Make Christmas Shopping Easier Next Year!
It may be mostly too late for this year, but if you follow these tips next year, you'll make Christmas shopping easier than it's ever been
If there was a magic wand you could wave to make Christmas shopping easier, would you use it? Ha! Of course you would, unless you're one of those wackos who actually enjoys fighting unruly crowds and listening to saccharine music until your brain melts. You're not, are you?
Didn't think so. Well, it's probably too late for this Yuletide, but we've got a few suggestions that, if you put them in play next time, ought to save a little of your sanity and make you look a little more kindly on your fellow men. Peace on Earth, and all that. You might even save a little money, too.
A Paradigm Shift
Here's a thought: why not do your basic Christmas shopping before the holiday season? It'll certainly make your Christmas shopping easier. After all, nearly every gift item you can think of is available during the rest of the year -- even sleds and snow blowers, though they may be harder to get.
Obviously retailers don't want you to shop in the summer, because it smacks of logic on your part. You might miss their Christmas sales, when they mark everything down 30% before marking it up 50%. But so what? You might not see a few last minute additions if you shop in July, but you can pick them up later.
World Wide What?
Most of us buy things off the Internet occasionally, but all you have to do is take a look at the malls to realize that most people don't make a habit of it. And yet if you're careful, you can make Christmas shopping easier by leaps and bounds by shopping on the 'Net and having the items sent to you by mail.
While it's always possible for a hacker to intercept your credit card number, this is very rare -- and it happens in department stores, too. Another argument against online shopping has always been the cost of the postage, a problem that's just gotten worse in the last few years. We feel your pain, honest.
But c'mon -- unless you're a masochist, is saving a couple of bucks worth dealing with those crowds at Macy and Talbot's? Let's be serious here. If price has you worried, you're not so much interested in making Christmas shopping easier as in counting your pennies. If that's an issue, why not shop in the summer instead?
Pick a Card, Any Card...
They may be considered a cop-out gift by some, but when wisely used, gift cards make Christmas shopping easier for you. Given all you have to deal with during the holiday season, that's certainly a big plus. One good thing about gift cards is that they can be used to shop the after-Christmas sales, when prices drop.
You can find gift cards at most places you shop, whether that's Wal-Mart, Sak's, or Starbucks. For an even better deal, combine the tips we're providing here and get them online early, from sites like this one or this one, which offer gift cards for hundreds of businesses. You can't make Christmas shopping easier than that!