10 Last-Minute Gifts (That Are Cooler Than Gift Cards)

Metrograph, the movie theater and distributor dedicated to archiving indie cinema, is now offering a membership program that includes both its streaming service, Metrograph at Home, and discounted tickets to movies at its downtown theater.

First let’s talk content: Dropout is a great service for those who love absurd TV. The library of shows keeps growing and getting sillier and sillier. Game Changers, Gastronauts, Smartypants — these are perfect brain-smoothing shows. Plus, this is a gift that keeps on giving, and not just to the gift recipient. The comedy streamer that arose from the ashes of CollegeHumor, Dropout has a revenue-sharing scheme with the people who work on its shows. When the money is good, it’s shared with cast and crew. Giving a Dropout subscription will provide stupid jokes and give money to some very smart folks.

Universal’s newest theme park will hold its grand opening on May 22, 2025, and the theme-park head in your life is surely jonesing to check it out ASAP. The first new Disney or Universal theme park to open in the U.S. since 2001 will house several “worlds� based on properties from Harry Potter to Nintendo. But don’t take our word for it — Steven Spielberg himself assures us in a first-look video that “Epic Universe is based on an amazing concept.�

Another iconic downtown movie theater, Film Forum also offers a membership program that includes discounts on tickets and merch as well as an exclusive annual event with the programmers.

Puzzles are cool, folks! Among the multiple cool-girl puzzle brands, Jiggy is unique because it includes a tube of glue in every box so you can display each puzzle as a work of art. If you’ve got a puzzler in your life, they’ll love getting a Jiggy’s Puzzle Club subscription — a new 500-piece design from a different female artist every month.

The Tribeca Film Festival comes just once a year, but this membership provides year-round access to members-only events and screenings as well as early access to buy festival tickets and exclusive merch. Bonus: It’s currently on sale for $80.

A24 bills this as an “all-access pass to everything A24,� but it’s really just a subscription to its zine (with a few extra goodies like a small discount at the merch store). Still, it’s a nice gift for A24 stans — those zines are pretty good!

There are plenty of book-of-the-month subscriptions out there, but for readers less inclined to take recommendations from Reese Witherspoon, this one from Brooklyn institution Books Are Magic is a nicer option.

Did you know you can gift Substack subscriptions? It’s not very intuitive, but you can just add /gift to the end of the url and you’ll be able to sign up your giftee to their favorite newsletter. There are endless options with excellent writers covering everything from parenting to video games to celebrity gossip (and sports as gossip). But we especially recommend Hung Up from beloved Vulture alumna Hunter Harris.

When I moved away from New York, I missed two things: my friends and Xi’an Famous Foods. (Luckily for me, it ships meal kits.) If you’re looking for a last-minute gift for an NYC expat, you can’t go wrong with Goldbelly’s New York subscription. Each month, the company sends a box of food from a New York restaurant. Homesick stomachs of the world, rejoice!