Did the holidays sneak up on anyone else this year? 2016 has flown by, but the lead up to Christmas has felt especially fast! If you’ve found yourself staring down Christmas Eve with an empty tree, don’t stress. It’s completely possible for a last-minute gift to feel just the opposite: and you won’t have to set foot in a big mall to cross people off your list.
Keep reading for my secret list of the best places to shop for a last-minute gift that doesn’t suck. Bonus: 4/5 can be found at a single shopping destination.
HomeSense / Winners
HomeSense and Winners are my favourite troves for last-minute gifts. It’s impossible to walk out of either place without spending a dime, so channel that energy into a gift for someone else! Around the holidays, they carry extra candles, board games and knick-knacks along with their usual beautiful wares, so you’re sure to find something. While you’re there, make sure to pick up some holiday gift bags + boxes!
Shoppers Drug Mart
With a great selection of beauty gift sets, gift cards and electronics, Shoppers is a fantastic destination for last-minute gifts. For the beauty-lover on your list, their selection of beauty brands (Benefit! Lise Watier! Clarins! Urban Decay!) means a great gift isn’t hard to find. For everyone else on your list, you can create a beautiful gift basket out of upgraded basics, magazines or in-store holiday items.
Indigo
What I love most about Indigo – other than how lovely the products are! – is that you can make a super-personal gift in almost no time at all. When in doubt, a book is a fantastic gift. Everyone loves to receive a beautiful coffee table book, a cookbook or even a trashy novel for their stocking. Outside of books, you can rely on Indigo for beautiful journals, objets, bath & body goodie, prints and style items like cozy scarves and hats.
Dana Jordan / Menu
I’m almost hesitant to share this one with you because it’s been my go-to for years. Dana Jordan at Bayview Village (there’s another on Avenue Road) has the best little curiosities and gifts. It’s perfectly curated, especially around the holidays, with amusing books, tchotchkes, costume jewelry and housewares. Recently, they opened up an offshoot inside Bayview Village called “MENU” that houses all their kitchen and home goods. Kate Spade galore, kitchen gadgets and upgraded basics are all well-stocked in the shop.
Starbucks
Never underestimate the power of coffee. Not a Christmas goes by where I don’t get at least a few Starbucks gift cards and drinkware items and they’re always so appreciated! The way I see it, a Starbucks gift card is the gift that keeps giving. They also carry the best mugs and the most beautiful selection of holiday items – like this year’s Bearista teddy bear!
Psst… now for my big secret. You can find a Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutique, Chapters, Dana Jordan / Menu and Starbucks at Bayview Village! It’s one of my favourite places to shop in general, but it’s especially lovely around the holidays because you can get so much in one place. It’s also not *terrible* to find a parking spot at, even when it’s super packed.
Happy holidays!! This will be my last gift guide of 2016 but you may just find one more post here before Christmas. xoxo
