If you had the materials and time required for most of those things, you probably aren't the person scrambling for last-minute ideas.

Exactly!

Most of my gift ideas, I thought out in early November because I don't want to be that person who wraps something they have lying around! (I also tend to avoid burglarizing anyone.)

Yep, those "last minute ideas" are something that I plan ahead for.

But, maybe they mean last minute ideas for those who have household help?

"Hey live-in maid, make some chocolate covered pretzels, will ya?"

Ha, that's something I've never said.

Also, there is no way, and I mean NO WAY, I am going near any store this week. I cannot stand crowds; especially pushy, irritated, crowds.

Shirley everyone has a double boiler? oh. I forgot. Amy can burn water.

Which reminds me, I'm due in the kitchen to make some pumpkin bread. Wut? it's just applied chemistry.

" it's just applied chemistry."

And, of course, chemistry is just really applied physics, dealing with the interactions of atoms and molecules.

And, of course, physics these days is just really high level advanced mathematics.

So you're not really making pumpkin bread: you're doing math.

Or am I being excessively reductionist here?

Shirley everyone has a double boiler?

No, I haven't got one, and don't call me...

My wife used to make yummy rosettes, which were a perfect gift for people outside of the family-and-friends circle (e.g., the cleaning crew at the office, etc.). One year, the pastor told her the big box she'd made for him and his family didn't last through the drive home!

Alas, with her working now, she hasn't been able to make them.

Those looked like take stuff out of your pantry and make some sweets for people advice. Or in Amy's case, here are some Oreos ... I ... uh ... made? (or at least only ate half of them).

My last-minute gift ideas (as well "I have no freaking clue" gifts) involve stopping at the grocery store and buying something off the wall of gift cards for a restaurant or store I know the recipient likes and cramming it in a card.

Amy can burn water.

Amy either forgets to turn the stove on or forgets to turn it off, melting the silicone spatula in her frying pan and needing to scrape it off so she won't get a glioma.

Dwight, I could cook, bake, etc. I just do not.

As I like to say, "I don't cook; I heat."

Chocolate-covered pretzels as a last minute gift idea?

You buy a mess of extra gift cards and use those for last-minute gifts if you need one. If you don't need to use them as gifts, you use them for yourself. If your local grocery store does double fuel points for gift cards, you get them there and get an additional benefit.

charles: "Also, there is no way, and I mean NO WAY, I am going near any store this week. I cannot stand crowds; especially pushy, irritated, crowds."

Amen! Amazon and on-line Walmart meet almost all of my needs, with 2-day delivery, which is close enough to last minute for me. And gift wrapping if needed, at a price. But forget the gift wrappiing. The grandkids love getting boxes from Amazon to tear open, with lots of bubble wrap to pop.

I second Ken R, I'm an Amazon, Walmart.com girl all the way. Crowds give me the heebie jeebies. My only elusive item this year that has left me scrambling because it never left backorder was the Yeti tumblers, which apparently were named appropriately.

http://yeticoolers.com/rambler-tumblers/

I second Ken R, I'm an Amazon, Walmart.com girl all the way. Crowds give me the heebie jeebies. My only elusive item this year that has left me scrambling because it never left backorder was the Yeti tumblers, which apparently were named appropriately.

http://yeticoolers.com/rambler-tumblers/

Me? I just go up to them and casually ask,"So whose name did you draw in the gift exchange?" Followed by a "Whhaaatttt? Your not part of the name draw? Oh this is really embarrassing."

Seriously though...gift cards.