You've got presents upon presents but none for your spouse!  

The stockings were hung on the chimney with care,

In hopes that you would actually have something to put in there!

If you're caught in this same old dilemma, fret no more!  Choose one from this list of cool last minute Christmas gift ideas and have it shipped ASAP to your door.  I'll stop rhyming now.  Don't have a cow.

Last Minute Gift #1: Canon Powershot SD1200 Digital Camera

If someone in your family does not have a digital camera, this is the one to get them.  It's compact, durable, and takes high quality photographs.  With 10 megapixels, a nice big LCD screen, and a user-friendly interface, the Canon SD1200 Powershot makes a very cool last minute Christmas gift idea.

Last Minute Gift #2: Style Six Silk Screener

Got an aspiring designer in your family?  How about a kid who loves art?  If you answered yes to either of these questions, the Style Six Silk Screener makes an awesome last minute gift idea.  This silk screen kit allows kids to design and create their own, stylish t-shirts.  Style Six looks like they've hit a home run here.  Heck – I might get one for my cousin and myself.

Last Minute Gift #3: Toshiba 640 GB Portable External Hard Drive

Most people these days have tons of information stored on their laptops or desktops – thousands of irreplaceable photos, expensive downloaded songs, terrible old love letters, resumes, papers, etc.  If someone happens to steal your laptop or spill coffee on your desktop, those files could be gone forever.  Investing in a portable external hard drive gives you the security of knowing that, if something does happen to your computer, you'll still have your files.

Last Minute Gift #4: Cranium Family Edition

Cranium isn't one board game; it's 8 in one.  Combining Pictionary, Charades, trivia and more, it's a fun and dynamic game, even for those who think they're too old for board games.  The Family Edition is perfect for the holidays, as it has been modified slightly to make the game fun for players aged 8 to 80.

Last Minute Gift #5: Presto 03510 FlipSide Waffle Iron

Why don't you own a waffle iron already?  They make Sunday mornings much more interesting.  Making waffles as a family is always a great, and rewarding, experience.  Throw in some fresh strawberries and a bottle of whipped cream and you've got a taste of heaven.

Last Minute Gift #6: Sony Mini Hi-Fi with iPod Dock

Here's a compact stereo system with an iPod dock for much less than one would expect to pay for a machine with such good sound quality.  It's a great machine for anyone who's looking for big sound from a small machine.

Last Minute Gift #7: Weber 1520 Propane Go-Anywhere Grill

Every dude needs to have a portable grill to take the tail gates, on camping trips, and to the beach.  The Weber 1520 Propane Go-Anywhere Grill is my personal favorite because it's relatively inexpensive and it's so easy to use and clean.  It's lightweight but definitely big enough to cook food for 4-6 people at a time.  

Well there you have it: 7 cool last minute Christmas gift ideas.  If you still haven't found what you're looking for, check out some of my other posts on gifts for teens, gifts for college students, gifts for women, gifts for men, and much more!  

Gift Idea #1: Skateboards or RipStiks: The Cool Kid's Gift Idea

Your son's best friend Bobby just got a skateboard for his birthday, so your son automatically needs one.  In themselves, skateboards aren't the most incredible gifts of all time.  However, if your son happens to see another, older kid with a skateboard, he'll immediately need one.  As long as you can convince your kid to wear a helmet, there's nothing at all wrong with skateboarding.  Besides giving him some degree of independence, skateboarding will also give your kid confidence (if he's halfway decent).  It might cause a few scrapes and fractures, but that'll just toughen him up and give him scars to show girls later in life. 

Ripstiks are may look similar to skateboards, but they are actually quite different.  These boards rely on wobbling back and forth and keeping both feet planted on the board instead of pushing with one foot.  Relative to skateboards, which can be tough to get the hang of and quite easy to hurt yourself on, Ripstiks are easier to pick up and result in fewer injuries.

Gift Idea #2: Boombox: A Rockin Gift Idea for a Boy

Take a page from Jay-Z’s mom: “Sean used to be in kitchen beating on the table and rapping into the wee hours of the morning.  And then I bought him a boom box.  And his sisters and brothers said that he would drive them nuts.  But that was my way to keep him close to me and outta trouble.” 

On the one hand, a boombox is a lot cheaper than a drum set.  On the other hand, an aspiring rapper in the house is a lot like living next to a construction site.  Except at this construction site, they don’t start work at 6:30 am.  It’s when they stop.

Gift Idea #3: Kid Galaxy Cars: Cool Gift Ideas for Boys

One day, your little boy is going to earn himself a state certified driver's license.  When that day comes, would you rather that he had a tiny bit of knowledge of how not to crash a vehicle or none at all?  

