Emergency Gifts from Amazon.com

It doesn't happen every year -- but when it does, it seems like only yesterday. You've made your list, checked it twice, fought the crowds and brought home the bacon. Then, suddenly, somebody falls through the cracks. Maybe an old friend comes to town unexpectedly. Perhaps you know someone who's been on hard times lately and you know they'd feel bad if you got them something and they didn't have something for you...

There are so many ways it could happen, I won't go on. The point is: its Christmas Day and you're a gift short. A lot of people keep a couple of "generic" gifts on hand for just such emergencies, but it's too late for that now. What to do? (Alas!)

Amazon.com can help. Their online store is open all day Christmas, and there are quite a few "instant delivery" items available:

The first (and most obvious) is the ubiquitous Gift Card. These have gained wide acceptance in recent years, and many would actually rather pick out their own gift. Amazon gift cards are about as good as they come, since they never expire, generally include free shipping on orders over $25, and are redeemable for such a wide variety of products (NOT just books!)

You can send them via e-mail or with a Free E-Card, which can personalize your gift a bit.

Another option is a nice magazine subscription. These aren't actually delivered until they are published, but you can get a nice card notifying the recipient that a subscription has been started in their name.

Finally, Amazon has downloadable items for the digerati on your list. Mp3 music, Unbox Digital Video, and Amazon Shorts are all great gifts. For those who already have Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device Amazon currently features over 90,000 Kindle Books. (All of these items can be purchased with Amazon's Gift Cards, which might be a convenient way to handle the transfer.)

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