Last minute gifts for moms, some without leaving your seat

Right up until morning of December 25, there are still last minute gifts you can give to the mom in your life, whether she is your own mother, parenting partner or just a good pal. Here are a few ideas with the lateness of the hour in mind.

1. iTunes gift card – okay, it’s not the most romantic gift in the world, but iTunes gift cards are appreciated in a way that most other gift cards aren’t. They basically give adults the permission to be irresponsible with their money and blow it on worthless apps and bits and bytes masquerading as music. A $20 card says go and enjoy, and for once don’t worry about it. It’s a simple pleasure and has no weight or ill health effect, that anyone has found anyway.

2. Women and moms love spas. I don’t understand it and maybe you don’t either, but the spa experience makes for a perfect gift. I happen to know the spa my wife likes and I’ve driven over and bought certificates for her there before. Your mom might not go to a spa now, or you don’t know which one it is. And that’s where a new company called Spa Emergency (www.spaemergency.com) comes into play. They represent 3000 plus spas nationwide, and you can email a gift certificate, or print it out for last-minute giving. Certificates start at $25, which won’t get you too far in the spa world, but it’s a nice thought.

3. A packet of personal photos. Seeing photos on the phone or computer is nice, but moms still like to see photos in their hands and in old-fashioned frames. Even on Christmas eve, you can run down to the Walgreen’s with the latest memory chip from the phone and print off 20 of the best of them from your last batch of photos. This is an inexpensivelast-minute gift that is always appreciated.

4. For the romantic dad looking to stir up some romance with mommy while waiting for Santa Claus, a book of poetry is always a nice touch. I particularly like the Penguin Book of Love Poetry, a steal at $5.95 on Amazon. Find a short poem in the book that describes some of your feelings about mom and transcribe it to a simple card. You don’t even have to write poetry to bathe in it’s afterglow.

And, if all else fails, there’s always a $10 bouquet of flowers down at the Safeway.

Note: While at times, GreatDad reviews samples of products sent by manufacturers and PR agencies, in this case, none of the products discussed were provided for demonstration or sampling purposes.