· Five gift ideas for procrastinators, from subscriptions to preserving your past.
Not to make your seasonal stress any more intense, but…Christmas is less than a week away.
If you’re still in the early stages of shopping, the time for thoughtful and personal gifts is rapidly coming to a close. Here’s the good news: In this on-demand world, there are plenty of gift ideas that can make you a holiday hero, even if you wait until Christmas morning to start shopping.
Here are a few ideas for procrastinators that are a lot classier (and will be much more well-received) than a lottery ticket or gift card.
MasterClass
Getting a subscription to an online learning program might not sound like a great gift on the surface, but when the instructors range from BBQ deity Aaron Franklin to West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin to magicians Penn & Teller to writer-actress Mindy Kaling, learning becomes a lot more interesting. And right now, you can get a one-year MasterClass subscription for as little as $60.
Microsoft Xbox GamePass
Today’s games carry price tags of up to $80 each. But for just $20 per month, you can get a membership to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which includes hundreds of titles, including new releases from the company’s growing list of studios. Not an Xbox gamer? It doesn’t matter! You can also play the games on your PC and even your smartphone or tablet. Subscription gaming is Microsoft’s big bet on the future. Right now, at least, it’s hard to argue the value proposition.
Storyworth
How well do you know your parents, grandparents, or even your best friend? While storytelling relays the highlights of a life, there are always parts you never think to ask about—and they never think to tell. StoryWorth is a narrative service that sends a weekly question to your gift recipient (such as "Who was your first crush?" or "What personal expectations do you hold yourself to?"). They'll write (or record) a story answering the question, which the service stores (and shares with you). After a year, those stories are bound into a book you can enjoy yourself or hand down to future generations. The service and book are available for a flat $90 rate.
Mysterious Package Company
Know someone who loves escape rooms? This is right up their alley. The Mysterious Package Company will randomly send your recipient a series of elegantly crafted trinkets and documents (with prices starting at $99). They come without warning and build the suspense. And they'll suck you into their fiction quickly. What it offers isn't so much about tangible products, but an escape from the daily routine. And it's one that can last for weeks or even months, depending on the experience you choose. Prices vary, depending on the experience you choose.
ScanMyPhotos
We've all got stacks of old print photos lying around that we mean to put in albums, but rarely (if ever) look at. Digitizing them is the smart way to go, but no one wants to spend that much time manually doing so. ScanMyPhotos is an online service that does the job for you—and does so with a remarkable turnaround time. For $145, the company sends a prepaid postage box (which is all you have to hand over as the gift), which customers load with as many pictures as they can. About a week or so later, it's returned with the photos scanned into digital form and put on a CD or USB.