Kid Galaxy cars make awesome gift ideas for boys because they allow boys to live out death-defying fantasies without ever moving their feet.  Yes, the remote control car might be in flames, but at least your son is still standing here, perfectly well.

Gift Idea #4: Two words: Video Games

This one’s a no-brainer – unless, of course, you get them the wrong game (about a 80% chance).  Before you buy a video game or video game console for your kid, make sure that you're getting him the one he wants.  There's nothing worse than getting your kid the wrong game, because you'll hear him complain about it until you get him the right one.  

Gift Idea #5: Candy: Unbeatable Stocking Stuffers for Young Boys

Unless it turns them into Cookie Monster, almost any form of candy is universally appreciated by boys under the age of 9.  While your best bets are King-Size Hershey's bars or Hershey's Kisses, you can also get away with King-Size bags of fruity candies like Skittles or Starburst or giant buckets of Red Vines (Twizzlers).  SIDE NOTE: It's best to give your kid these types of sugary gifts while they still have their baby teeth and cavities don't matter.  Otherwise, you're just investing in silver tooth fillings for your kid down the line. 

Gift Idea #6: Rollerblades: An Awesome Gift Idea for a Less Coordinated Kid

Skateboarding's bastard child, rollerblading, is much less dangerous and difficult to pick up.  In addition, it allows you to travel faster and get more exercise.  On the downside, once your kid realizes it's way less cool than skateboarding, he'll probably throw the rollerblades in the closet and start begging you for a skateboard.  

Gift Idea #7: Swords and Shields: Unique Gift Ideas for Boys

Quite simply, boys want gifts that allow them to be King.  If they're at all interested in the Knights of the Round Table, the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, or any other medieval fantasy land, you should consider getting them a dull wooden sword and shield.  Most of these toy swords and shields are pretty harmless, but awesomely fun.  They turn your average 8-year-old into a fearless warrior and your average back yard into the treacherous realm of Mordor.  Finally, they turn virtually everything, from cousins to trees to basketballs, into orcs.

Gift Idea #8: The Big Book of Boy Stuff by Bart King

Here's a book that your boy might actually read.  Filled with gags, pranks, and jokes, this book is sure to entertain any growing boy.  While it might lead to him being sent to detention a few times, what's the harm in that?  Kids have to learn how to make their own mistakes and become their own people.  If that means lighting a few farts on fire during gym class, then so be it.

I know the feeling because I'm always running to the book store for last minute presents.  Over the years, I've learned what types of books people like and which ones get used to start fires.

There's nothing wrong with buying books at the last minute for family members, but you've got to keep two important ground rules in mind:

1.  Don't buy fiction.  Unless you live with someone who reads everything they can get their hands on, it's best to stay away from novels when buying books for gifts for family members.  If you know that someone loves Haruki Murakami novels, you could pick up one of his lesser known titles.  However, it's possible that the Murakami lover has already the title you're buying.

2. Don't buy nonfiction.  You might think your Dad cares about JFK, and you'd be partially right.  He cares enough to watch 45 minutes of a History Channel show on JFK and then doze off.  He almost certainly does not care enough to read 450 pages about JFK, though.

Where does this leave us?  We're left with the undisputed best gift ideas for books for Christmas: artsy coffee table books and hilarious, captivating toilet readers.  

10. When Ninja's Attack by Sam Kaplan, Keith Riegert, and Phoebe Bronstein

This book is flat out hilarious.  It's the sort of book that you can just pick up, flip to any page, read two sentences, and start cracking up.  Chapter 7, "Buying Time: Negotiating with and Befriending your Ninja Assassin" should probably be made into a movie.  

9. What's Your Poo Telling You? by Dr. Anish Sheth and Josh Richman

Caution: If you decide to read this book while sitting on the toilet, you'll probably be in the bathroom laughing hysterically for at least 45 minutes.  Writing in a smooth, irreverent style, Sheth and Richman answer all of the questions about poo that you were too afraid to ask and too ashamed to Google.  

8. Massive Change by Bruce Mau

In this thick coffee table book, Bruce Mau provides hundreds of fascinating photos and short descriptions of ways to better design the planet.  Featuring beautiful photography and crisp copy, Massive Change is a prodigious conversation starter.

7. Annie Leibowitz: At Work by Annie Leibowitz

While not exactly a coffee table book, this big book by the master of portrait photography features excellent pictures accompanied by very interesting narratives.  Leibowitz, who has photographed everybody from OJ Simpson to The Queen of England (not to mention virtually ever president, actor, musician you can name), tells some very interesting tales about her exciting life and the character's she met.  Give this book 15 minutes and you'll find it hard to put down.

