It is Christmas Eve and you forgot to buy a gift. What do you do? Do you run to the gas station and gather decorative scented trees that your children can hang from their wrists?

Perhaps you should run to the store and join all the other last minute shoppers as they fight for the last morsel of gifts as shopkeepers smile from their offices.

Actually, the best gifts can be last minute gifts.
One of the best gifts to give is the gift of you. This means making a coupon for hugs and kisses that can be redeemed at anytime. It could be a poem you composed, or a picture of you with a special message on the back. These gifts can also be free, always a plus when we try to tighten our belts over the Christmas season.

If you are still struggling to find the right gift, another good bet is food. Everyone loves food, everyone needs food and it can be a very special gift to give. Restaurant gift certificates are easy enough to give but slightly impersonal, so instead, buy a meal for a loved one or a friend. Baking pies or chocolate is another excellent way to put together something quickly and cheaply. You could also make a romantic meal for that special someone.

Gifts of remembrance pack an emotional wallop that cannot be matched by any other gift. Making a special ornament signed by you will wet the eyes of everyone. You could also donate money to the zoo or a charity for someone, passing on the giving season to someone who may really need it. Planting a tree is a symbolic way to allow a gift you gave to grow and grow, even long after you are gone.

Putting together a DVD of photos or making a scrapbook of fond memories is a creative gift that always works well in the Christmas season. Of course, those gifts do require a bit of talent, which may leave most of us in the dust.

Lastly, one of the best last minute gifts is the gift of communication. Simple pre-paid phone cards allow that special someone to call you or someone else from anywhere, without having to pay.

Of course, the best option for a gift is to shop early or plan the creative way to say I plan months in advance rather than on Christmas Eve because you mean so much to me.