www04.giftcertificates.com/index.cfm
GiftCertificates.com has Uncle Spud's name written all over it. And it has your name written all over it, too, if you've got more nieces and nephews than you can count on one finger. And if you haven't broken out the plastic yet. Let's face it, it even has your name on it if you still have Mom and Dad on left on your list. Send a Supercertificate and the recipient can choose from hundreds of stores, restaurants, Internet sites, specialty schools, video rental shops . . . OK, you get the idea.
www.redenvelope.com/
RedEnvelope doesn't get into the sappy boasts about "unique" or "perfect" gifts. Its approach has more to do with the act of giving. Mostly that it should be fun. And it's not easy to have fun Christmas shopping on the Internet. Especially at the last minute. There's too much apprehension boiling in the belly. Too much doubt about finding a great gift. Too much brain torture: "Why did I wait so long? Again!" You know what? This site is going to be around for awhile. It alleviates those feelings of impending Christmas doom with a really cool selection. It can take you shopping for an occasion (Christmas, birthdays, graduations), for a certain someone (lover, child, grandmother, best friend) or through specialty "stores." And the site navigation is so straightforward that describing it in words would only make it seem less intuitive than it actually is. Register and enter some information about family and friends and birthdays and whatnot, and RedEnvelope will send you reminders throughout the year.
www.eziba.com/StoreFront/home
If you've waited this long, you might be considering making up for your gift's potential tardiness with a really big bang, and anything from Eziba is going to get unwrapped at the top end of the "Wow!" scale. Which is where you're going to be when the credit card bill arrives. Think of Eziba as a world traveler, one who always comes home with great souvenirs after every trip, one who makes you think, "I wish I could find objects like that when I go away." Eziba is also about community and giving artisans in remote corners of the world the means with which to keep their culture alive.