Emergency Holiday Gift Guide 2023
So, you’ve procrastinated and now here you are.
You’re about to run into friends and family members. They’re gonna have gifts for you, which is lovely.
However, they’ll also give you looks if you don’t have reciprocal gifts, which isn’t great.
Thankfully, we live in a digital world now, and I’ve got your back.
Here’s a Disney emergency gift guide that make you look like Santa Claus rather than Scrooge!
A Disney+ Gift Card
Obviously, we’re gonna be gift card-intensive here because I can tell you from experience that Amazon can’t save you now.
I just ordered some stuff that isn’t arriving until the 29th, and that’s with Amazon Prime delivery.
We’ve officially reached the point in the holiday season when Amazon has washed its hands of your mess. It’s on you now.
As you’ll see, I’m perfectly happy to suggest specific gift cards this holiday season.
However, some of you may prefer a more specific approach. In that case, a Disney+ gift card will work wonders.
When you hand this to a loved one, you’re unlocking the entire Disney Vault of content.
The person can watch all the Disney classics plus exceptional new Disney+ series like Loki and Ahsoka.
This gift doesn’t end with the holidays. Instead, your loved one will appreciate your generosity well into 2024.
There’s one caveat to this suggestion, though, and it’s a BIG one…
A Disney Gift Card
I cannot stress this statement enough. There IS a difference between a Disney+ gift card and a Disney gift card.
This poor person learned this fact the hard way:
@aofthecoast Do I have a story for you! PLEASE HELP! Note that the purchaser is not familiar with Disney Plus and did not know the difference! Honest mistake. It is not about the funding of the trip. It is about finding someone who can help us transfer the money into the correct gift card so we can make it to Disney! @Disney Parks @Disney+ @Disney #ohno #fail #disney #disneyworld #disneyplus #disneyfail #help
As I type this, they have posted more than 30 TikTok updates regarding their plight.
The gist is that you CAN use a Disney gift card to pay for Disney+.
So, this individual’s parents accidentally bought about, oh, 70 years of Disney+ subscriptions.
You cannot use those gift cards at theme parks, at ShopDisney, or anywhere else you’d buy Disney products.
As such, the utility of a Disney+ gift card is in question. For this reason, when in doubt, you should ALWAYS purchase a generic Disney gift card instead.
You can use the basic Disney gift cards at the parks or to pay for any kind of online Disney transaction on their official website.
I pay for Disney Vacation Club annual dues with Disney gift cards at times. And they work for annual passes, too.
So, purchasing this kind of gift card provides your loved one with the flexibility to do whatever they want under the Disney brand.
For this reason, please ignore my first suggestion and just buy the standard Disney gift card instead. It’s better and safer.
A Steam Gift Card
I’ve warmed to this idea in recent years. Part of the explanation involves the semi-annual Steam Sales that have been an internet legend.
Twice a year, Steam discounts a staggering percentage of its massive video game catalog, enabling some great deals for gamers.
That goes double for people who have Steam credit since we don’t have to pay anything. Instead, we use the credit on our account to buy the games.
I’ve bought a comically large number of games this way, even though I realize I probably won’t play some of them anytime soon.
The Disney gamer in your life will especially appreciate the sentiment of a Steam gift card because several Disney games are freemium.
Disney Speedstorm, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Disney Magic Kingdoms, Marvel’s Avengers, Marvel Snap, and Marvel’s Midnight Suns all qualify here.
Someone can use the Steam gift card to buy in-game items to level up and unlock extra features.
People really do this, and I’m saying that as someone whose Madden Ultimate Team is currently a 90.
So, a Steam gift card is a better gift than you might think.
A Few Other Suggestions
The world has changed dramatically in just a few years. Silicon Valley startups have come up with a few good ideas.
Quietly among the best of them are services like Shipt and Instacart, which will deliver gifts directly to your home.
The one caveat here is that such businesses fly in the face of the other suggestions I’ve listed. They won’t deliver gift cards for…reasons.
So, you’ll need to open up one of these apps, do your last-minute shopping, and then tip a driver to deliver it to your doorstep.
Presuming you can afford this solution, it’s efficient and stress-free.
At this point in the shopping season, you’ll run into inventory issues, but that’s a small price to pay if you want to wrap gifts rather than gift cards.
PS: If you choose this route, please tip your driver quite well. It’s the holidays for them as well, and you can imagine what a hellscape the store will be.
Please do right by the person working hard to make your Christmas a bit more magical.
As an aside, you might consider joining Walmart+, which works the same way and includes Paramount+ as a bonus.
You could theoretically gift that subscription, too! Walmart+ performs home delivery just like Shipt and Instacart, but it’s usually significantly cheaper.
That aspect counterbalances the monthly fee. But you must act quickly if you’re gonna do any of the home delivery options.
The calendar isn’t your friend right now.
A Walt Disney World Vacation
There’s an even better way to win Christmas and thrill your family.
Also, by giving this gift, you won’t simply make the holidays more magical. You’ll also promise your family a joyous 2024 vacation!
That’s why I always recommend booking a Disney trip for the holidays.
You can speak with a MickeyTravels agent to set up your dream trip that will also make you the hero/heroine of your family this holiday season.
These Authorized Disney Vacation Planners have attained Diamond earmark status, signifying that they are the VERY best in the business.
Just as importantly, their motto is “Making Magic One Vacation at a Time…®”.
That’s what you aspire to do this holiday season, isn’t it? You want to make magic for your ‘ohana.
Booking a 2024 Walt Disney World vacation embodies the concept better than any other gift I’ve listed here.
But no matter which one of these gifts you choose, I want to stress one thing.
I hope you have the Merriest of Christmases and the happiest of holidays, my many loves.
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below, and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!