Okay. We’re less than a week away from Christmas. It’s down to the wire. And you blew it. You haven’t picked up any gifts yet. Today, we’re gonna save your sorry hide by suggesting some last minute gifts that you can lay your hands on, wrap up, and throw under the tree just inside the deadline.

Vegan Food

So you’re wondering what to get your friend who loves animals but also loves to eat. May we suggest a meal or gift certificate for Mission Savvy at 202 Hale St. in Downtown Charleston, Charleston’s hippest eating establishment where you can find food for which no animals were harmed in the production.

http://www.facebook.com/MissionSavvyCafe

Local Music

We mentioned Budget Tapes and Records and Taylor Books last week in our shop local entry, but we didn’t mention that both establishments have great assortments of CD’s by local artists. You can go to the local music section and pick out something that the local music lover on your gift list might enjoy, like the Farnsworth EP, “I’ll Tell You When I’ve Had Enough,” which is both excellent and downright affordable. Have a sample…

Local Authors

Even though you’ve been a slacker, you can make up for it by giving books that are actually signed by the authors. Thursday night during ArtWalk, Taylor Books will present a literary battle royale, with dual booksignings and no holds barred.

In one corner, we have West Virginia’s newest poet laureate, Marc Harshman,a man who claims that he can beat any poet in the world with his mad ninja rhymes and high-flying wordplay.

In the opposing corner, ready to entertain the young adult on your gift list, we have Colleen Anderson with “Missing: Mrs. Cornblossom.” Old Edna Cornblossom is gone, and the whole neighborhood misses her. Welcome to Arlington Court, where a trio of ten-year-olds, two eccentric adults, and a mischievous calico cat discover that, together, they carry their friend’s beloved memory forward in their own lives.

Downloads

While the idea of giving downloads as a Christmas gift might seem dang near blasphemous to many people, there are technophiles out there who would prefer to get their books or music on one of those new-fangled Krindles or iDaddy’s. If that’s the case, we’ve got a couple of links for you.

Book-wise, Ed Rabel, journeyman journalist and West Virginia native brings us “Ed Rabel Reports: Lies, Wars and Other Misadventures.” which can be downloaded from Amazon for a mere ten bucks. From the PR, “An up-close view of an Emmy award-winning network television journalist who struggles and triumphs over mountain poverty and backwardness in his home state of West Virginia to become one of America’s foremost narrators of history.”

Music-wise, we have a brand new collection of tunes from Time and Distance, “ON ep.” This is terrific, crispy power-punk and pop from one of the area’s most-traveled musicians and his band. Best of all, you get to name your own price. Just jump over to Bandcamp, and don’t be stingy. There’s six songs here. Give ’em at least a buck a cut. It’s well worth it.

The Art of Desperation

We mentioned ArtWalk this Thursday night, 5 PM to 8 PM, as downtown Charleston’s art galleries open their doors and welcome the patrons of the arts. This is a great chance for you to exercise your powers of the impulse buy for a last minute gift. It might be a beautiful painting, a lovely sculpture, a nifty antique, or a brass monkey holding a plunger. But you can rush out Thursday night and create the illusion that you actually put a lot of thought into picking out your gift. Participating galleries are

Art Emporium Gallery
Charleston Ballet
Chet Lowther Studio
Delfine’s Jewelry
Gallery Eleven
Good News Mountaineer Garage Gallery
House of Luxe
Ivor’s Trunk
Mission Savvy
Modern by Design
Romano & Associates Law Offices
Savvy Chic
Stray Dog Antiques
Studio 1031
Sky Lounge
Taylor Books – Annex Gallery
The Purple Moon
Visions Day Spa
White Oak Photography
Uncork & Create

For more information visit the ArtWalk website at http://www.charlestonartwalk.com/