Fear Not, Last-Minute Shopper

This is a post for all you procrastinators out there. We’re not talking about your garden variety procrastinators who wait until the weekend before Christmas to do all the shopping. We’re not even talking about that person who’s waiting until Christmas Eve. Yup, this post is for those who are pulling on their sweats at 5 a.m. and driving to the store to find gifts — on Christmas Day.

And what we’re here to say is this: You are in luck! There are stores open on Christmas Day! And thankfully, one of them is Starbucks, so you can get that caffeine kick in early before you get down to work. You could probably even get it done there if you wanted! Most locations have a selection of coffee-related gifts like French presses, mugs and even espresso machines. There are also usually CDs at the checkout.

Once you’re done there, you can move on to the drug store. At Walgreens, which will not only stay open on Christmas, but in some locations will stay open 24 hours on that day, you can find a plethora of gifts that don't scream "last-minute gift," like digital camcorders and flat screen TVs. They also have a ton of As-Seen-On-TV products like Snuggies. The folks at Rite-Aid also announced in a press release that they’ll be open on Christmas, and even made a handy list of hot last-minute gifts like magazine subscriptions.

Didn’t find what you need there? Get thee to the local multiplex! Many movie theaters will be open Christmas Day – as many movies will be premiering that day like "Sherlock Holmes," "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" and "It’s Complicated." You’ll also be able to get gift cards there.

And once you’ve finally completed all your last-minute shopping? Go ahead and treat yourself with a huge stack of pancakes! All International House of Pancake locations will be open on Christmas Day, too. Ahh! Rejoice that you managed to finish your shopping. It’s a Christmas miracle.

Photo courtesy Infrogmation via Flickr.