Christmas time sometimes catches us all by surprise, which means you might be short on time to find sentimental gifts for dad. Don’t worry, because we’ve got you covered with 7 thoughtful and heartfelt last minute Christmas gifts for dad!
Capture has been helping people give great gifts of digitized memories for over 20 years, so we know a thing or two about the best gift ideas. That’s why we put together this guide to help you get the perfect gift this holiday season.
Keep reading to learn about experiential gifts, why they are great as last-minute dad gifts, and 7 great experiential gifts to inspire the perfect present this Christmas.
Jump to:
- Why Choose Experiential Gifts as Last-Minute Gifts for Dad?
- 7 Experiential Last Minute Christmas Gifts for Dad
- Last-Minute Planning Tips
Why Choose Experiential Gifts as Last-Minute Gifts for Dad?
When shopping for presents for dad, your first inclination might be to choose something that he can use, but in our experience, we’ve found that there’s something fathers love more than another tie, tumbler, or new gadget: experiences and memories they can share with their loved ones.
Experiential gifts are based on personal connections, family bonds, and lifetime memories. While a physical item might be used for a few weeks or even years, the memories of experiential gifts last forever.
Maybe more importantly, many of these types of gifts are perfect last minute Christmas gifts for Dad because you don’t have to wait for long delivery times. That means you might even be able to purchase some of them the day before Christmas!
7 Experiential Last Minute Christmas Gifts for Dad
These are some of the best Christmas gifts for parents that are based on memories and experiences. Whether your father is into cool tech gadgets from Best Buy or more old-fashioned, you’ll find Christmas experiences for dad that you can get at the last minute!
Customized Video Montage
Personalized Christmas gifts are some of the most memorable. By gathering and organizing photos or vintage camcorder home movies, you can spark nostalgia and share the memories together at home this Christmas.
You can even learn how to scrapbook or add home movies to a DVD copy to create a special keepsake. We definitely recommend digitizing the precious memories before doing anything else though, which can be a great gift in itself.
Digital memories are preserved forever, so no matter what happens your dad will have them. Plus, since Capture offers an industry-leading less than 30-day turnaround time, you can use our service last minute to create digital heirlooms of your dad’s favorite memories.
Cooking Class Experience
If your dad loves cooking or BBQ, then a cooking class can be a great last-minute gift idea. You can enroll him in a nearby class or even an online class right before Christmas.
There are plenty of options available including live masterclasses as well as podcasts, streaming courses, and more based around a variety of cooking styles and cuisines from American to Japanese, Italian, and everything in between.
If you have time, you can also get him a gift box with stainless steel cooking utensils, spices, foodie cookbooks, or even bottle openers as a stocking stuffer so he can enjoy his favorite craft beer while cooking a delicious meal. Plus, you can help him cook or even enroll in the class with him, making this one of the best experience-based gifts for dad.
Virtual Reality Adventure
For dads who are tech enthusiasts, it might be hard to think of something that’s more thoughtful than Apple Airpod earbuds or Bluetooth speakers, but something you can do together to create memories is a VR headset.
While it’s a tech gift, it’s something the entire family can do together to create new family memories. Just make sure the battery life will last all night when you start playing together! Even if it’s too late to order a gift online from Amazon, you can usually get them ASAP at local stores like Walmart, Macy’s, Best Buy, or other retailers.
Personalized Memory Book
DIY Christmas gifts for mom and dad are always wonderful. Not only are they usually affordable, but they are perfect as a last-minute Christmas gift. It’s also great for new dads because you can include baby photos as well as details about the pregnancy and adventure they are embarking on.
You can create pages based on anything you think your father will like. For example, one page could include wedding photos while another could have written experiences about your trip to New York, USA. This creates a completely personalized and thoughtful gift that your dad is sure to cherish forever.
Online Music Lessons (Or Other Hobby Lessons)
Christmas time is right before New Year’s, which means your dad might be thinking about learning a new hobby. You can enroll him in lessons for any hobby you think he’d like even at the very last minute.
There are tons of options. While music lessons for guitar, drums, or bass are very popular, other hobbies include gardening, woodworking, fishing, poker, and anything else you think fits your dad’s personality.
In addition to the lessons themselves, you can also add a gift set including related items like a Home Depot gift card, sheet music, or a t-shirt related to his new hobby.
DIY Project Kit
Fathers love new projects they can do with their sons and daughters, making it one of the best DIY gifts for dad. This is a great idea not only for Christmas, but also as a last-minute Father’s Day gift, birthday gift, or for any other special occasion.
The sky is the limit for the type of project but it could be anything from fixing up an old 80s car to building a birdhouse, making at-home wine, creating artwork, or anything else.
Subscription to a History or Documentary Service
Does your dad love to learn new things? If so, you can subscribe to him to a history or documentary podcast, book club, or other service. Each week or month, he’ll get a new episode of something that interests him.
There are options based on nature, wars, or certain countries, people, or events that he might cherish learning about. Plus, you can learn with him to create new memories and have fun conversations about new topics you might never have discussed before.
Last-Minute Planning Tips
While some of these gifts will take a few minutes the day before Christmas, it’s still important to make sure you plan appropriately so you have it ready on Christmas day.
For example, even if you just have a receipt for a course or class, you can still get a card to write the gift into, so you have something to give him. You can even include your favorite dad joke inside to add a little humor and personality to Dad’s Christmas memories.
If you do need to buy something from a store, we recommend choosing a store that won’t be too busy. While you may have to go outside of town, this can help you ensure they have what you need in stock, especially if you are getting one of this season’s bestsellers.
Finally, as we mentioned before some of the best Father’s Day gifts, birthday gifts for Dad, and, of course, last-minute Christmas gifts for Dad are homemade, it’s important that you plan appropriately. That means making a list of everything you need for personalized dad gifts including photos, home movies, film rolls, and all the materials you need to create a memory book, artwork, or other unique gift. If you have some more time, you can even give your Dad the gift of preserving memories with our digitizing gift ideas.
Conclusion
We hope this gift guide has inspired your creative Christmas gifts for Dad but remember that the most memorable dad presents are ones based on experiences and family connections. That means that even if you get him an iPhone that he’ll probably love, you can make it even more special by adding family photos or his favorite music albums to it.
If you need help digitizing memories to create a special photo or home movie heirloom, Capture can complete your order in 30 days or less. Plus, our state-of-the-art facilities mean you get the best quality results. Click here to learn more about getting your order by Christmas!
