By Starla Estrada

OOPS, IT'S less than 48 hours until the rounds of gift giving begin, and you're empty-handed, overwhelmed, and still feeling guilty about the gifts you didn't hand out last year. Perhaps in the past you've gotten away without giving, or you've run to the nearest supermall for chain-store gift certificates, but this year it's time to show loved ones just how cool they are with special, handpicked gifts straight outta San Francisco and Berkeley. At the shops mentioned below, you can find unique curios for less than $20 – or you can make up for holidays lost and buy the bling. All these shops will be open on Christmas Eve, but most will close before 5 p.m.

San Francisco

The Upper Haight

The Upper Haight is a one-stop, shop-for-everyone neighborhood. For friends and cousins, load up on papers, lighters, hookahs, and blown-glass water pipes at Pipe Dreams (1376 Haight. 415-431-3553), S.F.'s oldest smoke shop. Or act as the new Santa in town and stuff your friends' stockings with wacky doodads from Cheap Thrills (1687 Haight. 415-252-5687), where spare change buys Garbage Pail Kids stickers and for a few more bucks you can get a glow-in-the-dark Virgen de Guadalupe, a Jesus-on-Wheels, or a kitschy femme fatale candle. Ladies love soft, supple skin, so head over to Body Time (1465 Haight. 415-551-1070), where you can customize scents and select from pleasant-smelling lotions and potions (skip the patchouli, please). Over at Giant Robot (622 Schrader. 415-876-4773) you can buy quirky Japanese stuffed animals, comic books (Optic Nerve, not Spider-Man), graffiti-art books, and Bigfoot's autobiography. And as a last-ditch fix, there's always Amoeba Music (1855 Haight. 415-831-1200), a veritable warehouse of tunes that'll fill any music aficionado's wish list.

The Castro

While we might still be reeling from recent election results, San Franciscans aren't a group to sit around politically idle. Now our pets can act out too – let Fido tear apart a President Bush chew toy purchased at Best in Show (300 Sanchez. 415-863-7387); mouth-watering doggie treats (miniature cupcakes, gourmet chocolates, and cookies) will help aid his indigestion afterward. The shop also sells canine costumes and apparel, beds and thrones, and top-of-the-line diet and grooming products. Then go rub the belly of Buddha, the kitty that lives at the Barking Frog (2215 Market. 415-436-9690), and shopping luck will come your way. The Bali-inspired furniture shop sells beautiful frames, jewelry, and ornaments, all at great prices. For the shameless bobblehead collector in your life, make your way to Happy Trails (2231 Market. 415-437-2264), where wobblies such as the Jolly Green Giant and Einstein keep company with Lucille Ball and Scooby-Doo. Unleash tropical dreams at Plant'It Earth (2279 Market. 415-626-5082), a nursery that boasts an exotic array of orchids and carnivorous flora, which will transform any apartment into an equatorial paradise.

Upper Fillmore

For home-accent gifts with a quirky twist, visit Zinc Details (1905 Fillmore. 415-776-2100), or for ones with a modern flair, go to Lounge (1942 Fillmore. 415-359-9111). For delicate glassware, chandeliers, and bedding, drop into Nest (2300 Fillmore. 415-292-6199), and for exquisite lingerie, peruse the racks at My Boudoir (2029 Fillmore. 415-346-1502). At Hydra (1919 Fillmore. 415-474-9372) you can buy soap by the slice, and the store sometimes sells Golden Gate Bridge soap, a perfect 'Frisco souvenir. At Paper Source (1925 Fillmore. 415-409-7710) you can stock up on journals and how-to-write-love-letters books, as well as fancy paper to wrap them in. If you've had your fill of lower Pacific Heights, then head down the hill to Harput's (1527 Fillmore. 415-923-9300), which sells vintage and limited-edition Adidas clothing, shoes, retro sunglasses, and accessories for adults and children.

