‘Tis the afternoon before Christmas and all through the house are groans from those who forgot to buy gifts for friends or a spouse.

Do not despair, you can still purchase gifts that appear to be chosen with thought and care.

On Christmas Eve, some shops will close by four, So you need to promptly beat feet out your door.

Once in the store, you won’t find it hard To pick out your loved one’s perfect gift card!

So fellow procrastinators, there’s no need to fret, Loved ones can still receive gifts that they’ve wanted to get.

Gift Card givers will want to repeat this phrase:

“Good things come in small packages during the holidays, And just because you buy it late, doesn’t mean it can’t be great!”

Gift cards do present a pro and con: Kids getting one can’t open a present and play with a toy on Christmas day, but they can get “a bigger bang for their buck” by enjoying the after-Christmas sales in the store or online.

Stores such as Shaw’s Supermarkets, Walmart, Hannaford Bros., and CVS have large and diverse gift card displays in their stores, featuring gift cards in varying denominations for other stores:

Clothing stores, such as Marshall’s, Land’s End, Aeropostale, Macy’s, T.J. Maxx, Foot Locker, Patriot’s Pro Shop, and JC Penney; restaurants like Applebee’s, Ruby Tuesday, Subway, Olive Garden, Starbucks, Dominoes, and I-HOP; home renovation and decorating items from Pottery Barn, Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, and Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft; relaxing with iTunes, Bath & Body Works, Regal Cinema, GameStop, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, and Toys R Us.

Chelly, a customer service representative at WalmartSupercenter in Auburn, pointed out that gift cards have been popular at the store since it opened in 2001. “We sell a huge number of iTunes cards, where recipients can download music. Some of Walmart’s gift cards this year show pictures – of toys and electronics – that recipients might like to buy,” she said, noting that they expect the store “to be pretty busy right until our closing time of 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve.”

Due to strong customer demand, Becky Read, assistant manager at Renys on Front Street in Bath, said that the store’s gift card, which came in $20, $50 and $100 increments last year, will be offered in $5 increments up to $100 this year.

Jen, a sales associate at Family Dollar Store on Center Street in Auburn, which will close at 7 p.m. on Christmas eve, has seen more last-minute shoppers in the last couple of years. “Some are waiting for their last check or bonus to show up. Others are looking at their household budget and seeing what’s left over to take care of Christmas,” she said.

“We sell a lot of gift cards anyway, but last year a good number of employers came in to buy $10 and $15 gift cards for their employees,” stated Debbie at Shaw’s service desk in Auburn, where the store will close at

6 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

“Our store is insane on Christmas eve, where we’ll be open until 9 p.m.,” stated Roslyn Nadeau, a cashier at Roopers liquor store on Sabattus Street in Lewiston. She said Roopers has a good number of special gift packs with liquor bottles and special glasses and mugs that are popular sellers.

One sure bet, if you’re just starting your shopping by the time your local stores have already closed, is to head to L.L. Bean in Freeport which stays open 24 hours, 365 days a year.