I’ll admit it, I don’t have all of my holiday shopping done. There were a few holiday gift ideas that popped in my head while cruising around in Tokyo and Hong Kong, but not enough to tick off everyone on my list this year. Yes, I’ll be a part of the insane buying blitz this weekend, surrounded by other last minute shoppers.

If you’ve still got a few people for whom you have to buy a Christmas present, allow me to present you with five last minute holiday gift ideas. Heck, these work pretty well for the rest of the year as well. Birthdays, Bar Mitzvahs, high school graduations… these are all worthy gifts.

1. Gift Cards
It’s a bit of a cop out to buy someone a gift card, but it’s a proposition that works in everyone’s favour. Unlike the Nintendo Wii and Guitar Hero III, gift cards will never be sold out, so you don’t really have to worry about low stock. The best kinds of gift cards are the ones that can be used in multiple stores. In the Vancouver area, you might want to consider the Metro card, which works at just about every shop in Metrotown.

2. Apple iPod nano
There are lots of other MP3 players on the market, but very few boast the same kind of usability and undeniable good looks as the iPod, particularly the third-generation iPod nano. You may be able to find a deal on a second-gen iPod nano, but the third-gen has several advantages over its predecessor, including CoverFlow, the ability to play videos, and a much smaller form factor. A four-gig version can be had for about $150, whereas an 8GB goes for between $180 and $200.


3. Funky T-Shirts
It’s not necessary to spend as much as Ed does on special limited edition t-shirts to satisfy someone’s need to express their personality. You’d be surprised how many cheap t-shirts there are at discount stores like Urban Planet (Vancouver) that look pretty original and creative. For example, last year I nabbed a Borat tee for three bucks. Just be sure that the t-shirt you give fits the person’s personality. If they’re a total heavy metal fan, I’d imagine that they won’t be as appreciative of a Tupac Shakur tee.

4. Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth Headset
Widely regarded as one of the best Bluetooth headsets that money can buy, the Jawbone by Aliph makes use of fairly advanced bone conduction technology. You see, what you’re chatting with someone in a noisy environment, other headsets have a tendency to pick up that background noise, making your voice a little difficult to discern for the person on the other end. With the Aliph Jawbone, it detects vibrations in your jaw, effectively separating speech from surrounding noise. So awesome.


5. DVD Box Sets
Walk into just about any store that sells DVDs and you’ll be bombarded with a myriad of options. For the more comedic among us, you can consider a box set from The Office. For historians and drama queens, there’s Rome: Season 1 and 2. If the person on your list is more about mob hits and swimming with the fishes, you can’t go wrong with a complete DVD box set of The Sopranos. There are also countless retro sets for the more nostalgic, including I Love Lucy, Mork and Mindy, and M.A.S.H. This is a great way to overcome the writer’s strike.

Now that you have some last minute holiday gift ideas, go join the herd in the mall, because anything you buy online will not get here in the next 3-4 days.