Running out of time for holiday shopping? Tired of spending lots of money on wasteful gifts that people don’t need? Here are some creative, thrifty and useful last-minute gift ideas that anyone can put together. Enjoy!
Everyone loves holiday treats! Cakes, candies, cookies and the seasonal favorite, fruitcake. Chances are, Aunt Martha will already have eaten too much of these. So how about giving her a festive jar of antacids? Mix up a variety of Tums, Rolaids, perhaps some chewable Pepto-Bismol. Use that tree-shaped jar you got candy in from your coworker.
Out of ideas for the in-laws? Consider a bouquet of toothbrushes, toothpicks, toothpaste and of course, floss. Get some of that green foamy stuff they use for floral centerpieces and shove some stuff in. Voila! An attractive array that will brighten up those smiles.
Show your loved ones you care! Give some support for the tough months of the cold and flu season. Dad won’t sneeze at his gift basket featuring a box of Kleenex (make sure they’re not used!), a package of decongestant and some cough drops. If you’re feeling particularly generous, throw in a couple bottles of Nyquil, one red and one green. So festive!
Why go for the pricey perfume? Your sister will surely appreciate other scented options just as much. Go for the improve-your-smell assortment. Breath mints, underarm deodorants and room deodorizers. And what could say Christmas more than the little tree-shaped car air freshener?
Uncle Bill will surely appreciate a new pair of rubber gloves, a scrub brush and some dish detergent. Worried he won’t have a use for them right away? Include a used coffee mug. (That one with the kitten in a santa hat you got from your office secret santa will be just the thing!)
You know how people package up pretty little kits to make cookies, smores or other desserts? Instead, offer Mom a do-it-yourself set for a traditional delight that will surely make her nostalgic: grilled cheese! A loaf of bread, a stick of butter, and a package of American cheese. (Nothing says “I love you” like individually wrapped slices of pasteurized processed cheese food!) For an extra finished look, place these items in that big tin with the ice-skating teddy bears that you got cookies in last year. (Shake out the crumbs, though. You don’t want to be tacky.)
Jingle bells. Singing chipmunks. Bing. Nothing says holiday cheer more than those old standard Christmas tunes. That we get to hear again and again. And again. What better way to help than to give the gift of pain relief? Advil. Stick a bow on it.
And finally, what do you do when you realize last minute that there’s one more person you forgot to buy for? Give the gift guaranteed to be regifted: wrapping paper! Gift wrap up those last remnants of gift wrap and bows. As an extra bonus, you won’t need to put your gift wrap away. It’s all taken care of!
collecting tokens 
fooey. does that mean i can’t regift that box of kleenex?
While sources may vary, I believe the etiquette for kleenex box regifting is that the box must contain at least 50% of its original contents.