Find Last-Minute Christmas Gifts in Newtown

With all of the tree trimming, cookie baking and partygoing, there is so much to do during the holidays that it's easy to leave shopping for Christmas presents until the last minute. But by then, the malls and chain stores are usually chaotic and the mere thought of battling crowds is exhausting.

Here are some ideas for easy gifts that can be bought locally and require little stress:

• Go to Clark's Flower Shop for festive, holiday-inspired bouquets that would make nice centerpieces for a friend or neighbor’s Christmas dinner table.
• Go to Newtown Bookshop or Newtown Book and Record Exchange and pick out a few fun titles for the children in your family, or your kid’s friends.
• Go to Felix's Caketeria and order a festive cake or box of cupcakes that would be a delicious complement to holiday dinners.
• Go to Starbucks and pick up a bag of Joe or a gift card for that coffee lover in your life.
• Go to the Athletic Shoe Shop and pick up a gift certificate or new running shoes or sporting accessories for the athlete in your life. Or if the recipient is a biker, how about a gift certificate to the Newtown Bicycle Shop.
• Go to one of Newtown's many restaurants -- The Temperance House, The Brick Hotel, Isaac Newton's to name a few -- and pick up a gift certificate for a nice dinner out.
• Go to David J. Witchell or the Sycamore Salon and give someone in your life who needs a little relaxation a gift certificate for a manicure, pedicure or spa treatment.

Tell us: What are some of your own last-minute gift ideas? Share in the comments below.