Your Christmas “Izze” Merry!
I just love Izze Sparkling Juice! They are all natural with no refined sugar or high fructose corn syrup and each bottle actually provides two servings of fruit! But what really puts them in the “gift-worthy” category is how beautifully designed and packaged they are. Add a ribbon and a few “fancy” plastic flutes and you have a fun, festive, and colorful gift!
Cuties Clementines
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a box of these little gems in our house. They are delicious, peel like a dream, and are a nice change of pace from all the candy, cakes and cookies that are making the rounds at this time of year. Tie up a box with a pretty ribbon and you’ve made a statement.
Design Your Own Customized Food Basket!
Those pre-made food gift baskets can get pretty pricey and usually contain something you’re not particularly crazy about anyway. So why not make up your own? Grab that Hickory Farms Summer Sausage and pair it with your favorite crackers and your favorite type of cheese. You could even grab a small bottle of dijon mustard (or whatever you like) and add that as well. The box and the kraft paper “grass” I used were both recycled from gift baskets I received earlier this year. No sense in throwing those things away. :-)
Caramel Apple Kit
Super simple, super sweet. Choose a bag of your favorite apples and pair them with some of those little individual servings of dipping caramel. You can even make the net bag that they come in part of the packaging. I just cut off the top and tied the caramel cups in a cellophane bag to it with a nice red ribbon.
Asian Munchies
Every time I wander down the asian food aisle at the grocery store I am always attracted to the cute and colorful snack items on display. Arranged in this cut-off red lunch sack with a simple bow attached, it makes an adorable gift that downright irresistible.
Italian Dinner In A Basket
I was not aware of this line of italian food by Giada De Laurentis for Target until I spied it this past Saturday. Since I’m a big fan of Giada’s I immediately decided I needed to put together a pasta dinner basket for a gift idea. The packaging is so lovely it hardly needs any embellishment. I just added a couple of ribbons and placed it in a recycled gift basket box. An extremely economical and elegant gift!
Minty Cookies & Coffee
Since I am ALL ABOUT mint ANYTHING…I couldn’t resist pairing up a couple of minty treats! These mini Mint Milanos make the perfect companion to this Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks. I just repackaged the cookies in a cellophane bag and added matching twine to each item to dress them up a little and give them a little bit of a “homemade” gift feel.
Bagel Time!
Bagels and Cream Cheese. Pretty much a match made in heaven. Take the bagels out of their original packaging and put them in a cellophane bag with some cute ribbon or twine tied at the top. Now add your favorite flavored cream cheese (mine just happens to be Strawberry!) and you have a thoughtful gift…not to mention BREAKFAST!
A “Little” Christmas Cheer!
“Little” being the operative word here. I just can’t resist these miniature cans of soda…especially when they are “dressed up” for Christmas with cute white polka dots on the can. The soda makers have practically done all the work for you! :-) You just add a couple of those “fancy” plastic flutes with a ribbon and you’re done. Or you could add one of those tags that say “Hope your Christmas is Merry and “Sprite”! Sure it’s cliche and been “done to death”….but who cares!? It’s Christmas…have fun!
A Cup of Cheer!
More gift-giving cheer! I just love the packaging that Target does for their Archer Farms line of products. So classic. This can of hot cocoa is pretty enough on it’s own to give as a gift without anything else! But add a cellophane bag full of mini marshmallows and suddenly you have something really special…and yummy!
Cereal and Milk
When we were kids and our Mom would buy us those little individual serving size boxes of cereal we would think it was the coolest thing ever! That was the inspiration behind this idea. Just think how fun it would be to give these to little ones as a special Christmas breakfast treat. (I actually know of a few BIG ONES who would like this idea too!)
Gourmet Oatmeal With a Sweet Topping
Two of my very favorite breakfast foods are combined in this gift idea. John McCann Steel Cut Oats are SO good, and one of my favorite things to put on ANY kind of oatmeal is 100% Pure Maple Syrup. I just love the flavor combination. One of these cute little bottles of syrup tied onto the can with some ribbon is just the ticket to making this an attractive little gift.
Rootbeer Floats Kit
This one really needs no explanation. Bottles of rootbeer…a container of ice cream and you’ve got a delicious treat…good for any time of year! (Just make sure you don’t leave it under the tree!) :-)
Yogurt & Granola
I must have skipped breakfast on the day I did my shopping at Target…because there seems to be an excessive amount of breakfast items here. :-) Oh well, who doesn’t love a tasty, nutritious and quick breakfast? I personally would love receiving something like this as a gift. It would most definitely not go to waste.
Christmas Cheers!
And finally….another presentation of the Christmas Cheer idea…but this time for a crowd. The green Sprite cans are just so festive looking, I couldn’t resist styling them into one more gift idea.
I hope you found something inspiring in these 20 simple last minute gift ideas that can be found in your grocery store! Now get to the store….you’re running out of time! :-)
CONTEST IS CLOSED!
The winner of the $75.00 Target GiftCard is………danielle! CONGRATULATIONS!
But before you go………
Enter to win a $75.00 GiftCard from Target!
All you need to do is leave a comment on this post sharing a creative last-minute gift idea you have given or received!
