5 Last-Minute Gift Ideas That Aren’t Gift Cards

Looking for some last-minute gift ideas? Don't want to do gift cards again? Good news! You have some other options!

Many of us are guilty of waiting until the last minute to do our holiday shopping. This time of year can be incredibly stressful and time might get away from you and before you know it, Christmas is here and you still haven't done your shopping. Don't feel guilty! It happens to us all. There are plenty of last-minute gift ideas out there that aren't gift cards or cash. As much as everyone can use extra cash or gift cards during the holidays, it's not the most thoughtful gifts. So, perhaps consider these 5 last-minute gift ideas instead.

Cash sounds like it would be a nice gift. Who doesn't need some extra cash this time of year? Plus, it allows you to pick out your own gift or use it on rent, your mortgage, or you could simply save it away for when you need it. That's a great gift! However, it's not very thoughtful or personal. Some people might be offended by that. The same goes with gift cards. Sure, it's nice to be able to select your own gift--who knows what you like or want better than you? Yet, it lacks any thoughtfulness. So, you might want to find a different option.

CNET came up with a list of 5 last-minute gift ideas and I think these are great ideas for anyone on your list and definitely work for those who are crunched on time. What do they suggest? First on the list, CNET recommends a digital product. You could get them a gaming subscription, a streaming subscription, or an online course. There are so many streaming services out there now it's expensive to have them all, even though each of them has their own great content. Paying for someone's subscription would be very welcomed! Additionally, they might have a trip coming up to France and maybe you could pay for some online courses to teach them how to speak French! That would be clever and appreciated. The only problem with a digital product on Christmas is you lose the unwrapping process. Checking your email for a gift isn't as exciting in the moment as unwrapping a gift. However, that's a very minor and temporary problem.

Next, CNET suggests buying an experience. Buy a trip or tickets to a concert or a game. It would be a memorable time and it's thinking outside the box. Some of the best gifts I've ever received and given have been experiences and I highly recommend it. It not only is making memories but gives them something to look forward to down the road.

CNET also suggests cryptocurrency. I don't know much about it so I can't really talk on it but it could be a lucrative idea for them to make money on your gift. However, you could also end up getting scammed and lose your money like the Hawk Tuah crypto stuff going on right now. That looks and sounds messy and I don't know if you want to get involved in all of that during the holidays, let alone gifting someone else into that drama. It might not be appreciated.

Fourth, CNET suggests a homemade coupon. It can be sweet depending on how you personalize the ideas. However, it really screams last-minute and will definitely make it seem like you forgot to get them a gift or think about them. Be careful with this one.

Finally, CNET recommends photos of you together. It's nice, cheap, and thoughtful. That sounds like a win! You can even frame them and it will be a meaningful gift that doesn't require a lot of time.

What do you think? Any of these stand out as good last-minute gift ideas? Any others you would recommend? Let us know!

'Tis the season for Christmas movies, but what makes a Christmas movie a "Christmas movie?" Does it have to take place on Christmas? Must Christmas be the primary theme? Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

It's a question that seems to be as old as the holiday itself. Everyone has an opinion, and we could be closer to an answer than ever before.

In determining what makes a Christmas movie a "Christmas movie," Yahoo! UK came up with a two-question litmus test. To try to determine if a movie is indeed a Christmas movie, they say you have to first ask "does watching the film at any other time of year feel weird? If no, then it's not a Christmas movie."

Then, they suggest you ask, "if you take Christmas out of the movie, does it still make sense? If yes, then it's not a Christmas movie."

I think those are fair criteria. It's not a Christmas movie if you can watch it during the summer and have no issue. If it has the same feel in August as it does on Christmas, it shouldn't be a Christmas movie.

Likewise, I feel like Christmas has to be the primary theme of the movie. If you can remove Christmas from the plot and it still makes sense it shouldn't be considered a Christmas movie.

So, given these characteristics I feel like Die Hard would not be considered a Christmas movie. Despite the movie taking place on Christmas, you can watch the movie all year long. It doesn't have to be exclusively tied to Christmas. To me, it doesn't pass the litmus test.

In a new poll, 26% of people said that Die Hard is a Christmas movie. 50% of people surveyed said it is not. Then, 23% say they "aren't sure."

Die Hard isn't the only movie that we question if it's a Christmas movie or not. Some of the best movies of all-time could fall into this vague area. Here are five other movies that are debatable Christmas movies, just like Die Hard.

You can't think about Mean Girls without thinking of the Jingle Bell Rock performance. They're all in their Santa outfits. However, Christmas isn't a big enough theme in the movie.

Harry Potter works great year round. It's a Christmas movie, it's a Halloween movie, due to all the feasts it's even a Thanksgiving movie. However, because of all these factors I don't think it's really a Christmas movie. Still great, though.

A lot of the movie happens on Christmas Eve. It's a big part of the movie. However, no way can we consider it a Christmas movie.

It was originally marketed as a Christmas movie for kids. However, because it's so different from the others it's hard to call it a Christmas movie. Does it pass the test in your opinion?

Pretty much the entire movie takes place during the Christmas season. It's tied very closely to Christmas. It could actually be a Christmas movie, if you think about it.

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