Whew!
It's all done. Christmas presents are wrapped. Got the menu all planned and the food all bought. Decorations are up; tree is trimmed; holiday music jingles out of the stereo.
Then the phone rings. Millie, your 66-year-old aunt from Kingsport, has decided at the last minute to come down for Christmas. And she's bringing Cousin Curtis, the 45-year-old, recently divorced father of three.
Holy moly! You can't just let them sit there, staring blankly into their coffee while everyone else is opening gifts with smiles and laughter. But there are only two shopping days until Christmas and it's too late to order something online and get it shipped. What are you going to do?
First ... take deep breaths.
Second, there are plenty of places still open and still happy to sell you gifts for Aunt Millie and Cousin Curtis. And they're all over the area.
So here are some suggestions for last-minute gifts -- most under $25 -- and where you can run out and get them.
Breakfast at Tiffany's lunchbox
$15.99
Moon Pie General Store, 429-B Broad St.
877-0592 or moonpie.com
Whether you use it to tote your PB&J or carry your wallet, tissues and car keys, these boxes are tres cool. The Moon Pie General Store also carries lunchboxes featuring Sesame Street characters, The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Gumby.
Cured meats
$2 per ounce
Main Street Meats, 217 E. Main St.
602-9568 or mainstreetmeatschatt.com
From a spicy Spanish-style chorizo to a beef salami resplendent with hints of coriander and juniper, these sausages are all made with meats raised within a 40-minute drive of Chattanooga. They're delicious and, as an added bonus, easy to wrap. And, if you're really lucky, the person who gets them may open them up right there and start carving up slices to hand out.
Homemade measuring sticks
$25
605-9455 or countrycreekrelics@gmail.com
Forget measuring your child's growth by recording it by pen or pencil on a wall or door frame. William Sutherland's stained, reclaimed 2x6's make ideal growths chart for children. The strips of pine, which stretch up to 8 feet, can be easily screwed or nailed to a wall, making it simple to measure your child's growth. Sutherland, owner of Country Creek Relics in Chattanooga, is a regular vendor at Chattanooga Market. When the market is closed, he can be reached at the phone or email above.
Pez Dispenser sets such as this one based on characters in "The Hobbit" movies are last-minute gifts available at Wal-Mart for $17.97. Pez Candy Dispenser sets
$17.97
Wal-Mart
Be prepared for everyone else in the room to want one of these once someone unwraps it. They're just so cool. At the Wal-Mart on Brainerd Road, there are sets of Pez candy dispensers topped by characters from "The Hobbit" (the last film in the trilogy just opened last week), characters from "Star Trek: The Next Generation," even "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves." Other Wal-Marts around the area will almost certainly be stocking similar items. At Brainerd Road, the sets are in amongst the cash registers (you know, on those shelves that might as well be labeled "Last-Second Impulse Buys").
Sunbeam Microplush Heated Throw
$26.99
Ollie's Bargain Outlet, 5768 Brainerd Road
894-4400
We all know someone who's permanently cold. Even in July. Here's a chance to keep them toasty year-round. This little throw is essentially a small version of the electric blanket you buy for your bed. It comes in burgundy, black, beige, plaid, green -- just a whole bunch of colors, basically. Fingers and toes need never be frozen again.
"Rolling Stones: 50"
$12.99
Ollie's Bargain Outlet, 5768 Brainerd Road
894-4400
Who wouldn't want a coffee-table sized hardcover book with a huge, red tongue on the cover? Can't think of anyone, can you? "The Rolling Stones: 50" is a 352-page doorstop with 700 photos picked by the band members. It follows the band from its early days in the 1960s all the way up to its 50th anniversary in 2012.
Crabtree & Evelyn beauty products, available at Kingwood Pharmacy in East Ridge, are last-minute gifts in the range of $8-$45.Crabtree & Evelyn beauty products
$8 to $45
Kingwood Pharmacy, 3824 Ringgold Road, East Ridge
629-1434
In the '70s, Crabtree and Evelyn was the go-to beauty product of rising Hollywood starlets and rock stars' muses. Supermodel Patti Hansen said she wore the company 's iris-scented body lotion to enchant Rolling Stone Keith Richards when they were dating. In the Oscar-winning film "Annie Hall," Woody Allen obsesses over why Diane Keaton washes her face with black soap, aka Crabtree and Evelyn's Black Sea Mud & Seaweed soap. You'll find a hefty haul here, where the rose-, wisteria-, lavender- and iris-scented products are displayed. Prices range from $8 for a tube of hand balm to $45 for a bottle of eau de cologne.
Produce baskets
$10 to $25
Linda's Produce, 3306 Ringgold Road, East Ridge
629-5317
Is your sweetheart trying to stick with a diet through the December holidays -- or just trying to eat healthy sometimes? These beautiful baskets are crammed with apples, oranges and walnuts and range in price from $10 to $25. One catch, the produce stand is closed on Christmas Eve so don't make this purchase at the very last minute.
Personalized gifts
$15.95
Galleries on Williams Street, 1403 Williams St.
521-4445
A monogram bangle shows the gift was picked with her in mind. Silvertone swirls are centered with a capitalized initial. Choose the letter of her first name and watch her smile.
Southern hospitality
$32.95 for set of two
Galleries on Williams Street, 1403 Williams St.
521-4445
Make a New Year's Eve toast with these Redneck Champagne Flutes by Carson Home Accents. Just as funny as their companion pieces, the Redneck Wine Glasses, these goblets are Mason jars on a stem. The screw-on lids will handily prevent spills by tipsy revelers.
Handmade catch-all
$18.95
Galleries on Williams Street, 1403 Williams St.
521-4445
This handmade trinket dish is a charming addition to any woman's vanity as the catch-all for rings or earrings. One in a collection of colorfully glazed pieces, many of them imprinted with initials or crosses, the dish is made by artist Jennie Hillman of Brandon, Miss.
Chocolates
$2 per piece
Hot Chocolatier, 1437 Market St.
266-3066
The smell of infinite joy -- also known as chocolate -- envelops everyone who walks into the Hot Chocolatier. Selection varies every day but the price is always $2 per piece. Staffer Elizabeth Meade is ready to help you fill boxes that can hold from two to 30 pieces with each handmade candy nestled in a separate cube.