8 Great Last-Minute Christmas Gifts

Reviewed by: Lucas

Note:  All products in this post were submitted to Make Life Special for review by the respective company, or its affiliates.  No other compensation was received.  The reviews in this post are honest and my own.

 For the Breakfast Fan – Orgreenic™ Flip Jack™ Nonstick Pancake Maker: 

For the breakfast gourmand there is no better gift than the Pancake Maker.  While this thing is great at omelets and even grilled cheese sandwiches—it was born to make pancakes.  Don’t have griddle?  Tired of elliptical edibles?  Get the Flip Jack Pancake Maker for the breakfast eater in your life.  They are cheap enough; you may as well get a second so that you can have two cooking at the same time!

Where to buy: Bed Bath & Beyond, www.flipjackpan.com

 

 

For the Personal Electronics Junkie –  Altec The Jacket Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker:

The Jacket is a pretty slick little speaker with big speaker sound.  It pairs easily, has a long-lasting battery (up to 8 hours) and is definitely one of the most attractive Bluetooth speakers on the market.  Each speaker comes with a choice of two silicone “jackets” to customize your look.

Where to Buy:  Office Depot, Electronics Stores

 

 

 

For the Fizzy Drink Aficionado – Sodastream  Source: 

Almost everybody likes a little bubbly in their beverages.  Individual preferences, however, can make purchasing soft drinks and seltzers for home use rather cumbersome and expensive.  This is where the Sodastream system shines.  With one soda maker, you can make virtually all of your favorite soft drinks, uncolas, seltzers—and, more recently—juices.  As a company, Sodastream has worked hard to expand their product line and offer something for everyone.  In my opinion, the Sodastream Source is their best offering yet.  It is the first soda maker that I have ever wanted to leave out on the counter.  Available in many colors, it is stylish, svelte, and of very high quality.

Where to buy:  Wal-Mart, Target, Big Box Stores, Department Stores, Grocery stores

 

 

 

For the Meat-Eater – A gift certificate for Nolan Ryan’s Beef  Grass-fed New York Strip Steak :

As if being one of the greatest pitchers in the game wasn’t enough, baseball legend Nolan Ryan now slings some of the greatest cuts of beef that money can buy.  While Texas residents can find these excellent steaks at their local Kroger’s or Albertson’s, those of us outside the Lone Star State can utilize their tantalizing website to get our grill on.  All steaks are shipped promptly in an impressive, thoroughly frozen thermal cooler.   Want something to give now? Buy a gift certificate from the website at http://nolan-ryan-s-beef-store.mybigcommerce.com/giftcertificates.php .

Where to buy:  http://nolan-ryan-s-beef-store.mybigcommerce.com/grass-fed-beef/

 

 

For the Style Maven – The VTech Retro Phone (LS6195) –

Let’s face it, most landline telephones today are pretty utilitarian:  the phones are plastic blocks designed to fit into slightly larger plastic blocks—that, my friend, is the extant of modern telephone design.   Especially with the ever-increasing VOIP technology like Vonage or magicJack, it is high time for a landline phone design revolution:  enter the Retro Phone.  The Retro Phone, as the name implies, finds its inspiriation in the past.  The handset, base, and overall design calls to mind an old rotary phone (you remember, the phones that actually looked like the phone symbol?) While its design is retro, its features are cutting edge:   DECT 6.0 technology, cordless handset, Caller ID, Call Waiting, Dual Back-lit displays, and dual speakerphones.  Bottom-line:  This is a phone that you want to look at,  maybe even put on display!

Where to Buy:  Officemaxx, Radio Shack, http://www.vtechphones.com/products/product_detail/1928

 

 

For the Sweet-eater – Edwards Salted Caramel Pie –

Okay, so maybe you don’t want to leave this treat under the tree for too long, but who says you can’t put a wrapped gift in the freezer?  While every pie by Edwards is excellent, including their Hershey’s Chocolate Crème and Key Lime pies, the Salted Caramel Pie really stole my heart.  With just a few minutes of thaw time, you can dig your fork into a chewy, caramelly, delicious goodness.  The little bit of salt balances this taste perfectly—it is really rare to get this level of culinary perfection out of a box, but Edwards does it!

Where to buy:  Most major supermarkets and grocery stores

For More Information: Check out their Facebook Page.

 

 

 For the Historian – In Meat We Trust:  An Unexpected History of Carnivore America by Maureen Ogle.

While most of us know that meat isn’t spontaneously created in cellophane packages, most of us don’t really know much about where our meat comes from—and even less about how that system came to be.  Ogle traces the history of the American meat industry from colonial times to our modern factory, mega-farms.  It is a fascinating and worthy ready for history buffs and meat-eaters alike.

Where to Buy:  Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, Powells Books, Many local bookstores.

 

 

 

 

 Turbo Roaster –

This is one of those AS SEEN ON TV gizmos that I really wish I thought of first.  Roasting poultry has always seemed like it just took forever.  Plus, it demanded your complete attention:  you couldn’t afford to under cook them—but then again, if you cooked them too long, you risked drying them out.  The Turbo Roaster fixes both these problems.  By cooking the inside of the bird with steam, the cook time is cut in half, and the bird comes out juicy and moist—everytime!

Where to buy:  Wal-Mart, https://www.turboroaster.com/