Holy Crap, time is flying!
For me, the start of September signals that it’s time. This weekend, I’ll be making a list and checking it twice. Christmas shopping can then start in earnest. Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not really a ho-ho-ho Christmassy type of person. I’m just not. In my books the one thing worse than Christmas shopping, is Christmas shopping under pressure, and I refuse to play that game. That gameplan really sucks.
An early start gives me the chance to 1. spread the cost over a number of pay packets, 2. make/create any handcrafted item and 3. look for bargains, specials and sales at the shops, markets and of course sites like this.
Here’s a rundown of how I get my Christmas on … you’ll easily see that it’s not rocket science, but rather just an organisational process to avoid chaos during a chaotic time of year!
- I start with a list of everyone I traditionally to give a gift to, on this list goes – immediate family, extended family, friends, neighbours, colleagues etc. If they’re not on the list, they don’t get a present, simple.
- for each person, I nominate an approximate amount I’ll spend up to. This is not intended to be tight-arsey, but rather a first look at what the budget will look like. Much easier to have a rough idea early on, instead of a hear-attack later!
- I’ll then jot down some ideas. For instance, some things are just traditional, like the family friends who get a T-shirt with their Christmas gift every year (lucky fellas, hey? ), I make a note of interests and even things NOT to get
- Time then to make a start – I’ll keep my eyes open while out shopping, but seriously I find that online is by far the least stressful. Particularly sites that have a capped rate on shipping and offer a huge range of product. Here is one of my favourites – shhhhhhh.
- As things arrive, I squirrel them into my secret hidey-hole with a sticky note of who will get what. I can then cross them off my list and it’s wham-bam-thankyou-ma’am!
- All going well, things are wrapped and good to go by mid-December at the latest!
How do you organize yourself for Christmas gift-giving, or are you a last- minute present hunter (just like the MOTH who races around on Christmas Eve!)? Do you have any go-to places for those hard to buy for folk in your life? Let us in on your tips!
Linking this post up today with Grace and the Flog Yo’ Blog Friday fun that she has going on! You’ll find heaps of great blogs to check out!
