Step 1 Dont panic Photo Getty Images Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links we may earn a small share of the revenue However our picks and opinions are independent from USA TODAYs newsroom and any business incentives Its happened to all of us Despite getting our gift buying done early spending extra on shipping or memorizing guaranteed delivery dates sometimes an order just isnt going to show up on time and youre left looking as poorly prepared as Santa after the fog rolls in on Rudolphs night off The first step is Dont panic No matter whether your gift isnt showing up at the giftees place in time for the holidays or isnt getting to you in time to bring with you theres probably nothing you can do about it except to perhaps cancel the order if it hasnt shipped yet So take a deep breath let it out slowly and browse this list of options 1 Give the gift of an experience Give the gift of an experience Photo Getty Images Giving a nicely wrapped gift is great but only if its going to show up on time otherwise its just gracing the inside of a shipping box If you need something that will arrive instantaneously tickets to a sporting event or concert a gift certificate for an activity or anything that exists in a strictly digital capacity is the way to do it Try something like Eventbrite or SeatGeek if youre looking for tickets to a concert or event near the person youre gifting If you gift them two tickets maybe theyll bring you along I did that recently and now Im soaking in a hot tub for 45 minutes next week Using sites like those you can usually send the tickets directly if you know the recipients e-mail address but you can also have them delivered electronically to your own e-mail address so you can decide when to forward them to the giftee or if youd rather print them out and present them in person 2 Give them a gift card Give the gift of a gift card Gift cards arent just a great option when you cant think of what to buy your giftee Like tickets they can also be delivered via email or probably text meaning you can deliver them instantly There is a huge selection of e-Gift or print at home gift cards on Amazon and its super easy to punch in your giftees e-mail address and send them a holiday greeting along with their present You could even mention they can expect something else from you the slow-to-arrive gift sometime after the holidays If you have a little more time you can also get physical gift cards in a decorative box that should arrive from Amazon quite reliably especially now that the company has extended free shipping and same-day delivery Plenty of retail and conveninec estores sells gifts cards as well but your price options may be more limited 3 Gift a subscription box Gift a subscription box Photo Getty Images If youre not aware of subscription boxes theyre curated packages that arrive every month containing all sorts of neat items like beauty accessories hobby peripherals or even ingredients to cook meals The actual box most likely will not arrive for the holidays you already kind of dropped the ball on that one But you can give them something to look forward to after the holidays are over Weve got well-researched guides to the ebst beauty boxes and best meal kits to get you started You can also check out a big catch-all like CrateJoy which has a huge selection of subscription boxes in virtually every category and for every type of person you can think of Heck you might end up getting something for yourself while youre at it 4 Get out there and shop Hit up a retail shop Photo Getty Images This ones a bit more specific and a bit more obvious but if the gift you shipped to yourself isnt going to arrive before you leave to visit the person you bought it for you might need to just suck it up and go buy something in person that you can wrap and bring with you Dont panic if you dont know what stores are around where youre visiting Its as simple as opening up Google Maps and assuming you have location services enabled on your laptop or iPad typing in retail shops You can find something nearby like a novelty shop or specialty store and find something totally unique for your giftee Just dont buy anything too bizarre if youre picking something up before you fly to visit family with gifts in tow Or at least check the TSAs What Can I Bring list first 5 Give the gift of travel Give the gift of travel Photo Getty Images This might sound crazy expensive at first glance but you dont have to buy a fully expensed flight and hotel package to give the gift of travel If your giftees just been looking for a change of pace over the weekend you could book them a couple nights at a within-driving-distance but hopefully scenic location on AirBNB Its easy to search by town city or zip code and book places enough in advance that you get a good price and they have plenty of time to pack If youd rather avoid the stress of picking a suitable location but you still want to help a friend get away you could always take the gift card route and pick up an AirBNB gift card Alternatively check out Hotelscom if youre looking to gift a slightly more traditional and amenity-focused getaway Prices are accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time