How to Make Your Last Minute Gift Seem Less like a Last Minute Gift

It happens to the best of us. You know there's a special occasion coming up "in a few days" until suddenly it's today. So you run out and buy a typical last minute gift. The problem is that even some of the better last minute gift ideas can come off seeming a little thoughtless and impersonal. The trick to covering your tracks is to make the gift look as personalized and thoughtful as possible. Here are some emergency quick-fixes to help keep you out of trouble.

Wrap it
Ideally, you'll want to use the nicest gift wrap you can find and add a matching bow and some ribbon. Failing that, though, even plain tissue paper (that would be wrapping tissue paper, not bathroom tissue paper) is better than nothing. It's better than a "gift bag," too. Gift bags--those glossy paper bags with cord handles--scream "last minute." A lot of bigger grocery stores carry gift wrap and cellophane tape, so you should be OK on this one.

Think theme
Collecting a few small gifts along a theme makes it look like you put at least a moment of thought into the gift. Just about any theme can work. Does your girlfriend like the scent of lilacs? Run to the drug store and pick up whatever lilac-scented personal care products you can find--shampoo, facial scrub, body spray. Dad like coffee? Get a nice thermos and stick a few individual packets of gourmet coffee inside. If you're not right down to the wire, you could even put together a little gift basket. Sure, you could buy a gift basket, too, but that would still carry the "last minute gift" stigma of being impersonal. Be careful which theme you pick, though. Give your wife "care care " themed gifts and she may expect a new car to go with it.

Make up a personalized story
Seemingly useless objects turn into sacred treasures when we get sentimentally attached to them. All it takes is a good story connected to the object. Whether you've already bought your last minute gift or you're still hunting, try to come up with a personal story about why you wanted this particular item for this particular person. Think about the time you've spent together, dates you went on, trips you took, funny incidents you were involved in, or "firsts" you experienced together. Did you spend your first vacation together in California wine country? Pick up a bottle of wine from the area (and anything else you can find from there).The goal here is mostly to show the recipient that you were thinking of something unique about them or your relationship when you bought the gift.

Use a small gift to lead up to something larger
If you have a good gift in mind, but can't deliver it just yet, try to find a smaller gift you can use as a symbol of things to come. Did you can order a cashmere sweater online, but the holiday season has slowed down the delivery time? Give a scarf in a matching style. Maybe you wanted to take your lady to a nice restaurant she's been wanting to go to, but you couldn't get reservations. Give her a collection of gourmet foods similar to the dishes served there. Another method for couples is to think of something you could pick out together, such as home decor or lingerie, and give a small gift to represent the up-coming shopping trip. In this case, try to include a gift certificate, too.

Choose high quality
This one's easier said than done, but if you have the cash, a little luxury is a good way to distract the receiver from the fact that they almost didn't get anything. Few women would care if you bought that diamond tennis bracelet a month ago or on your way home from work (and if yours does, you're with the wrong women). It doesn't have to be exorbitant, though; just choose something of unusually high quality. If you buy chocolates, buy the best quality Swiss or Belgian chocolates you can find and throw in a bottle of good wine.

There's no guarantee that these tricks will make your last minute gift idea seem like it was weeks in the making, ut if you do get found out, at least you'll get points for effort. After all, the important thing is to let the recipient know it was just the date you forgot, not them personally.