(LAST MINUTE) HOLIDAY GIFTS : UNDER $25
- ELECTRIC Team Member
- Dec 21, 2018
- 5 min read
(LAST MINUTE) HOLIDAY GIFTS : UNDER $25
As the final holiday shopping week winds down, I know a lot of us are still in need of a few last minute gifts. I, like a lot of people, find this week to be complete chaos and full of high anxiety, which is what inspired me to write this week's blog piece about easy, but yet creative last minute gifts.
I have put together a list of ELECTRIC's favorite quick gift ideas that will make getting all of those extra little gifts for friends, family members, co-workers, and even party hosts a bit easier - this list has you covered!
* Be sure to also click on the bold pink links for details on specific items! *
PEPPERMINT CHOCOLATE BARK (Homemade)
Ever want to make a homemade gift for the holidays, but never have enough time? Well we have you covered! Making homemade peppermint chocolate bark may look like a lot of steps, but will only take just an hour or two. We have found that this little DIY gift shows people you really took the time to gift them something thoughtful, and best of all, it costs under $25 to make multiple batches of bark!
• Dark Chocolate & Bright White Chocolate wafers (A.C. Moore / $2.99 per bag)
• Candy Canes - traditional red & white (Dollar Tree / $1 for a box of 10)
• Foil Sheet Trays (Dollar Tree / $1 for 2 pack)
• Wax Paper (Dollar Tree / $1)
*all of the items listed above can be purchased at any store of your choice, our lists are based on our own shopping and local stores
Step 1: melt dark chocolate wafers in a ceramic/glass bowl for two(2) twenty-five(25) second increments in microwave; mix between microwave heats; make sure the chocolate is a thick liquid consistency
Step 2: lay a piece of wax paper on foil sheet tray (so that chocolate does not stick and will easily peel off for cutting); pour melted dark chocolate onto wax paper covered sheet tray; spread thoroughly all over tray to make a "sheet" of chocolate
Step 3: place sheet tray of chocolate in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes or until fully hardened
Step 4: unwrap candy canes; break each candy cane into 2-3 pieces; place pieces into a larger plastic baggie; crush/break into smaller pieces and sprinkles (can use any heavy kitchen tool for crushing/breaking - a heavy serving spoon or meat pounder will do the trick!)
Step 5: melt bright white chocolate wafers in a ceramic/glass bowl for two(2) twenty-five(25) second increments in microwave; mix between microwave heats; make sure chocolate is a thick liquid consistency
Step 6: pour melted bright white chocolate on top of hardened dark chocolate sheet; spread thoroughly all over to make a "sheet" of chocolate
Step 7: sprinkle candy cane pieces/sprinkles on top to cover entire bright white chocolate layer
Step 8: place sheet tray of chocolate in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes or until fully hardened
Step 9: once completely hardened, remove from refrigerator and break into pieces (can be as small or big as desired)
Step 10: wrap peppermint chocolate bark pieces anyway you like & gift to as many as you want!
*Two(2) bags of each chocolate - dark and bright white - and one(1) box of candy canes can typically make two(2) batches of the bark
CHEESE & BREAD
• Individual Cheese & Charcuterie Board (IKEA / $4.99)
• French Bread Baguette (Philadelphia: Parc Rittenhouse / $3)
• 1 - 2 Cheeses (Trader Joe's - super inexpensive for good quality artisanal cheese / $3 - $8)
*One(1) cheese and bread board can be a gift for 1-2 people
*all of the items listed above can be purchased at any store of your choice, our lists are based on our own shopping and local stores
GIFT CARDS (The Go-To)
If you are looking for a quick gift that is not as time consuming or need to get it on the way to a holiday meet up, gift cards are always a great idea. Everyone loves a little "free money" to their favorite clothing store or coffee shop! The best thing about gift cards is that they pretty much take very little to no wrapping time, which is always helpful during the biggest gift giving season.
Below is a list of a few of our favorite gift cards to give,
which can all be purchased from $5 - $25 (or even more)!
Coffee Shops
• La Colombe
• Starbucks
• Wawa
• Saxbys
• Any local coffee shop in your area
Retail Shops
• Express
• Urban Outfitters
Food
Gifting anyone with a little gift card for a quick meal during work is also a great idea. A $5 or $10 card can cover 1-2 lunches or an after work take away meal for anyone on the go.
Below is a list of a few of our favorite quick spots in our great city of Philadelphia, but any local eatery in your area will do!
• Sweetgreen
• DiBruno's
• Whole Foods
WINE
If you know that the person you need a quick gift for appreciates a good bottle of wine, then go for it! You can purchase a good quality bottle for an inexpensive price (under $25) at any local liquor shop. The best part about this quick gift is that you can quickly pick it up on your way to a holiday party or visit, and it does not even need to be gift wrapped!
PERSONALIZED ART CARDS
A nice, personalized gift we like to give our friends is custom art cards. You can design them on your own computer or even use your own photography. I cannot count the photos I have on my iPhone of scenery and city life that I often use to make art pieces. Whichever way you choose to design them, you can then just upload the design or photos to a flash drive and pop in to your local print shop or drugstore that offers a photo counter and print them out!
• Designing a card on a computer (FREE)
• Scrolling through your phone for a few of your favorite photos (FREE)
• Uploading the design and/or photos to a flash drive (FREE / if you do not have a flash drive handy, you can purchase an inexpensive one at Target for $7 - $13, depending on storage space)
• Go to a local print shop or drugstore with photo counter (Target, CVS, Walgreens) and upload your flash drive to their photo scan machine and customize your art card size and click print!
*I recommend going to your local drugstore (ex. CVS or Target), which will typically charge much less then a specialty print shop to print out photos
*Drugstore photo scan machines typically generate prices from $0.75 - $5 for each photo, depending on your desired size and shape
*In my experience, anytime I have done this DIY, I have used a 4x6 size on gloss, which typically runs just under $1 for each photo and I've gifted sets of five(5) or ten(10) to friends as art cards
We hope our Last Minute: Under $25 gift list has made the busiest holiday shopping week a bit easier for you!
X,
ELECTRIC Team
