Shopping for Christmas gifts at the eleventh hour is not a good idea, because more often than not, you will end up getting a bad bargain for yourself. You should try your level best to shop for Christmas gifts early. Not only early shoppers get big discounts on their purchases, but they also get exactly what they want!

This article is however for those who haven't been able to buy Charismas gifts within the stipulated time period for some reason or other. In this article I will tell you about five top places where you can get good deals on Christmas presents even if you are a late minute shopper!

2. Your local library: How could you forget your local library? Thee are so many cool tidbits you can find there such as tote bags, postcards, mugs etc., that could serve as cool Christmas gifts! And of course, you can always rent some books from the library for family reading!

3. Hair Salons: Hair Salons are not there just to get your hair cut, although you can always do that. During Christmas, when hair salons are almost deserted, they sell gift certificates for manicure and haircut. You can buy yourself a haircut certificate while getting a manicure gift rearticulate for your wife or girlfriend. As long as you don't present your gift in a way that would offend the recipient, these should make for ideal Christmas gifts!

4. Gas stations: With the economy being in recession and the prevalence of widespread unemployment, people are looking forward to saving some money on gas prices. Unfortunately, gas prices have shot up like never before during the recent years. You can ease the burden on your loved ones by buying them a gift card for a tank of gas; I am sure they would really appreciate it!

Also remember that gas stations are not there just to buy gas. You may or may not know it, but you can always find great stuff such as flowers, sunglasses, fire logs, lottery tickets, etc, during Christmas because this is usually the off-season period for these gas stations!

5. Travel agencies: No, I don't mean to say that you should buy an expensive travel package for your family, though that would of course be better! Christmas is usually the off-peak period for most travel agencies. However you can always get stuff like inflatable pillows and money belts that are usually purchased by travelers!

1. The internet: Don't forget the internet; you can get a vast sea of Christmas presents for cheap even if you are a late shopper. There are several online stores which hold stock clearance sales during Christmas and offer deep discounts on several products! Try Amazon or eBay for your last minute Christmas shopping. You may have to pay a little more to get your present shipped on time, but sometimes it worth it if you can't find what you are looking for elsewhere.

And don't forget the convenience and the amount of money you can save! You can buy digital ebooks and music MP3s online and have then delivered to you or others by email! No waiting for shopping. Isn't that really cool?

Just because you are a late Christmas shopper doesn't mean there is nothing you can gift to your loved ones! But of course, I still recommend you try to shop a couple of months before the Christmas season begins!

If you are willing to put a little time and energy into a Christmas game, this one is surefire hit. It's called "dress Santa" and it's funny and silly and worth having a camera round to record the fun. You might even want a camcorder as well.

Here's how it works. Create a dress-up box with a Santa costume and other items that Santa might or might not wear. You want to have a full-bore Santa costume, so you can either rent one or purchase one if you think it will get used years after. They can be found for around $100 or maybe a little less if you buy one at a costume shop that's used.

You'll put the Santa suit in a large suitcase or trunk. Be sure you have as many Santa items as possible; for example, you want to have a pair of boots, gloves, a big belt, etc. Then in the trunk or suitcase, mix in other items, like jewelry, hats, socks, shoes and feather boas. It's probably obvious where this is going.

At the Christmas party, someone volunteers to play the game. Ideally, you'll have several volunteers so you can time people and award a prize for fastest or most interesting, or whatever works based for your party.

The chosen person gets blindfolded and stripped down to their bare essentials. No, it's not that kind of game, but if a woman is wearing a sweater over a T-shirt and shoes, the shoes and the sweater can be removed, so she has less on her to begin with. Once the person is blindfolded, begin timing them. Tell them they must dress Santa as quickly as possible in his Santa suit only, nothing else. To spice up the game and make it more interesting, be sure to include some items in the trunk that might feel like Santa items, but aren't. For example, you'll have Santa's black gloves in the trunk, but also include a pair or two of garden gloves, and Santa has a belt, but you could include other belts as well. Be sure to include several hats (even a princess hat, which might feel like a Santa hat to a disoriented participant).

Once Santa is dressed, stop the timer and take the blindfold off. Everyone can get a good laugh at the result. Santa might have his suit on, but he might also be wearing a robe. Or he might be in his suit, but with garden gloves, a rhinestone belt and a princess hat. Be sure to take pictures of your good sport and move to the next participant. It's better if the other players aren't in the room, since many might remember the various items in the trunk and make mental notes about what to ignore and what to use.

After the Santas are done with their dressing and the requisite pictures have been taken, decide on a winner. Is the winner the Santa who dressed in 45 seconds, or the one that wore the garden gloves, princess hat and rhinestone belt combination? It's a tough call, but a winner must be crowned, so to speak. You can award prizes (Santa hats filled with candy are fun) or you can keep this all in fun and let the good sports know the fun is in the silly playing.