You can also increase your chances with these BONUS ENTRIES:
1. Follow JillsGoodThings on Instagram. Leave a separate comment letting me know.
2. Register to be a part of the One Good Thing By Jillee Forum. Leave a separate comment letting me know.
Winner must be 16 years or older and will be randomly selected and announced Friday, December 27th. The giveaway is only open to USA and Canada residents. Be sure a valid email address is included with your comment(s). The winner will have 72 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen.
GOOD LUCK!
I got homemade granola today and it was yummy!
I received a pretty oven mitt made with a Christmas theme fabric (candy canes). Tucked inside the mitt was a plastic bag with chocolate cake mix and instructions hand printed on an index card, decorated with Christmas stickers, for making chocolate mocha cupcakes. The cupcakes will be made and eaten in a jiffy, but I’ll have the oven mitt to remind me of my neighbor’s thoughtfulness for many Christmas seasons to come.
I so agree with you on the Archer Farms spice bottles. They are reasonably priced and cute. I can’t say I’ve thought of anything terribly creative. I’ve done hot cocoa & mug. I made up a gallon zip lock bag with packaged crackers, cookies, candy, juice boxes etc for a neighbor who was traveling by car over the holidays one year.
Really good ideas and not expensive. I like giving mugs with different teas in a basket.
I once got a little basket filled with various flavors of tea. I like to drink hot tea in the winter,.
i was made responsible for finding 7 bridal shower gifts, for $10 each, 45 minutes before the shower. Did a ‘movie bundle’ with movie and popcorn, a ‘bath bundle’ with bath salts and candles and one that was an ‘Italian Dinner Bundle’ which was pasta, sauce, parm cheese and a pasta fork. Everyone seemed to like my random, albeit, practical shower gift ideas, so everything worked out just fine…
I received a dozen of roses in a pot with glued candy canes around it with a beautiful bow. I plan to make another for a hostess gift for Christmas. It is beautiful.
Hello, one gift I gave was to a dear friend. I love to cook and bake and she was learning from me so I wrote out all my recipes and put them in a nice wooden recipe box and on the top put a rolling pin that I had rolled a dish cloth to match her kitchen, I used some scotch tape to hold it in place and some nice ribbon was tied on the handles close to the rolling part so it looked like a wrapped candy :-) Merry Christmas Eve!!!
What a CUTE idea.
In the past, I have given away a coffee/tea mug, with gardening gloves and flower seeds. Simple yet thoughtful.
Following JillsGoodThings on Instagram :)
My favorite: My oldest daughter (age 26) gave me 2 “free” babysitting coupons to watch her youngest brother (age 11) at her apartment overnight and she kept reminding me until I used them! What a treat!
Books! I love getting book that someone loved. Especially with a “book review” …a short note on why it was a favorite and an invitation to discuss it together along with a Starbucks card.
I love the pre-loved book idea! I have a dear Aunt who is a bibliophile also, so that is an awesome idea, especially attached with a Starbucks gift card
Today I am making chocolate covered popcorn and pretzles with red and green M&M’s.
I made copies of recipes of my favorite homemade cleaning and laundry products and gave sample jars along with the recipe cards in a basket.
That is a GREAT idea! I am going to do this one! To go further, providing the samples of the dish soap and as you stated cleaning product. You could also make samples of the facial cleaners with the recipes. Creativity at it’s finest!
That IS a wonderful idea. I save all the glass bottles something comes in. You could print off a decorative adhesive label with the recipe & instructions. I would love to receive something like that.
I joined the Forum.
A popcorn basket with Orville Redenbachers or Jolly Time Popcorn would be a great gift idea. A person can also include some great popcorn type seasonings either from the popcorn aisle or get creative with cinnamon, etc. You could add some Hot Tamales or some M&M to the basket to make it fun. This is a great present for someone at work or an aquaintance if you need a quick gift.
I’ve done something similiar by making up a basket with different kinds of Popcorn (Orville Redenbacher, Jolly Time, etc., different salt seasonings, Theatre size boxes of candy and A DVD or two. Have done this as a gift for teachers too, and you can always add a movie theatre Gift Card too.
A friend bought me a large bottle of Tide. I was thrilled! :)
I like to buy simple glass jars with lids and etch the recipient’s initials in it (takes 60 seconds with armour etching cream and a stencil!). Then I fill the jar with either cookies & candies or bath goodies (homemade sugar scrub, bath poufs, epsom salts, etc.). Quick, easy, inexpensive, and always well-received!
What a classy gift, Kerri!
This is a great idea Kerri – what a fun way to use the hoard of jars from pickles, olives and the like that are in my garage!! Thanks for sharing!!
I lined a pretty Christmas gift box with green tissue paper, then filled it with packages of ice cream cones, two kinds of sundae syrup and mini bags of m&ms, chocolate chips, chocolate sprinkles and rainbow sprinkles. Before I put the lid on, I placed a note on top of the items that I printed: “Just add ice cream!”
Have done this also, adding a couple of Sundae glasses and an Ice Cream scoop.
I joined the forum as well.
Have not been a regular at Target but a gift certificate would certainly be a jump start. Thanks for the opportunity.