6. Nufonia Must Fall by Kid Koala

Here's a comic book with no words, designed to be read while the accompanying CD plays in the background.  The end of each track by Kid Koala, one of the most innovative DJ's in the world, coincides with the end of each chapter.  The combination of the artwork, music and the story warps you into another dimension.  This gift idea is perfect for any college student or art junkie.  

5. Wall & Piece by Banksy

For the angst-filled teenager is your family, an introduction to Banksy's work makes a great gift idea.  In this excellent coffee table book, Banksy shows us how to use the maligned art of graffiti in beautiful ways to make statements about society and humanity. The zeitgeist of the latter part of this decade, Banksy's work has been so influential that many companies have embraced his methods of artwork as guerilla advertising (which is either a compliment or a sign of the end of days).

4. The Americans by Robert Frank

An expansive photographic history, Robert Frank's Americans shows us the hopes, dreams, and failures of the American people during the 20th century.  Because much of Frank's work shows New Yorkers in the late 1950's and early 1960's, this book makes a great gift idea for anyone in advertising or anyone who's obsessed with AMC's hit show, Mad Men.

3. Andy Warhol: Giant Size by the Editors of Phaidon Press

A huge book that features the work of the most influential American artist ever, this Phaidon press behemoth is sure to amaze your visitors (and the people across the street).

2. Edward Weston: A Legacy by Jennifer Watts, et al

One of Ansel Adam's contemporaries whose work is often overshadowed by Adams' mountain of popularity, Edward Weston took equally impressive photographs of landscapes and also some amazing black and white portraits set in the rolling dunes of Monterey, California.  This book includes hundreds of 8' x 10' Weston's photos and makes for a great coffee table book.

1. The Complete Worst Case Survival Handbook by Joshua Piven

Unlike most bathroom readers, which are so obsessed with having zillions of tiny anecdotes and facts that they forget to make the writing interesting, the Complete Worst Case Survival Handbook gives you fascinating copy that might save your life someday.  How many other books can say that?

For example, if you slip up and get your teenage girl the wrong color hat, she might run off to her bedroom crying instead of playing with her younger siblings under the Christmas tree (And all because "Britney wore this hat EIGHT months ago and it is SO TOTALLY uncool now!  Like DUH!").  On the other hand, if you get your teenage boy Counterstrike 3 instead of Counterstrike 4, he'll sulk for 3 months and spend all of his time at Joey's house (Because "Joey has Counterstrike 4 and his Mom makes us buffalo wings!  Like DUH!").

Long story short, trends in high school disappear faster than a freshman eating lunch too close to the seniors.  Given these constraints, it's tempting just to dig into your pocket, pull out a few bills and slip them into an envelope.  Yet you should resist the urge to give your teenagers money for Christmas.  Besides the fact that most teens spend their money on fast food and pot, teens should learn the value of money by earning it themselves.  Lest you forget this lesson, your teenager could end up working at Best Buy until he's 38 (Not that there's anything wrong with that – it's just not what most parents envision for children when they enroll them in kindergarten).

Despite these tough odds, hope still lingers that you will find great Christmas gift ideas for your teenagers this season.  This is because some gift ideas for teens are evergreen.  In other words, like fast food and pot, they never go out of fashion (we're not suggesting a happy meal and a joint for Christmas, even though most teenage boys would love it btw).  These are the top 10 gift ideas for teens in 2009:

Top 5 Gift Ideas for Teenagers in 2009

iPhones: The Best Gift for a Teenager   

As long as you buy them the right model, the iPhone is unquestionably the King of all gifts for teens.  Besides their endless and endlessly entertaining apps, games and gadgetry, iPhones simply proclaim ones coolness to everyone.  While they might go out of style in a few years, don't count on it.  Apple has cornered the market on hip phones while Blackberry has cornered the market on professional phones.  Don't expect either one to overstep its bounds any time soon.

Paintball Guns: Very Exciting Gifts for Teenage Boys

Yes, yes we hear the moans and groans from the gun control activists, but what they don't realize is how that paintballing is really fun.  Since we were 3 years old, 90% of us boys have been playing out battle fantasies in our minds.  This doesn't make us sociopaths, Mom – it makes us warriors at heart!  We love all forms of competition, from basketball to video games to drinking — but we love nothing more than pretending we're Bruce Willis in Die Hard, fighting against Klaus, the evil German.  With a paintball gun, you can live out your childhood fantasies with friends in a fairly safe way (bruises here and there, but nothing serious).  

While some claim that paintballing encourages other kinds of violence, we would disagree.  Paintballing allows friends to come together to play a game and compete against each other as men.  It promotes camaraderie and trips to Taco Bell afterwards, if anything.

