Season of last-minute buys

One week before Christmas — and just three days before the start of Hanukkah, at sundown Sunday — nearly one in three people had yet to begin searching for gifts, a study has found.

There are many options in Huntington Beach for locals who helped contribute to that statistic, either due to a time crunch or budgetary constraints.

As of Tuesday, 31% of Americans surveyed hadn’t started their holiday shopping, Rasmussen Reports found; conversely, 29% had already finished shopping.

More than two-thirds of the country plan on spending less this year, the report found.

Gift cards used to be a busy gift-giver’s dream; a single trip to the supermarket or even 7-Eleven could yield a Nordstrom shopping trip for Mom, a Sears spree for Dad and iTunes downloads for the kids.

But with many big-box retailers going into bankruptcy this season, gift buyers are seeking other options.

The National Retail Federation found that gift card sales were down 10% over the four-day Black Friday weekend, and expects the entire season’s gift card purchases to fall 6%.

Despite widespread panic over the possibility of gift cards losing their value when a company goes under, many options are still viable; larger store and restaurant chains aren’t likely to shutter overnight, and deals can still be had this season.

Here are some options for the card-wary, the recession-hit and the time-starved.

For the golden-aged

Home Instead Senior Care recommends practical gifts for seniors, especially in the face of an increasingly nerve-wracking economy.

After analyzing more than 12,000 gift requests, the local care office said the top wishes included practical gift certificates or cards; personal care items; books, magazine subscriptions and puzzle books; candies; or stamps and stationary.

“Based on our experience, seniors most often gravitate toward the practical in gift requests, but those preferences will become even more relevant this holiday season as budgets tighten for shoppers and senior gift recipients alike,” said Nayda Poblete, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care office serving Huntington Beach.

“We expect that many seniors will want gift cards to grocery stores, discount stores and restaurants and, if they’re still driving, gas cards.”

For more information on Home Instead, call (714) 444-4880 and ask for Poblete.

For the foodie

Many chain restaurants, like California Pizza Kitchen, Red Robin and Denny’s, are offering the opportunity to receive a free gift card with purchase. The typical return is 20%; for example, purchasers can receive a $5 gift card for every $20 in gift cards they purchase.

Buca di Beppo, 7979 Center Ave., is offering a 25% return; purchasers will receive a $25 gift card when they purchase $100 in cards. Papa John’s pizza buyers will receive a free medium pizza with $25 gift card purchase.

However, many of these bonus gift cards need to be used in early 2009; read the fine print before purchasing, and check to make sure the restaurant chain isn’t going out of business any time soon.

For more information on the Buca deal, call (714) 891-4666.

For the offspring

The Rascals to Rebels children’s boutique in the Seacliff Village shopping center, 7101 Yorktown Ave., Suite 103, which offers designer brands and exceptional gift ideas, will hold a special “Sip N Shop” event from 6 to 9:30 tonight, where all items in the store are 25% off — even the store’s 50% off rack is eligible for the discount. Guests will enjoy complimentary drinks, hors d’oeuvres, coffee and desserts.

For more information, call (714) 374-9937 or visit rascalstorebels.net.

For the aesthete

The OMC Gallery for Contemporary Art & Design is holding a holiday art bazaar featuring paintings, small sculpture, digital art, photography, drawing books and more from 2 to 6 p.m. daily through Saturday. The gallery is in the Old World Village at 7561 Center Ave., No. 32. For more information, call (714) 421-0476 or visit omc-llc.com.

For the out-of-towner

People with family and friends from afar can visit California Greetings, 301 Main St. No. 110, for Surf City-themed ornaments, cards, shirts, beer mugs and more.

The shop has several Huntington-specific ornaments that feature the pier and other landmarks, and even a surfing Santa. For more information, call (714) 960-1688.

CANDICE BAKER may be reached at (714) 966-4631 or at [email protected].