Love your blog!!! My daughter gave her friend a basket with 1 bag of popcorn, box of candy and a movie.
A last minute gift I have given is Starbucks coffee & a coffee mug!
My creative last minute gift idea is beer. Hubby loves it!! Will find you on Instagram :)
My favorite quick gift this season is a scented candle and chocolates…both essential for a relaxing evening.
Just added Jillsgoodthings to my Instagram :)
One year for Christmas I made my Mom ‘love coupons’. They had things on them like ‘Free Hug’, ‘Free Breakfast in Bed’ and ‘Go get me Starbucks’. Needless to say, she loved it and still remembers it to this day. :)
A gift basket of ingredients to make cornbread with fresh ground cornmeal. Includes a great recipe! Yummy :)
My mother-in-law always keeps Bath & Body Works lotions, shower gels, and foaming scented hand soaps in the house for gifting. They’re a great last-minute-gift and look lovely when you tie them with a wide, sheer ribbon. She also brings a few with her when travelling, so that she can pull them out if she unexpectedly wants to give a gift.
I forgot to add—you can get B&BW holiday scents cheaply after the season is over, and save them!
I made a Christmas snack mix that I call Peppermint crack! It’s super easy with only 3 ingredients and its to die for! I packaged it in mason jars and attached a personal note with bakers twine. It was a big hit.
Would love the recipe. I always like to mix things up. I make the saltine toffee (just google the recipe) and replace the saltines with the checkerboard shaped pretzels.
With the cost of magazines going up, I enjoy finding the hobby or interest and giving a nice magazine….this time of year there are “special” issues as well. I also try to keep potholders made up and ready to give, it seems everyone likes new, clean potholders when they entertain! Love you site, got some more great ideas, of course!
Brown paper bags and loose popcorn in a pretty jar, with instructions
To add 1/3cup of popcorn to brown lunch bag, fold down and pop in microwave!
Great gift and healthy too!
Brenda
I am already a member of the forum!
Thanks
Brenda
Following on IG
Registered to forum :)
Just last night I was in the grocery store looking for a bag of specialized gourmet coffee for my sister…much smaller crowd in the grocery store than in the coffee store!! ;) I have a gift card to attach to it.
Target has the best last minute gifts! I love to grab their ornaments and candies
on Christmas Eve. Kinda like when I walk into Target to get shampoo and walk
out with of $150 worth in my cart… :/
Thanks so much for all your great ideas. Now I hope to start planning for 2013 gift giving.
I had to put together a quick gift yesterday for a last minute gift my husband needed for his work. I purchased a large decorative red coffee cup, a box of mixed gourmet teas that I arranged in the cup with pretty tissue paper and tied with a beautiful gold wired ribbon on the handle.
We got a gift basket with pasta and sauce one year. Loved it!
Hey Jillee…I signed up for the forum…thanks! :)
Hot chocolate packets or a box/container, perhaps a mug, marshmallows, and chocolates/ chocolate candy – all tucked in the mug or cup
Homemade muffin mix and aluminum foil baking cups for those with no muffin tins.
My aunt always makes us a “necessity basket.” It is full of stuff like shampoo, aluminum foil, paper towels, soap,etc. Great things you could pick up on a last minute run to the store.
My new favorite last minute gift is to make peppermint bath salts (sugar, coconut oil and peppermint oil) and I also made up extra “headache relief” rice warmers and roll-ons to be able to give out at any time. Thank you for this blog, it is so inspiring!
Love these ideas Jillee!!! This year my daughter and I used several of your ideas for gifts and they have gone over like gang busters. For her friends, we made the sugar scrub and added some nail polish with nail accessories – they loved it and asked how to make the sugar scrub. It was embarrasing to tell them since it is so easy!!LOL!! Then, we’ve made the English Muffin bread, added some jellies, and although it wasn’t her main gift, we made my mom some homemade powdered laundry deteregent since she was so intrigued that we were making it ourselves. (Her arthritic hands wouldn’t allow her to grate the soap herself.) Put it in an old mason jar with jute ribbon – too cute. Tea and honey is another go-to last minute gift, as well as Starbucks coffee along with some homemade treats. Merry Christmas Jillee and thanks for all the inspiration.
I’m pretty sure Jillee has a no-grate recipe for laundry detergent! That was so sweet to do that for your mother.
Wonderful! Merry Christmas to you too!
I’ve been making laundry soap for years & grating the soap. I finally wised up. After using a serrated knife to slice the soap in little shavings (like chocolate), I whiz it in the food processor. Now I can make a BIG batch at once. It works better if you buy the soap ahead of time, unwrap it & let it dry out a little.
I love the dinner and a movie gift card combo available at Kroger. I’ve given it many times with a note that babysitting is included. Always a hit!
Gift cards are my last-minute go-to.
I did up some handmade soap. Super quick and easy
I put together Christmas mugs with homemade hot chocolate mix and peppermint sticks. So cute and easy!
My favorite last minute gift received was a gift certificate for a massage. The favorite on I gave was a mixed 6 pack of unusual beers.
I love all of your gift creations in this post – great ideas and anyone would be happy to get them!