Movies that Remind Them There's Life After High School

Most teenagers hate high school.  They loathe getting up at 7 am to go to  World Literature, where the teacher doesn't want to be there any more than the kids.  Yet they do it anyways because of the promise that high school will end someday.  In late January, with midterms looming, drama with friends, and a breakup a few weeks earlier, it will be hard for them to see the light.  However, there are some movies that remind teenagers that life after high school not only exists, but is much better.  These flicks include P.C.U., Road Trip, Animal House, Old School, and Tommy Boy.

Snowboards & Surfboards: The Coolest Gifts for Teens

Surfing and snowboarding are awesome sports because they allow people to get completely wild in an individual way — precisely what you're not allowed to do in high school.  Snowboards and surfboards make great gift ideas for teens because they help teens see that high school isn't the end-all, be-all of existence.  They're expensive gifts, certainly, but they're also long-term investments.  If you get a good one, you won't need another one for 10 years.

Snuggies: Even the Prom Queen needs a Snuggie every once in awhile.  

If you live in one of the colder climes of North America, you are familiar with the problem of blankets that aren't quite big enough.  Either your toes freeze or your ears freeze.  However, the Snuggie has put all that to rest, and everyone, from sullen teenagers to grumpy old men, best recognize.

And so, in an attempt to provide assistance to that terribly neglected minority, the uber-rich, we've put together this excellent list of the best expensive Christmas gifts on the web.  In actuality, these gifts really aren't that expensive – they're more like stocking stuffers for millionaires.  But at a certain point in life, nobody can get away with giving their family members mix cd's and subscriptions to Bowhunting magazine (I'm not sure what point this is, but I certainly hope I haven't passed it yet).  When that day arrives, take a deep breath, put down your crystal goblet, and open your wallet.

1. Rosetta Stone: A Cool Gift to Learn a New Language

We've all got that friend who pledges to learn Italian every time they have a few drinks.  Of course they never do, but they always end conversations with "Arrivaderci" anyways.  Give them a chance to make their dream come true.  While it's not going to make you into a fluent speaker, Rosetta Stone can put someone well on their way to becoming conversational.  Featuring voice-recognition software that forces you to correct your own speaking errors, Rosetta Stone is one luxury gift idea that could potentially help someone make a big life change.  At almost $500, it's a pretty expensive gift idea, but can be worth every penny.

2. Power Wheels: Enviable Gifts for Rich Kids 

The pinnacle of an upper-class childhood, Pow Pow Power Wheels are unquestionably the most desirable gifts for kids in the world.  Ever since their release in the 1980's, kids everywhere have yearned to own one.  Kids who actually had one would brag to those who didn't, but rarely if ever let anyone see or ride in theirs.  These days, though, you can actually get one for less than the cost of an XBox.  As a parent, this provides an interesting dilemma: Would I rather have a kid who's ADD and illiterate from nonstop Halo or a kid who's ADD and illiterate from nonstop Power Wheels?  

3. Skydiving: The Coolest IOU Gift Idea

I've heard it said that everyone should try skydiving at least once in their lives.  Most people would go skydiving if given the chance, but they need someone to egg them on.  This Christmas, be the bully who forces someone to do something that terrifies them. They'll thank you afterwards.

4. Bose Speakers: Now you can Disturb your Neighbors with Quality Sound*!

If you're looking for an unnecessarily loud, impeccably crisp, and positively boomin set of speakers, look no further than an absurdly loud set of speakers from Bose.  You might want to include a pair of earplugs and some fine greenery just to make this gift idea extra special.

*Yacht rock is not quality sound, even if it comes from Bose speakers.

5. Margarita Blender: Because Luxury Gifts Are Completely Unnecessary

True luxury gifts are utterly unnecessary, but might make life easier for the maid or hired help.  Nobody needs a special Margarita Blender, but you feel pretty special when you own one.  It's like "I have so much money I can buy things that I use twice so I can save 12 minutes!  WHAT?" 

6. Silver Silverware: Because Nobody Needs It but It Sounds Cool

The mark of a wealthy family is a drawer full of silver that gets used twice a year.  I'm not sure why this is, but one does not question the rules that govern wealthy society.  The penalties would be too great.  Next thing you know you wouldn't be invited to sit with the Grand Marshal at the Kentucky Derby.  You'd have to settle for box seats at the Preakness.  The Preakness!

7. Plasma Screen TV in the Bathroom: A Sweet Luxury Gift Idea for your Inner 15-year-old

Say goodbye to leaving the bathroom door a crack open to watch DVD's of Pimp My Ride.  Now, you can watch X to the Z in style from the throne.  You might also want to include a padded toilet seat with this gift.  I love padded toilet seats.  They're a little disgusting, but hey, so is pooping.  Relax!

8. Private Island: Just So You Can Say You Have One

What?  You don't have one?