So it’s Christmas Eve, and you don’t have anything to buy that special someone in your life. Things may look bad, but it’s not the end of the world. Not yet, anyway. There are plenty of gifts you can get friends or family – while still giving them something to unwrap on Christmas morning. And for some, you won’t even have to leave the comfort of your home! Here are some great picks.
Streaming Content Subscription Cards
Face it: We’re a streaming society right now. Whether we’re talking movies (Netflix), TV (Hulu) or music (Spotify), we buy less physical media than ever before. So why not give the gift of a subscription to one of these services? Hulu will run you $8 a month, Netflix costs $9, and Spotify will set you back $10.
The beauty of this gift is that you’re able to show just how special that person is. Not too close to the person? A month of Netflix will do! You can also pick up three month, six month or year-long subscriptions to most of these services. (Apparently, Netflix doesn’t let you “give the gift of Netflix” through its site anymore, which seems silly. But most places, from Walmart to Best Buy to convenience stores, carry tons of gift cards.)
Xbox Live Gold / PlayStation Plus
This is a bit of a spin-off from the previous gift. Anyone with an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 will need either of these subscriptions to play multiplayer games, so giving a gamer one of these cards will show you care about their video game social life. Plus, Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus give free games to subscribers each month, as well as special discounts.
The beauty of these subscription cards is that they’re stackable. Whether you pick up a three-month or year-long subscription, they can be tacked on to the end of any current subscription. If you’re looking for a gift between $20 and $60 for someone with a brand new video game console, this is a great gift. (Also good: gift cards for the Xbox Live Marketplace, PlayStation Store or Nintendo eShop. Let them have games!)
Membership to Amazon Prime
While the annual cost of Amazon Prime jumped from $79 to $99 this year, Amazon’s making sure it’s well worth the price increase. Just check out what you get:
- FREE Two-Day Shipping on most of what Amazon sells.
- Prime Instant Video: unlimited streaming of movies and TV episodes.
- Prime Music: unlimited, ad-free access to hundreds of Prime Playlists and more than a million songs for members.
- Prime Photos: Secure unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive.
- Prime Pantry: Access to Prime Pantry, where members can purchase and ship to addresses in the contiguous U.S. low priced grocery, household, and pet care items for a flat delivery fee of $5.99 for each Prime Pantry box.
- Amazon Elements: Access to Amazon Elements products, Amazon’s own line of everyday essentials.
- Prime Early Access: Get 30-minute early access to select Lightning Deals on Amazon.com and new events on MyHabit.com. For more information, go to About Prime Early Access.
- Kindle Owners’ Lending Library: One free Kindle e-book rental per month.
- Kindle First: Early access for members in the U.S. to download a new book for free every month from the Kindle First picks.
Not enough of a deal? (What more do you need?) Amazon Prime also lets you share your membership, so that gift to your teenage son can also be a nice gift for you. Amazon is the store for everything, and its Prime membership reflects that mentality, too.