| I confess that holiday shopping once felt like an | | | | family members have mentioned they like or would |
| enormous, energy draining chore, and it was one that | | | | like to have. Make notes of their favorite things to |
| I dreaded all year. Now I have found a way to really | | | | do, favorite places to go, favorite brands of clothes, |
| enjoy it. Here are some tips to help you take | | | | favorite games, favorite possessions. Sit for a minute |
| pleasure in it, too. | | | | and brainstorm the possibilities. You might be |
| 1. Make it fun. Do whatever you need to do to make | | | | surprised at the good ideas that pop up. |
| the prospect of holiday shopping more enjoyable. | | | | 4. Shop online as much as you can. You can save |
| Some people get energized by the mall, but, for me, | | | | significantly at the online discount stores, such as |
| the mall is a big energy drain. Instead, I love to sit | | | | Overstock and SmartBargains. Some sites will save |
| curled up in a big fleece blanket with a cup of cocoa | | | | you sales tax; others will have items you would not |
| and a stack of catalogs. For weeks now, I have | | | | find in your local mall. And you can generally find a |
| been tearing out pages and circling gift ideas for my | | | | coupon code this time of year to save even more. |
| favorite people. It is fun to get inspired in this way. | | | | After you have been shopping online for some time, |
| Then, I will make my list and search for online | | | | you may find (like me) that most of your gifts come |
| coupons for the stores I have selected (since I | | | | from the same two or three websites each year, |
| hardly every make an online purchase without a | | | | and that can save you money on shipping, too. |
| coupon code.) | | | | 5. Save for the holidays throughout the year so you |
| Whichever method of shopping is most fun for you, | | | | are not crunched come December. It is easier for me |
| do it. Maybe you will go on a special lunch date with | | | | to stay in the Christmas spirit if I do not have to feel |
| your spouse and power shop for the kids. Maybe | | | | like I am searching for the best bargain on every |
| you will make a daytrip to the most festive outdoor | | | | single item. I would rather find the exact perfect gift |
| mall with some girlfriends. | | | | and then use a coupon code when purchasing it |
| Shopping can be one of the most enjoyable parts of | | | | online, rather than running all over town (or all over |
| the holiday season. Just make sure you are doing it in | | | | the world wide web) to find it cheaper. That |
| such a way that it does not feel like just one more | | | | probably costs me a little more in the end, but it |
| thing you have to do this time of year. The key is | | | | saves me a ton of time. |
| planning ahead and asking yourself what you really | | | | 6. Look for quality and personality, not quantity. |
| enjoy about the process of finding gifts. | | | | Nothing squashes my Christmas spirit more than |
| 2. Start with a budget. What is the dollar range that | | | | focusing too much on the price tag. (Have I spent |
| you wish to spend for each person? Make sure you | | | | enough on this person, have I bought her enough |
| stay in a range you can afford. Nothing takes the fun | | | | gifts? Will I give their family as many presents as she |
| out of holiday shopping more than knowing you will | | | | will give my family?) When shopping takes on the air |
| still be paying off the bills next Christmas. | | | | of competition, it is no good. Look for things that are |
| 3. Plan ahead. I know that many people have all of | | | | beautiful, lasting, heartfelt, and sentimental. |
| their holiday shopping completed in July, but I never | | | | Sometimes it helps to supplement something store |
| have, and probably never will. However, I can get | | | | bought with something handmade. Buy or create a |
| myself to jot down notes throughout the year (in | | | | gift while trying to imagine the look on their faces |
| the back of my Daytimer) about things that my | | | | when they open the gift. |