12 Last-Minute Christmas Gifts to Surprise Your Loved One

Christmas is almost upon us! If you’re anything like me, you’re probably still buying your Christmas gifts for friends and family.

I find that December really creeps up on us. One minute it’s Bonfire Night, and the next minute we’re all scrambling to find the perfect gift to surprise all of our loved ones.

In this festive post, I’ve come up with 12 last-minute Christmas gifts to surprise your loved one this holiday season – all of them inspired by the classic song!

I tried to fit the theme of each line of the “12 Days of Christmas” song for this post, which was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

There is a tenuous link for each one, you’ve just got to look for it…

1 Partridge in a Pear Tree: House plant

If you’re looking for a last-minute gift for your loved one, a plant is the perfect choice.

You can’t get it too early as it will wilt, so this is a great option if you want to get your loved one something super thoughtful at the last minute. You could also get a lovely bunch of flowers from your local florist.

2 Turtle Doves: Memento for both of you

If you’ve seen the film ‘Home Alone 2: Lost in New York’ you’ll know a kind man gives Kevin two turtle doves – one is for him, and the other he should give to someone he likes or appreciates.

I love the idea of giving someone a memento and keeping part for yourself. This could be matching Christmas tree decorations or a piece of jewellery – just something that means a lot to both of you.

3 French Hens: Language subscription

If someone in your life wants to learn a language, why not get them a language subscription?

There are loads of options for online language lessons, books you can buy or in-person lessons you can choose. I loved learning a language in school, and I think it’s such a fantastic and interesting skill.

4 Calling Birds: Book a romantic meal out

If you have kids, or if you and your partner work really hard, it can sometimes be hard to find time for a bit of romance and fun.

Book your partner a romantic meal out this Christmas! This doesn’t have to be something expensive or posh. You could book a table at the restaurant where you had your first date, or even go down to the pub where you first met.

5 Gold Rings: Thoughtful piece of jewellery

If you’re still looking for the perfect gift for your friend or family member, why not try a thoughtful piece of jewellery?

This can easily be ordered online, or you can shop in person for your last-minute Christmas gift.

6 Geese a Laying: Bake something delicious

Bake something for your loved one this holiday season. This is the perfect last-minute gift as you can make it at any time, and you can choose to make it as elaborate or simple as you want.

I always make a delicious chocolate and pistachio nut fudge for our Christmas dessert, and it’s a very simple Nigella Lawson recipe. You could make Christmas cookies, cupcakes or even a full gingerbread house as your festive Christmas treat.

7 Swans a Swimming: Book a trip away

If you’re looking for a last-minute surprise Christmas gift, book a trip away for your friend or loved one. This could be a romantic trip, a family holiday or a weekend away with friends.

Experiences are a fantastic way for everyone to make new memories together. You can book this for any time in the year, meaning your gift keeps on giving.

Looking for more Christmas gift ideas? Check out my blog post for 5 Christmas gifts for long-distance relationships. How can you treat someone who lives far away?

8 Maids a Milking: Day of “me” time

With the pressures and responsibilities of modern life, sometimes all you want to do is have a day off. However, this is hard if you’re looking after young children, or if you have other responsibilities.

So, surprise your loved one with a bit of “me” time this Christmas with a coupon for a day of alone time.

This could mean you look after the kids for the full day alone, or you do all the chores around the house. This is a free and fun way to show someone that you care about them.

9 Ladies Dancing: Spa experience

Treat someone in your life to a fantastic spa or pampering experience this Christmas. Booking someone a treatment they will love is something you can do last minute, and it will make the perfect surprise for your friends or family in January.

10 Lords a Leaping: Pay for someone to try out a new experience

Instead of buying a physical gift, try buying someone an experience this Christmas. This could be a bunch of music or dance lessons, or something more adventurous, like trying out paragliding for the first time.

Gifting a fun experience gives your loved one the chance to make new memories.

11 Pipers Piping: Take someone to see their favourite band

For your last-minute Christmas gift, buy your friend or family tickets to see their favourite band.

This might be with you, or it might just be two tickets for them to take who they want. Either way, it’s a great way to show someone how much you know them!

Tickets can be bought as close to Christmas as you want, so choose to surprise your loved one with a fun night out this holiday season.

12 Drummers Drumming: Encourage a new hobby

If your friend has a new hobby, such as blogging or playing a musical instrument, encourage them by buying something they need. This might be a new clarinet case or some baking equipment, for example.

This doesn’t have to be expensive – but showing that you’re interested in their hobby will show your loved one just how much they mean to you this Christmas.

What do you think of my last-minute Christmas gift ideas? Did you get all the (tenuous) links I made to the classic Christmas carol? Do you have any suggestions for last-minute Christmas surprises for your loved one?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

Merry Christmas x

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Author: Not-So-Modern Girl

I’m Eleanor, welcome to my little corner of the internet! I’m a freelance content writer and book lover from Yorkshire. On my blog, I write about life as a 20-something, including posts about freelance life, blogging, book reviews and more. I also write resources for bloggers and writers on my Gumroad account, including my ebook 'The Art of Blog Writing'.

107 thoughts

  2. I love these ideas! I’m going to be making my bestie some cookies to go along with her presents and I’m so excited for her to try. I love baking for people, it’s so exciting! Thank you so much for sharing this lovely, I’ll for sure be using this. Xo

    Elle – ellegracedeveson.com

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  9. Such a fun and cute post. Very thoughtful. I like this guide a lot. I always like gifts that provide experiences or support interests. You have several of those type of gifts in your list. For last minute things, I also like to give scarfs because they are practical and you can get something that matches with the person’s personality.

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  11. This is such a fun and creative post! I got the link between almost all of them – still stumped on number 4 (the calling birds) so I’m going to have to keep thinking on that one. But this was fantastic!

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  29. These are some great ideas, especially the new hobby! I’m still not done with my Christmas shopping and this gave me some ideas on what I could buy. Thanks for sharing!

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  32. Ohh ilove all if thoses; except concert ticket & vacation because covid times 😅 my close family is strongly endangered by the virus, so that’d be a no for me.
    However, I didn’t thought about the plant!! I had the cute pot for the plant though, ahah— which was part of supporting my bestfriend’s hobby has she had gotten into gardening this quarantine! (Plus, still a cute trinket if she din’t wanna use the pot for actual plants)

    Happy holidays! Xx

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    1. Yes I think those ones are probably better for other years haha- maybe next year… plants are lovely presents, I’ve had them a couple of times and they always surprise me 🙂 aw so that’s supporting a hobby and a great present then! Thanks for sharing x

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  33. Even though you call these gifts last minute I think they are really thoughtful. They are great suggestions and personally if I got one of these I would be really happy about it. Love them all!

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  35. All of these ideas are amazing. I especially love the idea of language subscription. I wish someone would give me that as a Christmas gift. Thank you for sharing.

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  47. I love how you wrote this post! And the gift ideas are lovely too. I love consumable gifts and baking a treat for someone is such a lovely gesture.

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  48. I already got my Christmas presents but this will definitely help a lot of people! It can be soo hard to come up with ideas for some people. Especially for my parents I always have a hard time finding something because they can literally buy anything they want themselves 😀

    Lots of love,
    Krissi of the marquise diamond
    https://www.themarquisediamond.de/

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