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While the following San Francisco neighborhoods have as many unique shops as the city has hills, this selection highlights just a couple in each one where you can efficiently meet all your holiday shopping needs.

Hayes Valley

When the travel bug bites, the infection rarely heals. For the intrepid wanderer in your world, pick up vintage portable ashtrays, oxygen, mile-high club supply kits, travel books, and luggage at Flight 001 (535 Hayes. 415-487-1001). To celebrate a friend coming home for the holidays from regions afar, hop across the street to True Sake (560 Hayes. 415-355-9555) for beautiful bottles filled with the sweet elixir.

The Mission

The women who run Encantada Gallery of Fine Art (904 Valencia. 415-642-3939) will help you choose the perfect Mexican folk-art figurine, be it a traditional papier-mâché skeleton or an intricate ceramic sculpture, that depicts everyday events, careers, and magic. Paxton Gate (824 Valencia. 415-824-1872) sells bizarre, nature-inspired treasures, like pressed butterflies and colorful beetles under glass, that'll intrigue and confound even the most curious.

The Inner Sunset

Near Irving and Ninth Streets, there are two multipurpose gift stores where you can't go wrong in a time pinch. Wishbone (601 Irving. 415-242-5540) and Tutti-Frutti Cards, Gifts, and Fun Stuff (718 Irving. 415-661-8504) are oozing with personality and gifts to match. They have fantastic selections of cards that express yourself for you, and everything from onesies (for infants) featuring AC/DC's Angus Young to pocket organizers.

Berkeley

In Berkeley you'll find most of what you can in S.F., minus the parking headache.

Fourth Street

Castle in the Air (1805 Fourth St. 510-204-9868) has the most romantically eclectic selection of journals, notebooks, paper and pens, and small decorative figurines (and cuckoo clocks too) in a very fantasy-inspired ambience. Chances are you'll walk away with a gift for yourself as well. Feeling smart? Tune into the Discovery Channel Store (1608 Fourth St. 510-528-9924) and get motivated with educational science and nature gifts. For children's clothing and accessories, This Little Piggy Wears Cotton (1840 Fourth St. 510-981-1411) has an excellent selection of too-cute outfits. Jest Jewels (1791 Fourth St. 510-526-7766) sells baubles and bangles to suit any girl's fancy, while both the Gardner (1836 Fourth St. 510-548-4555) and Zosaku (1780 Fourth St. 510-524-7407) offer fabulous gifts, from scarves to cutting boards to vases. For top-of-the-line cookware, gourmet culinary treats, or just a few wooden spoons, the selection of kitchen goods at Sur La Table (1806 Fourth St. 510-849-2252) will make your mouth water. For books and music, head to Cody's Books (1730 Fourth St. 510-559-9500), a Berkeley literary institution, and the classy Hear Music (1809 Fourth St. 510-204-9595), where you can sample most CDs before purchasing.

San Pablo Avenue

The jeweler-owner at Kiss My Ring (2514 San Pablo. 510-540-1282) creates handcrafted gold and silver jewelry with intricate and elegant medieval and skull-and-crossbones designs. Next door, at Juniper Tree (2520 San Pablo. 510-647-3697), stock up on soap and candle supplies for the DIY types you know. The shop also offers a selection of natural bath and beauty products. A peep behind the curtains at Good Vibrations (2504 San Pablo. 510-841-8987) reveals a world of love with which you can delight and tickle your holiday honey. Dollybird (2522 San Pablo. 510-540-7255) and Head Room Productions (2516 San Pablo. 510-549-0202) both offer vampy clothing and accessories, while Fiddlesticks Furnishings (2524 San Pablo. 510-486-1800) offers more conservative decorative gifts for your folks in the Midwest.

Now that you've bustled all around S.F. and Berkeley doing the last-minute dance, buy yourself a present for having beaten the clock. Or just kick back and revel in your own holiday splendor and be thankful the season only comes once a year.