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Christmas list last minute gifts girls

A version of this post originally ran on December 19, 2011. 

A few days ago Will and I reviewed our Christmas shopping list, just to make sure we were actually finished.  I thought we would give it a quick approval and be done with it.

I was wrong! We realized we bought one of our girls the stocking stuffer-type items on her wish list—a journal, chunky yarn, lip gloss—but we never filled in with anything substantial. I’m so glad I realized it when I did—when there was still time to do something about it (without going to the mall).

shoe books collage

After a lengthy brainstorming session, I ordered her several of Noel Streatfeild’s Shoe Books.  They’re classics: in You’ve Got Mail, these are the books a weeping Kathleen Kelly recommends to a Fox Books customer in the children’s section.

I chose Ballet ShoesDancing Shoes, and Party Shoes—and with Amazon Prime, they’ll be here before Christmas Eve.

ballet shoes

My daughter is obsessed with ballet, so I ordered her a pair of ballet shoes from Zappos to go with her Shoe Books.  They’ll be here with time to spare.

My two favorite sources for ordering last-minute Christmas gifts online are Amazon and Zappos.

Today is Amazon’s last day for Prime customers to get free shipping for Christmas. If you’ve never tried Prime, you can start a free 30-day trial now to take advantage of the free and fast shipping. (Need a nice last-minute gift? You can give the gift of Amazon Prime.)

Zappos is famous for their free overnight shipping, both ways. They guarantee Christmas delivery on all orders placed before 1:00 pm PST on Tuesday, December 23. I love Zappos for gifting because returns and exchanges are simple and free, and their customer service is fantastic.  The one thing I don’t like is that since they’re located in my state, I have to pay tax on my online orders.  But the good news is that you probably don’t.

Will and I reviewed our list last night, and I think we’re done—except for one more gift we’re picking up at Trader Joe’s. (Seriously.)

What are your favorite last-minute gifts for Christmas (or any other occasion?) 

18 comments

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  1. Well, “You’ve Got Mail” is the reason I read “The Shoe Books” at all. Love the movie, enjoyed the books. I have to wonder if I would have enjoyed the books more if I had read them as a child, but still glad to add them to my collection (Peter gave them to me last year for Christmas – they were on my Amazon wish list). Sounds like it will be a wonderful gift for your daughter – I’m sure she will love it!

    Merry Christmas, Anne!

  2. Lucky says:

    I did the same thing this weekend. I think I overbought for my son so I’m holding a few things back for his birthday in May.

    I just have to finish making some burlap leaf bags for DH and I’ll be all done. Everything else is done and mailed. Whew.

    Good luck with your finishing touches.

  3. Amy says:

    Good catch! I loved the Shoe books when I was a kid. I still have a few of them. I’ve got most of my shopping done, but I need to do some wrapping and a whole lot of baking. Merry Christmas!

  4. Christine says:

    Ballet Shoes is one of my favorites from childhood. I still keep a copy on hand and feel the urge to read it every once in a while. I hope your daughter enjoys the book and makes great childhood memories with it. Merry Christmas!

  5. Pingback: A Christmas Gallery
  6. liz n. says:

    The Shoe books!!!

    For a long time, I wanted to replace the very worn copies we had, but could not find them anywhere. I ended up re-binding the paperback copies I had with my own hard back covers. Still have them.

    When they were very young, my boys actually enjoyed being read these books, although my daughter often made it very clear (as in, LOUDLY) that they were HER books.

  7. Anne says:

    Like others above, I picked up Ballet Shoes because of You’ve Got Mail. What a sweet present set, Anne! Good tips, too. The borrowed black patent leather shoes I have for my baby girl are not going to work- I am going out to find something else! That and I finally decided on my theme for Christmas pjs. Now, I must search! 😉

  8. Victoria says:

    Ballet shoes is the proper title but the others were originally published under different names. I think they changed it in order to name them “the shoe series”. I can’t call the second one anything other than White Boots! I like much of what they did with the adaption but got very annoyed with the ending. To me, even as a child, Ballet Shoes was about girls/women doing things for themselves and amending that to chuck in a love story was unnecessary.

  9. Kay says:

    Ballet Shoes was one of my favourite books as a child. I am surprised that so many have only heard of it because of the You’ve Got Mail film. There is also a good adaptation of the book with Emma Watson in, it came out on TV in England a few years ago and is very much worth a watch. x

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