We've all, at some point in time, decided it would be a good idea to spend the bulk of our cash in November and early December on chicken wings, beer and Xbox games, confident that our Dec. 22 paycheck would be able to cover all the gifts we need for friends and family.

The problem is when you finally get to the stores and realize everything you wanted is sold out and you're down to the wire. Lucky for you, we saw this coming and planned ahead by making a last-minute gift guide chock full of ideas guaranteed to impress, more or less.

For Anyone

Movie gift cards
Last-minute gifting is often lazy gifting and gift cards are often the domain of secret Santa presents for people you've never spoken more than a few words to. But the movie gift card transcends boundaries by giving someone a gift that's simple and easy to get that will only suck if the gift receiver makes it suck by going to an awful movie. Otherwise, it's kick-ass.


Lottery tickets
No other last minute gift can quite match the lottery ticket for simplicity, relevance and entertainment value. You can get them anywhere, they're good for almost anyone on your list barring toddlers and hardcore Mormons -- and they're one of the few gifts that may actually turn out to be garbage within about 30 seconds.
Bacon popcorn
Food is an excellent standby when you're back's against the wall. Why? At least 80 percent of all people eat, that's why. The odds are in your favor that it'll pan out no matter who you buy for. You could go with chocolates or some kind of cheese assortment, but why not make it seem like you put more effort in by buying bacon-flavored popcorn.

For Her

Mario Batali Crocs
Anything you can wear is generally the last thing you want for a last-minute gift; the potential to mess up is huge. Except when it comes to something like crocs. They probably have sizes, but by and large you can narrow it down to "more big" vs. "less big" and eyeball it. And with Mario Batali crocs, it seems like you went out and found the perfect celebrity-themed gift that's also practical.
Personalized Thong
As is our understanding of women, they all love to be decked out in undies that make it known to the world that she's your property. Ha! Charming! Yes, personalized underwear that can be shipped to you in a day or two is sure to be a big hit this holiday season.
Pole-Dancing Taster Session
How could this go wrong? It's a unique gift that lets you go out and do something together; it's fun, gives you some exercise and may or may not involve boobs. That's what the season is all about.

For Him

 The Hasty Gift Basket
Sure, you can go to a store and buy a pre-wrapped selection of exotic jams and jellies that comes in a wicker basket wrapped in cellophane and have your loved ones curse your name, or you can head out to the nearest minimall and buy a basket, some plastic wrap and enough crap to make your own custom basket in probably half an hour. What can you put in it? A 40 of Olde English, Lucky Strikes, dirty magazines and canned meat if that's what Dad wants this year; it's really up to your imagination and what you can find at 7-Eleven.
Private Ninja Lessons
We polled everyone in the office and no one could think of a reason why we even need to explain this entry being on the list. It's ninja lessons. There is no one you know who wouldn't benefit from this.
Meat
The Internet is a marvel for the last-minute shopper who needs something delivered tomorrow that he can't find at the local flea market today. Things like a wide assortment of ridiculous cuts of meat made from cattle, hand-raised by hot bikini models or some such. Gotta be something going on here to justify the cost, but it won some awards so it sounds good to us.

For Co-Workers

Charitable Donation
Let's be honest, no one really likes Secret Santa unless they get a friend. If you get the guy from the mail room who smells like feet, you have no idea what to buy. So why buy anything? Take a hint from George Costanza (except do it for real), and make a donation to a charity in their name. No one can reasonably be angry about receiving it and you can do it online without even having to put on pants.
Gourmet Coffee
You know why this idea works? Neither does anyone else. Nonetheless, if you interact with people socially at any point in time, then you could probably stand to have coffee in your possession, even if you don't drink it yourself. That means you can give coffee to anyone and it's never really a terrible idea.
Personalized Garment Bag
We're willing to concede that the idea of a personalized garment bag is just short of mind-blowing, but think about it -- what are the odds anyone has one of these? You know for a fact no one has one, and that's what makes it a good gift, in a roundabout illogical sort of way. Plus, personalization shows that degree of care that means you didn't just pick this up at Wal-Mart, you went out of your way to get it.