Decorations adorning the halls, lights lining every street, the aroma of pine wafting through the air and an omnipresent feeling of joy can only mean one thing: It’s the holiday season!
December is truly one of my favorite months of the year. Although it’s pretty cold, I always look forward to getting into the holiday spirit by jamming out to Christmas carols in my car, picking out a Christmas tree and watching classic holiday movies. However, there is one thing that I definitely do not look forward to during December: the stress of holiday shopping.
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love buying gifts for my family and friends and witnessing their reactions to what’s hidden underneath the wrapping paper. But, I am certainly not a fan of the stress that comes along with purchasing gifts, and I know I’m not alone on that. Picking out a present for someone is always stressful because it can be hard to know exactly what somebody would like. Plus, budgeting and purchasing gifts that are affordable can also be a challenge. Therefore, in order to improve my holiday shopping experience, I have done some research to compile a list of tips and tricks that can help to make the task of holiday shopping more enjoyable.
#1) Set a budget
During the holiday season, you will most likely need to buy quite a lot of gifts. Aside from just family and friends, you could be involved in Secret Santa’s with your classes that will require you to likely spend more money then you were planning to. Setting a total budget for the holiday season as well as setting limits for different gift exchanges will prove to be very beneficial for planning purposes as well as to ensure that you don’t unintentionally deplete your whole bank account over the span of one month!
#2) Create a schedule
Making a gift-buying schedule will allow you to plan out when you will spend your time shopping to ensure that you don’t feel overwhelmed. The holiday season is a hectic time for most, especially if you save gift buying to the last minute. Plus, popular items are bound to be sold out or have very limited availability as it gets closer to the end of the month; so in order to avoid last-minute stress, it would be helpful to create a schedule in order to guarantee that you will have ample time to buy your gifts.
#3) Make DIY gifts
Homemade gifts can be incredibly special and very personal to the recipient. I have made my parents homemade presents in the past and I know that they truly do appreciate the time, effort and creativity that goes into creating a homemade present. Plus, making something yourself will cost less than purchasing an item from the store, so this can be a great way to help with budgeting!
#4) Make a holiday shopping list
Before sitting down in front of the computer or heading out to your car, it can be very helpful to have a list of everyone you want to buy a gift for. This will allow you to be more efficient while shopping and ensure you don’t overbuy. Plus, creating a list allows you to think through each person you need to buy a gift for and decide who a simple handwritten note or Christmas card would be more appropriate for.
#5) Decide where and how you want to purchase your gifts
Do you want to shop in-person? Do you want to buy things online? There are SO many different stores to buy gifts from, both online and in person, so knowing which stores you want to shop at before you actually begin is really important. I personally love shopping on Amazon and at Bath and Body Works for my family, and I totally recommend going to Five Below for secret santa exchanges! Here are some stores that the other Editors-in-Chief love to shop at during the holidays:
Serena: Amazon and Pennyweights
Lauren: Etsy and Barnes and Noble
Ava: Amazon and Target
Abigail: Wave and Target
Though buying gifts can always be a little stressful, hopefully these tips will help make your shopping experience a little less hectic this year!
