35 Last-Minute Gifts That Are Actually Meaningful

Amanda Sims

The holidays are coming, the holidays are coming! No, but really: Hannukah starts on Sunday, Christmas is (checks watch) less than one week away, and Kwanzaa begins the day after that. Yes, there's always express shipping, but this time of year that's hardly the most dependable or cost-effective move (lost package alert = saddest news ever on Christmas Eve). And yet, if you haven't quite finished getting gifts for everyone on your list, there's still time to find a meaningful present, or 10. We've rounded up our favorite ways—donations, subscriptions, and e-gift cards—below, and if all that fails, there's always the ever-giving gift of 1. an Amazon Prime account.

Make a donation in the recipient's name

It may sound obvious, but making a donation in a giftee's name is perhaps the simplest, most thoughtful last-minute gift of your funds. Not to mention it's endlessly customizable: Pick a charity that ties into something the recipient is passionate about, such as a local museum or a favorite radio show, or simply give to those in need and consider it done.

2. their favorite radio show
3. a local museum or historic home
4. the ACLU
5. an organization that buys gifts for kids in need, like Coalition for the Homeless in NYC
6. the Architects Foundation (the charitable arm of the AIA)
7. an immigrants' advocacy organization, like RAICES, which offers legal aid to separated or detained families, unaccompanied minors, and others seeking asylum
8. a "meals on wheels" organization that delivers food to home-bound citizens
9. a local parks department or a green initiative in the recipient's city
10. an animal rescue group, like those cropping up to save furry friends displaced in natural disasters

11. a local historic preservation group
12. a foundation for artists, such as YoungArts

Give a subscription

A category that has sprung to life in the last few years, subscription services can be purchased for everything from seasonal wreaths to beauty supplies. Even if you don't complete the order in time for the first installment to arrive on the holiday, pick up a stand-in—i.e. a good hunk of cheese to give with a note that says, "Look forward to more of this every month for a year!"

13. seasonal wreaths (a new one every time the weather changes!)
14. fresh flowers
15. a great newspaper or magazine (AHEM, this is a good one)
16. good coffee
17. good cheese
18. good olive oil
19. an Audible or 20. Netflix or 21. Spotify Premium account, depending on how they get their kicks
20. the best new books
21. plants for beginners

Buy e-gift cards

Cash is, well, king. Which is why we love 22. Venmo. The very basic, very popular way to give someone a little cash. If you want to get a little more specific, here are some of our favorite e-gift card options for design lovers.

23. Brooklinen
24. Chairish
25. Dusen Dusen
26. Etsy
27. Forage Modern Workshop
28. Kaufmann Mercantile
29. Leif
30. Michele Varian
31. MoMA Design Store
32. Jungalow
33. Poketo
34. Virginia Sin
35. Work Of

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest